How Do You Know If You Have Scarcity Mindset?

I love working with people in the area of balance and abundance. 

I received a great question last week…How do I know if I have a scarcity mindset or an abundant mindset? 

And, how do I create an abundant mindset exactly?

So we are going to dive right in. 

You can listen right here or read on.

So, where does scarcity, lack and feelings of insufficiency come from anyway…

The primal part of the brain is wired for survival. This part of the brain is going to do whatever it has to in order to keep you alive.

But let’s be honest, if you’re listening to this podcast, you’re likely not living in survival mode. 

You are most likely in a climate controlled environment, within 30 seconds of a food source at any given time, plenty to eat and drink and a comfy bed to rest in. 

You are not worried about being attacked by a wild animal and most likely not worried about making it through the winter.

So, this part of our primitive survival brain isn’t very useful most of the time in our modern society.

Scarcity is part of our primal brain’s wiring.  Its purpose was to keep us thinking we didn’t have enough so that we would continue to do those things that are relevant for survival.

There was a time when resources were short and we needed to worry about getting enough food, warmth, meeting a person and procreating. We don’t need that worry center any longer.

The old wiring of “not enough” was what motivated us to go out and get more…to survive.

Doing things for survival stimulates the reward center of your brain and it thinks it’s doing its thing.

So when you do something for survival, your brain gives you that little tap into your dopamine and immediately your brain is rewarded.

When you have a thought that creates a desire, and then you fill that desire, your brains reward center is triggered and you keep repeating that cycle.

This cycle used to be very useful and it is what has helped us evolve into our current state.

But it’s not necessary anymore.  In fact, the same wiring, left unchecked will keep us from evolving to our highest and best self. 

In fact, it’s the same driver to all of our buffering behavior of over-eating, over-drinking, over spending, gambling…you name it.

So, how you know if you have a scarcity mindset?

Here is a little test…

Are you human?  Do you have a brain? 

We all have a scarcity tendency to varying degrees and around different things. 

A few years when I was working on cravings and urges, I recognized my scarcity mindset around food.

I would consume way beyond full because my scarcity mindset was unconformable with throwing it out.  I would justify it by thinking that it’s wasteful and disrespectful to throw away good food but here is the truth…

…me over-eating did not help anyone in a third world country. 

…me over consuming beyond full because I was uncomfortable with throwing food away was creating a problem for me.

Seeing treats in the break room that I was not hungry for would trigger the urge to grab one because I didn’t want to miss out.

I would grab one for now and one for later.  As if I would miss something if I didn’t.

Fear of missing out is a scarcity mindset. 

Scarcity also shows up at work and in relationships. 

• We think we do more than someone else does or that we give more, sacrifice more and compromise more. 
• We keep score in our mind and only see what we give up or how life is weighted differently for us.
• We might feel like we don’t get enough time or attention, appreciation or affection from the relationship. 

Can you see a theme here?

Listen, first of all, know that nothing has gone wrong, and you are not broken.  It’s just primal biology at play here.  Old wiring. 

We are all on the scale or spectrum to varying degrees but here are some things that you can start thinking about that will start moving the needle for you.

First, here is why it matters.

You cannot create a life of abundance with a scarcity mindset. 

You will never create abundance in the area of health, wealth or relationships from feelings of lack and insufficiency.

In future episodes, we will talk about exact phrases to think on and say and what to stop thinking and saying but this week first things first…

1. Be aware this week of your dominant thoughts and emotion.  Self-awareness is the secret sauce.

We don’t consciously go around feeling our feelings or examining our thoughts.  Turns out, it is a very important first step in creating a different result in any area of our life.  Until we bring awareness into our day, our thoughts and emotions are just coming and going unnoticed until we get highly triggered to move off of center. 

For example, someone says or does something that makes your feel something, then you become very aware of that feeling. 

Like anger…resentment or even a feel good emotions like joy. 

But in general, we don’t think about how we are feeling. 

Change that up this week. 

Make a list of your dominant thoughts and emotions.  

Really tap into you. Write them down. 

When I was preparing for this podcast, I was looking at my notes from a few years ago when I did this exercise a few years ago and here is a few of the things I wrote down. 

I was feeling bitter, angry, resentful, scared, miserable, pissed, ornery…I was thinking thoughts like..”this isn’t fair, and that’s so disrespectful, and she is so annoying, why can’t he just change, if he would just [fill in the blank, I had many of these sentences] we would get along better, why can’t my life be like hers” 

When you bring awareness to the volume and the content of what you are feeling and thinking, you will start to see where scarcity and thoughts of insufficiency are existing, and then you can get to work on them. 

In my case, I was always thinking that I didn’t have enough time to do the things that I wanted to do, that I needed more money for the things that I wanted to do, that I was going to have to defend my wants and desires to my husband, my boss, my friends. 

This bubbled up in 2016, the first time that Steve and I talked about moving to our final retirement destination.  We had landed on Florida being it.

At first, I was so excited about the prospect of change and then, scarcity showed up.  I had 5 horses and was really involved in showing. 

I had just done my first ever Western Dressage World Show and placed 5^th.  I started to feel my thoughts go to” we won’t be able to afford my horses in Florida.  Florida is too expensive; I won’t have what I have here in Oklahoma. 

I felt very much like I was going to have to give up my dreams for the sake of moving to Florida. 

At one point, I made a list of all of the things that I wanted to have for my horses when we moved to Florida.  I was actually trying to do it from a place of abundance and putting things on there that I didn’t even have now.  I thought that was the way to be abundant.  The whole thing backfired and I ended up being so scared of not having any of it that I put the list away and we stopped talking about moving to Florida. 

Our scarcity mindset talked us right out of it. 

Take a listen to episode 8 thought to see how it all worked out.

2. Notice what comes up for you when someone else gets something that your heart desires. 

I remember growing up and my aunt would say, I wish I had that and they had a nickel…it was from a place of either they can have or we can have but we both can’t have. 

I heard phrases like the “haves and the have not” and I clearly felt like a have not.  

Pay attention when you feel the emotion of jealousy. 

Now, we don’t like to admit when we feel that way but I look at it as an indicator and I love indicators. 

Jealousy is just a desire that you have in your heart that you think you can’t create. 

So you see a house that you love but you don’t think you could ever have it or a car or even a relationship that someone has. 

Your brain thinks that you can’t create the outcome but your heart desires that outcome.  It bubbles up as jealousy.  Instead of beating yourself up, just notice it. 

Maybe it’s a job that someone else has or an income or maybe it’s someone who is at their ideal weight. 

Think about when someone buys a new car or a new house. 

Are you genuinely happy for them or do you kind of blister up on the inside and talk about how foolish they are with their money? 

The answers that are revealed to you this week will tell you where you have work to do in the area of scarcity and abundance.

Here are my parting thoughts…

• You are a manifesting your life right now whether you know it consciously or not.  You are creating your tomorrow-self today.
• You are the one who is creating, inviting, and attracting the results that you are getting or not getting. 
• You are allowing or blocking abundance through your thoughts and your emotions. 

Awareness is king.

If you are ready to take this work to the next level then you should totally check out Life By Design Academy.  It’s my 1:1 coaching program designed to help you create the life of balance and abundance…a life that your heart’s desire.

Click here and let’s chat.

Alright my friend…have the best week ever!