Understanding the concept of an abundance mind-set would be incomplete without the understanding of a scarcity mind-set. The terms were coined by Stephen Covey in his best-selling book ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change’.
Simply put, people with a scarcity mind-set work on the premises that life resources, be it in relationships, in job opportunities, in wealth, in shareable emotions or what have you, are finite. While those with an abundance mind-set believe there is more than enough of everything for everybody to go around with.
People with a scarcity mind-set also differ from their counterparts in another major aspect. They feel that resources can only be ‘found’, ‘discovered’, or ‘hunted’. So, life becomes a matter of competition about who gets it first.
On the other hand, people with an abundance mind-set believe that resources can also be ‘created’, leading to peace of mind, genuine happiness at the happiness of others, and great contentment.
As per them the options are limitless. Happiness cannot get reduced if someone gains some. This makes them free from the burden of worries of the rat race.
Needless to say, we can expect people with an abundance mind-set to be more socially inclined, as well as socially well-accepted. They are helpful, positive, calming, relaxed, and hence pleasant to be around. People do not feel threatened by their presence.
We need to realize that the kind of mind-set one has determines his or her social as well as personal behaviour. The person with a scarcity mind-set tends to get almost controlling possessive of those he or she considers being a friend. This is because friendship lost in one, cannot be found in another. The same applies to relationships of any kind. There is a high probability that people would want to actually move away from this clinginess. The effect? It adds further to the paranoia.
When we look at a person with an abundance mind-set, we see someone open to meeting new people, exploring new relationships, while still valuing what he or she already has. This leads to associates feeling relaxed and comfortable, which is oxygen for friendships and relationships to blossom.
Have you seen a person hanging on to the wait for the answering text as if his or her life depends on it? A person who is always be on edge with the fear of losing even on the smallest rejections? That is scarcity mind-set for you…
On the other hand those whom you find confident about moving on after any kind of loss, because there’s always enough of everything out there, waiting to be created if not found, are an example of abundance mind-set.
Who do you want to be? The choice is yours….
You may always reach out to us if you want guidance in transforming from one to the other…
