“Abundance mindset” has become a fairly common term, especially in the world of personal development. In this post I will explain what it really means to live with an abundance mindset and give examples of ways to apply this mindset to your life, resulting in a win-win attitude.
I wake up each and every day excited. I’ve been on a roll lately, and I’m not stopping.
The following quote has been on my mind:
“Try not to become a person of success, but rather try to become a person of value.” – Albert Einstein
Become a person of value. Put the best version of yourself out into the world. Give and keeping giving, and give some more.
It’s a law of physics: for every force, there’s an equal and opposite force. Put a different way:
The energy you put into the world comes back.
Give, push, and grind – you will be rewarded.
What does all this have to do with living with an abundance and growth mindset? Let’s first talk about what an abundance mindsets means.
Living with an Abundance vs. a Scarcity Mindset
Imagine you and I are walking down the street, side by side.
You breathe in. You breathe out. I breathe in. I breathe out. We both need oxygen to survive. Would it cross your mind that there would not be enough oxygen for both of us? Of course not—air is abundant.
Now, imagine we are scuba diving and my scuba tank starts to malfunction. I signal that I need to share the oxygen in your tank. All of a sudden, the air becomes a precious commodity. Its scarcity makes us worry. What if there isn’t enough for both of us?
Many people live with a scarcity mindset – a mindset which is zero-sum.
You win, I lose.
I win, you lose.
People with this type of mindset have a hard time sharing success with other people and are jealous of others’ success. As you can see above, this mindset results in a win-lose attitude, where there has to be a loss in order for there to be a win. When you live with an abundance mindset, you have a win-win attitude.
Why I’m Choosing to Live with an Abundance Mindset
Instead of a scarcity mindset, I’ve tried to implement an abundance mindset – and view the world as unlimited in it’s potential.
Starting out, it was tough. I definitely struggled with living with abundance as a kid, always competing with my sister in different ways. It always seemed like, ‘Erik got this, so that’s not fair that I didn’t,” or “What? She got to go do that, why didn’t I?” were common phrases around the house.
As I’ve grown older, I’ve realized that everyone is unique and there is enough to go around.
Enough? Enough money, enough love, enough time, enough effort, enough praise, and enough success to go around.
If I lose my job, there’s another one for me somewhere. If my relationships don’t pan out like I’d like them to, there are other people out there who will appreciate me for me. If my business fails and I lose $10,000, I’ve learned something along the way and will be better for it the next time around!
For a concrete example, take this blog:
Scarcity Mindset: I’m a math major who isn’t very good at writing. People aren’t going to read my content because there are already hundreds of blogs out there. What do I have to say? What can I add? Who’s going to read me? There are so many people with thousands of followers – how will I get any?
Abundance Mindset: I’m a math major who could work on his writing. People might be interested, and hopefully I can help people with my message and story. I’m unique, just like everyone else! Maybe someday I’ll have thousands of followers and be successful like those other amazing bloggers.
It’s the same concept of seeing the glass half full or half empty! Which way do you view it?
I’m very glad I started a blog and have been practicing living with an abundance mindset. Life is so much better when you realize there is so much potential out in the world and you can unlock it for yourself!
6 Exercises to Practice Living with an Abundance Mindset
Here are a few exercises you can try to help you live with an abundance mindset:
- Practice Gratitude
- Try keeping a gratitude journal where you keep track of things you’re thankful for. If journaling isn’t your thing, it’s simple to just make a short note or list of three things you’re grateful for at the beginning or end of each day. Reflecting on gratitude regularly can help you get into an abundance mindset.
- What are you thankful for?
- Appreciate Others and Congratulate them on Success
- If one of my friends or family members succeed in something, it’s time to celebrate! Why should I be mad, upset, or jealous? I’m succeeding too, just in different places and at different things! There’s enough cake (and drinks) to go around for all of us!
- A bonus is that this makes you a better friend in general and someone that people will be naturally more attracted to – we want to be around those who lift up our successes. Remember that win-win attitude!
- Give
- Amazing things happen when you put yourself out into the world through giving – be it your time, your effort, your money, your personality, whatever it is! I’m putting myself out there with this blog – and I’m not going to stop! Positive energy is coming back to me and there’s no stopping me now!
- Be Mindful (and Forgive Yourself)
- Mindfulness is simply being fully present and aware. In terms of living with an abundance mindset, being mindful would mean recognizing when you fall into the patterns of a scarcity mindset, and not being hard on yourself about it but instead turning that situation into one of abundance in your mind (another word for this is reframing). This isn’t always easy, but the more you do it the more natural it will become.
- Take Small Steps Every Day to Improve Yourself
- Part of an abundance mindset is the knowledge and confidence that you have valuable skills and talents. Take time each day, even just a few minutes, to build upon those talents and sharpen your skills. This can be done through reading self development books, spending time writing or drawing or practicing an instrument or whatever else you’re interested in, investing in your personal relationships, or anything else that will give you more confidence in yourself.
- Learn From Others
- When you’ve got the win-win attitude of an abundance mindset, you know that there is enough “winning” out there for everyone. So why not connect with a mentor who can help you achieve your goals – personal, professional, financial – whatever they may be? Someone who’s already where you’d like to be can inspire you to get there and give you concrete advice along the way. And when you reach those milestones, you’ve got a built-in person to celebrate with!
Being a Servant and a Giver
I’m finding incredible happiness, energy, and purpose in creating content for this site, building and designing websites and applications, and having coffee and phone calls to provide my perspective on a person’s life, or gain perspective for me to pass on at a future time.
Giving my time and energy has resulted in some amazing opportunities and relationships. Just being open to the possibility of meeting a special someone, getting that next client, making the big sale, or making a new connection can result in wild success.
Open yourself up to the world with an abundance mindset!
Conclusion
There’s so much potential for wealth, love, support, praise, success, the list goes on. Being open to these areas of life, both for you and for other people, and taking action will allow you to experience things you have never been able to experience before.
You can win and I can win. We can win at the same time! Your success is my priority – something I work toward each and every day on The Mastermind Within.
I’m going to give you my time and effort – with consistent blog posts and podcast episodes.
I’m going to give you my wisdom and tips – I’m going to continue to pour my heart out into every post and podcast.
By living with an abundance mindset, we all win.
Readers: do you live with an abundance or a scarcity mindset? Are you a giver or a taker?