When shifts happen in life, it’s hard not to look at everything that could possibly go wrong. Our brains are hardwired that way. We see scarcity even if we have many examples of abundance surrounding us.

With my current change in career paths, employment status, & financial stability, I am finding it a bit more difficult lately to stay in an abundant mindset.

I understand the importance of keeping faith and staying in abundance. I genuinely believe that everything works out in our favor and the universe always has a way of working it out.

But during big shifts in my personal and professional life, and my history of depression & anxiety, my brain will find itself drifting.

And with no money currently coming in & spending my days creating content is not bringing me the results I want RIGHT NOW. I do have faith that it will all work out.

However, I still need help to stay in an abundance mindset and this post I hope is just as helpful to you as it is for me.

Your mindset is everything. 

We cannot control everything that happens in the world but we can control HOW we react to what happens around us.

There is a big difference between having an abundant mindset and being positive. To always be positive is to ignore and dismiss any negative or unfavorable thoughts & actions. Staying in an abundant mindset is to allow those negative and unfavorable thoughts to come up, recognize them, and then CHOOSE to look for the silver lining & bring it back to abundance.

An abundance mindset is a belief that there are more than enough resources out there for everyone to go around. It is taking a risk and having the faith that it will all unfold how it should in time in your favor.

In my previous post about comfort zones, I spoke about how our primal brain keeps us wanting to play small and in a cycle that does not reflect what we really want in life.

Scarcity is rooted in that primal brain and parts of our subconscious. It’s rooted in fear of the unknown.

We are 2.5x likely to NOT want to lose as we are to want to GAIN.*

But there is a way to shift this way of thinking to bring more of what you want in life.

Abundance is about gratitude for all you have and being open to welcoming more into your life.

As conscious humans, we are able to cultivate this mindset with targeted messages to ourselves. It’s as simple & as difficult as reframing the thought rooted in scarcity into one filled with abundance.

A great resource to tap into this mindset cultivation is journaling and practicing mindfulness. I’ve talked about the benefits of journaling if you’d like to dive into more about that topic.

Positive affirmations are also a great resource to help you identify your scarcity thoughts and bring them into abundance.

This is very much a practice that requires you to slow things down.

Tap into your inner monologue & how you are speaking to yourself, and notice the little things in life.

Celebrate the little wins and joys that surround you.

Simplify life and avoid unnecessary distractions as best you can. In today’s American culture, we are often consumed with outside influences on how to live our lives & the media telling us what we need. The majority of these influences are just noise to our core needs & beliefs. 

Taking the time to slow down & listen to yourself will greatly benefit you.

To successfully make this mindset shift, we need to identify our barriers. Increase our conscious thoughts and decrease our subconscious beliefs.

Scarcity keeps you from achieving your goals and dreams. It triggers self-doubt & prevents you from living in your purpose by holding you back through negative thoughts & beliefs that influence your decisions.

You can still want more in your life but really focus on what you already have. Practice gratitude for where you have been in your life to get you to where you are now. Then, with the confidence and examples of success & failure (because those are just as important), look ahead and be thankful for all that is coming to you in the future. Because it is coming, trust me.

Focus on the opportunities ahead versus the limitations. 

You can figure out a solution to any problem set in front of you. It might take some time but there is nothing that an internet search or hiring help can’t fix.

There is worth & security that lies in cultivating an abundance mindset. 

You can objectively see the bigger picture and be in the now, know you hold value and have security in knowing everything will work out.

Even when things turn the way you don’t want, acknowledge the failure and then turn it around to work in your favor. Because often these are just redirections sent from the universe, pushing you towards what you really want.

Again, opportunities > limitations.

Believe in yourself & the process.

I think that is one key component that many people struggle with (myself included at times). Having confidence in yourself and your abilities is a daily practice in talking with yourself kindly and being your own hype person. It ebbs and flows & that is the hardest part of any personal or professional development.

A common friend that comes along with self-doubt is Imposter Syndrome. This topic alone deserves its own post and deep dive but I will cover the brief points here. 

Everyone struggles with thoughts that they aren’t good enough. Another person out there has more knowledge, more experience, more of everything. While that might be true, there is only one version of you with your unique life experiences & only you are able to deliver your message in that specific & unique way. THAT is what sets you apart from everyone else. Imposter Syndrom is covered in scarcity. It’s feeding you fears and lies about yourself when the opposite is the accurate reality.

There is more than enough to go around for everyone to benefit. The world’s population is 7 billion. When it comes to business, there are so many people in the world, you couldn’t possibly help them all. Nor should you aim to help everyone.

