Embracing a Scarcity Mindset

When we think we have unlimited time or unlimited funds to complete our goals, we spend our resources frivolously. Even if we get to the finish line, we end up starting the next opportunity further behind than we could have been had we embraced a scarcity mindset from the start. Budgeting isn’t only necessary when you think your resources are limited, it is actually a tool to take your resources further in every act that you engage in.

The truth is, every resource is limited. Even the richest men and women in the world have to think carefully about how they allocate their resources because there is an opportunity cost associated with every allocation that is easily overlooked. Even if your money seems infinite from a practical spend-ability standpoint, the time it takes to determine how to spend it is never infinite and we always have an opportunity to maximize our utilization of these limited resources by embracing a scarcity mindset and treating each resource at our disposal as precious, and limited in that moment.

We all start out in the world with the wondrous naïveté of youth where our limited perspective gives us the impression that we have all the time in the world to achieve our goals, and often it feels like our limited access to money in the beginning is the only factor holding us back. But when we can learn to appreciate the true scarcity of our opportunities and realize that we only have a finite number of them at our disposable, suddenly each opportunity becomes uniquely important on the path of our dreams opening up before us.

Every day is the last day to embrace the specific opportunities at your fingertips here and now. Each dollar in your pocket is the last dollar that you have to spend on the things that really matter in your life. And every opportunity to work on your dreams and ideas is the last chance you will have to take advantage of that specific moment. Embrace each moment even when you think you have a boundless reservoir in your pocket, because you can only spend those future moments on a higher pedestal if you have built the base from the opportunity that you have in front of you now.

The real challenge is not in getting to the finish line, but in getting there in the best position to take on the next opportunity on your list. Scarcity is required for lasting growth. When we are drunk on the mirage of abundance, we must create artificial scarcity in our mindset to develop sustainable growth.

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John Andrew Fredrickson

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Creative entrepreneur, writer, photographer, developer, space nerd, learning junkie 🚀

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