Two Tribes: Scarcity & Abundance

As you think, you act – so the way you see the world runs your life.

There are two types of people, dominated by two opposing paradigms: Scarcity & Abundance.  And this contrast explains why some people are cooperative and others competitive.  It explains why people are rude versus welcoming.  It explains why some people are happy and others are mostly miserable.

Scarcity thinking comes from a point-of-view: There’s not enough to go around.  Sometimes, it’s the product of your upbringing.  It’s easy to catch scarcity from your family – they are a huge influence on you and their actions teach you ‘the way the world works.’  In many cases, scarcity is induced, like an infection of the soul, by circumstances or perceived threats.  Example: There’s a shakeup at work, and a scramble for resources or respect ensues.  Silos get built and team members stab each other in the back in a grapple for power. 

When you ‘come down’ with scarcity thinking, it changes your emotional nervous system, turning you into a reactive person – quick on the trigger.  Other people’s success makes you unhappy, as you see the pie of life as a fixed quantity.  I call these ‘Little Pie People.’ They are as primal as my dog when it comes to their value system: Get mine.  

On the other hand, there are those who possess the Abundance Mentality as Dr. Stephen Covey Sr. coined it.  They believe that there’s enough, and enough to share.  They believe that when others win, the pie usually gets bigger.  So they are capable of letting go or being happy for someone’s success.  At work, they are usually thinking bigger picture or longer term, as the Abundance view is all about the Quality of We than the Quality of Me. 

Which one have you been lately?  If you’ve been looking at things from a zero sum point of view, scarcity, you’ve probably been straining all the relationships that are important to you.  You probably aren’t happy about it either.  You are probably moving Sideways.

There are no simple bullet point action steps to flip the switch from Little Pie to Big Dog.  But here’s a helpful clue: Check your level of confidence and self-worth.  The only way for you to be up when the world is down is to possess Total Confidence.

Read Today We Are Rich: Harnessing The Power Of Total Confidence for a life’s work on how to cultivate the abundance mentality in your life. 

 

Comments

[Sue Leonard]

Tim,
Really great article. Thanks for sharing and as already well know, our attitudes affect our life experience greatly. Always think abundance, joy, love,good health and all fulfilling things!

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I'm going home tonight to take a pick, i'm very excited about this (clearly you see how sad and crazy i am about shoes.) Will post the picture

[Brian O'Connell]

Great words to live by, Tim! It's all the difference between seeing things as a problem or as an opportunity.