Turn Less Into More With A Simple Mindset Shift
Identifying and Unlearning the “Lack Mindset”
Lack can rear its ugly head in countless areas of our lives.
Maybe we cling to every penny, constantly worrying about spending too much, never feeling like we have enough money.
Or maybe we feel this lack in our dating lives, complaining about how there are no eligible partners out there, spiraling about how we will end up alone.
Career,
Time,
Friendship,
Material possessions,
Even the weather.
You name it, lack is likely raveled up in it somewhere.
I know I possess it, unwillingly, but undeniably. But I actively work to unravel these habitual, toxic thinking patterns of scarcity.
And, today, I want to share what I have learned about lack with you, in hopes it can help improve your mindset as well.
First, let’s take a step back.
What is a “lack mindset”?
Living in a state of lack means feeling as if we do not have enough.
More specifically, it is feeling as if we are not enough.
*Mic-drop*
It often looks like a constant desire for more. To do more, to have more, to be more. But no matter how much you are able to attain, accomplish or be (you guessed it) — it’s still not good enough.
How does lack come into play in our lives?
According to an article on Choosing Therapy, common examples of lack may include: waiting to pay bills until the last minute, over-scheduling yourself, fear of loss, fear of failure, perfectionism.
Although many of these traits don’t necessarily seem connected to scarcity mindset — they are. Waiting to pay your bills? Worried that there is not enough money. Over-scheduling? Not enough time. Perfectionism? Disregarding any progress, only accepting perfection, stemming from thinking you are not enough.
You may also notice that if you feel lack in one area in life, you feel it in others as well.
For example, if you feel like you don’t have enough money, it is likely you also don’t feel like you are attractive enough.
Or similarly, if you feel like you don’t have fulfilling friendships, it’s likely you feel unfulfilled in your dating life as well.
What does this suggest?
It’s not the actual content of our lives that’s insufficient. Rather, it’s the internal void within us that we project onto the world around us.
In whatever area of your life you may feel is “less than”, ask yourself why?
Are you not finding fulfilling friendships because your friends actually suck, or is it because you’re looking for your friends to make you feel complete?
Are you really not making enough money to support your lifestyle, or do you think more money will solve your deep insecurities?
I’ll give you a hint: most of the time, it’s the latter.
And if this is the case, we’re setting ourselves up for a lifetime insufficiency. Like quicksand, no amount of “more” will ever be able to fill this void within.
How can we overcome this mindset?
In practicing gratitude for all that we have, we can channel a mindset of abundance.
Rather than overlooking all the good by solely focusing on what’s missing, we see all that we have, all that we are, as a true blessing.
We must actively work on maintaining a glass-half-full approach to life.
You’ll find that the more you get into the habit of replacing thoughts of lack with feelings of gratitude, it will begin to feel easier and more natural.
How?
Our brains are creatures of habit. So, like anything, unlearning living in lack requires training and repetition. It requires awareness and energy.
But eventually, in doing so, we can work to transform these mindsets of lack into energies of abundance.
In whatever area you are feeling lack in your life, perhaps all of them, ask yourself what the source of this lack may really be stemming from. Is something actually missing externally? Or are you avoiding facing something within?
If we obtain that one thing, or accomplish that one goal, will we really feel fulfilled? Or simply begin chasing after something else?
This process requires nothing else beyond a change in mentality.
A shift in mindset.
And once we tackle one area of lack, the rest are sure to follow.
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