The world & universe is vast and the opportunities are just as numerous & abundant for you.

When you are on the journey of shifting your reality and moving from a scarcity mindset to one of abundance, it’s important to take a look around you and see the bigger picture. 

Are you holding onto things that are no longer serving you (emotionally or physically)? When we are reframing our thoughts and beliefs, it can be a hard pill to swallow.

When living in a scarcity mindset, we hold on to things “just because” or “maybe in the future”.

I personally struggle with this in the sense that I always want to be conscious of my consumerism and its effect on the environment. So, I hold onto boxes and supplies “just in case” I might need to box something up, move, or ship something. 

While my intentions are great, I need to be real with myself. Yes, I have a lot of things I wish to resell and/or donate but I know deep down I do not want to deal with shipping and would rather do local pickup on Facebook Marketplace. While it benefitted me to have a stockpile when I did my most recent move, I need to embrace that if I am ever faced with the task of moving again, the boxes will come into my life just as easily as they were before.

An abundance mindset is letting go and trusting that when the time is right, the opportunities and situations will open up to you.

Holding on to things only prevents you from creating the space to welcome new opportunities in your life.

Let go & trust the process.

The universe is going to test you and send you situations that will test if the path to abundance is the one you really want. A little storytime:

When I decided to retire from my childcare career, I knew in my heart it was the right decision. I am ready for the next chapter in my life. It might not have been the best time financially but I know & trust that it will all work out. I hired a coach to help me work through my confidence and value mindset which was extremely beneficial.

Then, a job opportunity came across my radar in the middle of my coaching that was a perfect match for what I would love to do. It was a 6-figure nanny job with a family that sounds like their values matched mine. I was really excited.

I let the fear of not succeeding with my own venture and the shiny salary sway me to second guess if I was doing the right thing.

Should I just get another job and ride out the possible recession for a sense of security? 

I decided to throw my name into the hat and applied, asked for a screening interview and it went well. I had high hopes & was thinking this could be the last nanny job (1yr commitment at least) to provide the financial support for my other dreams of creating a life on my own terms.

Spoiler alert: I didn’t get asked to move forward as the family went with another candidate before I was able to be presented to them.

I was relieved! The distraction of the potential money I could have been making and not focusing on the bigger picture was the issue. I am wanting to move on in my life & pivot into something else.

I believe this was a test from the universe to see if I was really dedicated to this new journey that I am on. And while I still went through with the application and screening process, it helped me to realize that yes, I don’t want to be a nanny and instead move ahead on this new path.

The more you are able to work on yourself, learn, and most importantly take action, the closer you are to being in an abundance mindset. 

Scarcity prevents actions. To mindfully make the choice to do something every day, not only does it help build up your confidence, it brings you into a conscious space and proves to yourself you are capable.

Abundance opens up your creative process. You notice there is more than one way to achieve your goals. You are open to changes that can happen along the way and allow yourself to pivot. 

Just because you’ve made a decision today does not mean you have to stick with it forever.

You are pulled into the moment & are more self-aware of your place in the world.

Scarcity keeps you playing small and not showing up. You can have those thoughts filter through but it’s adopting an abundance mindset that will help you be in that moment, recognize the limiting belief, and choose to change it.

The practice of shifting thoughts and beliefs improves your persistence and self-worth. 

Your mind starts to be in a growth mindset, always having you look at the possibilities around you and how they will benefit you rather than hinder you.

When operating at this higher frequency, at least for me, you’re able to help others because you know that in an abundant mindset, there is room for everyone to achieve all they want. Even if what they want is exactly what you want. Scarcity believes in jealousy and fewer resources for you to grab if someone else wants them, too. Abundance is recognizing the opposite: we can all have it all and still have more than enough to go around for everyone.

As I finish this out, I want to make this extremely clear:

Abundance is not just about being positive and ignoring negative and unfortunate events or outcomes. Toxic positivity is a thing and being in abundance is not that. 

Shifting from a scarcity mindset to one of abundance takes practice but it’s about looking at the times in your life that have gone wrong and reframing your thoughts and beliefs around them to benefit you and the life you want to have.

Abundance is not waiting for permission or having all the information before taking action. Abundance is knowing that with imperfect action, answers will reveal themselves. 

Go after what you want and believe you have the ability. Because you do.

Everything that you might be thinking in scarcity are just limiting beliefs that can be reframed in your mind to lead to great changes.

It will take time and practice but shifting your mindset into abundance will open all the doors you seek in life. Trust the process and be open to changes along the way.

as always,

Sending all my love & support <3

*references: https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/abundance-mindset/

*featured image by Hannah Busing on Unsplash