Overcoming the Scarcity Mindness with Abundance | Headspace (2024)

FAQs

How to go from scarcity to abundance mindset? ›

Abundance is all about proactively managing choices and creative problem-solving. An abundance mindset allows people to see possibilities even at time when resources are limited. Scarcity mindset is driven by fear that there will never be enough of the things we need.

Covey coined the term abundance mentality, or abundance mindset, a way of thinking in which a person believes there are enough resources and successes to share with others.

The research is still in its infancy, but it would seem that a scarcity mindset often stems from various deep-rooted causes (Peterson, 2020). Examples of causes include childhood experiences, societal and cultural influences, personal traumas and setbacks, and cognitive biases (Belk et al., 2023; Jiang et al., 2024).

Matthew 6:33 puts it this way: “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” 2. A scarcity mindset contributes to feelings of greed and envy.

The results showed that in making hasty choices, people with scarcity mindsets sometimes disregard moral norms and put their own needs and feelings over others'. Scarcity fears may also drive people to hoard resources — refusing to share or becoming increasingly self-centered in a way that further prevents empathy.

Someone with an abundant mentality is an optimist and is always looking for ways to learn, grow, and achieve the goals that are most important to them. A person with an abundant mindset believes there is plenty available for everybody and looks at each of their experiences as an opportunity to learn and grow.

Having an abundance mindset means you're self-aware enough to know there's always something to learn. As a result, you'll crave knowledge and new experiences. This perspective is called the beginner's mind: an attitude of openness and enthusiasm that overcomes anxiety about starting anew.

What is an example of an abundance mentality? ›

If you volunteer your time, energy or skills, often give away your possessions or enjoy taking care of your loved ones, you're on your way to having an abundance mindset. You live in the present. When you focus on gratitude and abundance, you're not worried about the future or stuck in the past.

Abundance thinking helps us establish a sense of control during uncertain times, helps us see the potential in the resources we already have, and encourages us to think at scale.

Instead of focusing on what you don't have, think about what you do have and how you can use it to create something better. To reframe your thinking, acknowledge the thoughts that are causing you to think in a scarcity mindset without judgment or criticism.

Another way to deal with scarcity is by reducing demand through quotas, rationing, or price caps. Scarcity forces consumers to make choices that come with associated opportunity costs. Opportunity cost is the cost of what is given up, compared to the value of the alternative.

Furthermore, scarcity and abundance have an intertwined relationship, a dialectic of famine and plenty. Similarly, freedom and limitations coexist each supporting the other.