Prosperity - Scarcity Mindset
We need
to examine our mindset with respect to prosperity or scarcity. We either
have a prosperity mindset or a scarcity mindset. How we view the world
and its resources will have a huge impact on our ability to accomplish
our goals.
If you have a scarcity mindset, you view the
world as having limited resources. We tend to think that there is a
scarcity of jobs, income opportunities and relationship opportunities.
As you know by now, what we think about, we bring about. We manifest
that which we believe. Therefore if we think that there is a scarcity of
resources, we tend to horde resources. This becomes self-fulfilling
prophecy. A scarcity mindset creates scarcity. We become stingy with our
time, money and other resources. We even become stingy with our love.
Can you see the dangers of having a scarcity mindset?
On
the other side of the spectrum is a prosperity mindset. Here we tend to
see the world as having an abundance of resources. There are plenty of
jobs, income opportunities and relationship opportunities. All we need
to do is to open our mind to the possibilities. Since we tend to
manifest what we believe, having a prosperity mindset tends to attract
prosperity to us. We are no longer stingy. We realize that the more we
give, the more we get. We no longer horde our precious resources. We
understand that there are ample resources to fill all our needs.
Please
do not confuse a prosperity mindset with being wasteful. A prosperity
mindset does not waste precious resources. The average American today
waste too many resources. We buy things that we do not really need and
fail to use the things we have. This is not a prosperity mindset. This
is the hording that comes with the scarcity mindset.
The competitive - collaborative mindset
We
live in a very competitive society. This goes hand in hand with the
scarcity mentality. We feel like we must compete with others for jobs,
relationships and scarce resources. As a result we have developed a "go
it alone" mindset. We do not want to share. We want to do it all by
ourselves and get all the spoils of victory.
We are taught
from grade school on to compete for grades, for sports teams and for
academic or school positions of leadership. Competition becomes inbred.
But
you need to stop and ask yourself if this is the best way? Is
competition the way nature intended us to live? Could we actually stand a
better chance of achieving our goals is we learned to collaborate with
others?
We could learn a lot from ants and bees. These are
very primitive animal life forms. Yet they can construct elaborate
anthills and beehives. And they do it by working together.
You
will never accomplish anything truly great working solely by yourself.
Edison did not invent the light bulb working alone. Bill Gates did not
build Microsoft alone. No matter what your goal, you will need help to
achieve it. And the more help you have, the faster you will achieve your
goals.
Fast food mindset
Unfortunately,
as a nation, we have developed a fast food mindset. We have come to
expect things to happen immediately. We have our instant messaging,
instant e-mails and our fast foods. We have developed the mindset if we
have to wait, we don't want it.
That is rather
unfortunate. While there are some things we do not like to wait for, you
will need to change your mindset when it comes to achieving your goals
in life. You are where you are based on a lifetime of thought and
actions. You cannot expect to undo this overnight. You cannot expect to
reprogram your mind instantly. It will take some time.
You
will need to develop some realistic time frames for achieving your
goals. You will also need to understand that you cannot force things to
happen on your schedule. If you have spent a few years building up
credit card debt, unless you are very lucky, you will not make a fortune
overnight to satisfy all your financial needs.
If you try
to force things to happen as you want them, you will meet with failure
more often than not. You can achieve your goals and dreams. You just
need to be realistic about how long it might take.
How does our mindset affect our lives?
As
you can see from the above examples, our mindset has a significant
bearing on our ability to achieve our goals. Our mindset literally
shapes our lives. What we think about, we bring about. Therefore it is
vitally important that we develop a growth mindset. We must be open to
new possibilities. We need to be receptive to new concepts, to new ways
of doing things. If we think there is only one way to solve a problem,
only one path to achieve our goals, we limit ourselves and may in fact
close ourselves off to the path we really should take.
We
often have a fixed mindset about our abilities. We have often accepted
all we have been told about our limitations. As a child, how many times
were you told, "Don't try that." Or, "You'll never be able to be a
_________ (doctor, professional, or whatever you were told)" or worse
yet, "You need to learn your place." Most of us were constantly feed
negative messages as children. While they were probably given with the
best of intentions, they became programmed into our brains. We are now
burdened with self-limiting beliefs about our abilities. We need to open
our minds to the possibilities of what can be.
As
children, we were often fed lots of information about the types of
relationships we should develop. Again, our parents and teachers had
what they thought were our best interest in mind. But for the most part
they told us to fit in. Don't make waves. Don't color outside the box or
play outside the box. In other words we were taught to conform.
Therefore we have been conditioned to conform. Successful people do not
do the same things that everyone else does. If they did exactly as
everyone else did, they would get the same results. The successful
people are doing something different. While I am not suggesting that you
be a rebel or do anything disruptive, you must be open to doing things
that are outside the box.
What is a growth mindset?
It
is simply being open to all possibilities. It is not having a fixed
idea about how things should be done. It is being open to learning new
ways to do things. With a growth mindset, we do not spend time on trying
to defend our preconceived notion of how the world should work. We are
constantly exploring for new and better ways to do things. We are
seeking alternate ways to view the world.
A growth
mindset requires that we are constantly learning and growing. One thing
about learning, the more we learn the more we realize how little we
know.
It is very important that you question your long
held beliefs about things. Learn to be open to seeing things from a
different point of view. You will achieve your goals much faster that
way.
How can we develop a growth mindset?
By
simply being aware of your attitudes that control your behavior. Learn
to question or observe why you are doing certain things. Stop doing
thing automatically. Stop reacting like a robot. Start to look at the
reasons why you are taking the actions you are taking. Observe your
feelings about what you are doing. As you become aware of why you are
doing things, ask yourself if there might be a better way. Open your
mind to the endless possibilities that exist.