Dear Friends,
Have you ever stopped to contemplate the thoughts that run through your mind when good fortune comes to others? Do you feel and express genuine happiness for their success? Or do you feel that their good fortune diminishes you in some way? If you find it difficult to rejoice in the success of others, you may be suffering from an affliction known as the scarcity mentality.
The term scarcity is defined as an insufficient amount or an inadequate supply of some commodity. The scarcity mentality is often referred to as the zero-sum paradigm of life, which means that in order for one person to succeed, another must fail.
The scarcity mentality is a destructive psychological condition. Its symptoms include: low self-esteem, anxiety, desperation, fear, frustration, negativity, confusion, defensiveness, passivity, envy, jealousy, worry, sadness, resentment, anger, judgment, and the list goes on. People who suffer from this condition have difficulty sharing information, ideas, power, credit, prestige or recognition, because they hold a fundamental belief that resources are limited. They think there’s only so much to go around, so “If someone else gets a piece of the pie, there won’t be enough for me.”
Unfortunately, people who believe that life is based on a competition for survival will always find their lives lacking and feel a sense of anxiety, fear and desperation. They will always carry a deep sense of insecurity and unhappiness and eventually self-destruct.
My father used to say, “With a closed hand, nothing goes out and nothing comes in.” To release this self-defeating attitude and create more opportunities and possibilities for yourself, you must begin to view life in a different way. The following be-attitudes may help you to create a life of abundance and enjoy a more peaceful existence:
Be Open-Minded – Expand your perspective to understand that “Whatever is meant for me will not pass me by. Whatever passes me by was not meant for me.”
Be Focused – Whatever you focus on expands. If you want to manifest your desires into reality, focus on abundance rather than lack.
Be Grateful – Gratitude reaps healthy dividends. When you practice expressing gratitude for the things you already possess, powerful things begin to happen. Boost your health and your life by giving thanks and cultivating gratefulness.
Be Generous – Share the wealth with others. Extend praise, congratulations, and support for the achievement of others. What goes around comes around – with momentum.
Be Proactive – “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.” Rather than being passive and envying the success of others, take control of your own life with action-oriented behavior. Engage in continuous improvement (new ways of thinking, doing and being), so that when opportunities do come your way you’re prepared to seize them.
Our natural state in life is one of abundance. When we focus on being a blessing to others, our own life expands with opportunities and possibilities beyond any we could have ever imagined. Release the negative energy, drama and debilitating behaviors and reconnect with a central truth: you are born to be a winner! In closing, I leave you with one of my favorite quotes by James Garfield: “Be fit for more than the thing you are now doing. Let everyone know that you have a reserve in yourself; that you have more power than you are now using. If you are not too large for the place you occupy, you are too small for it.”
Until Next Time,
Mary
The Inside Out with Dr. Mary Canty Merrill 