The Root of Scarcity:What You See if What You GetThe root of scarcity begins with how we observe our world. In our fear, we often only see what is lacking and miss the abundance around us. There's an old joke about two elderly women on an airplane complaining about the food. One says "This food is terrible! The meat is overdone, the vegetables are bland..." and the other woman chimes in "Yes, and such small portions!". Woody Allen uses this joke in the beginning of one of his films as a metaphor of life: it's difficult and way too short. I see it a little differently. I see it as a metaphor of how the vast majority of us views the world as lacking, as scarce. This is the myth we abide by: there is not enough. But, what is the root of scarcity? Lynne Twist wrote a thought provoking book about this root of scarcity and scarcity myths in The Soul of Money. Her thesis was that the state of the world is the way it is based on 3 main scarcity myths that drive both the financially rich and poor. Until we believe differently, there is little hope for change. In the interest of changing the world for the better, I decided to focus on changing this scarcity paradigm to an abundance paradigm. With that in mind I invite you to look at the world, your world, in a different way. The road to attracting abundance is to observe abundance. It is literally surrounding us all the time. Why don't we notice? First, we are very invested in our myths and beliefs based in the root of scarcity. These are programmed into us by our parents and communities, just as it was ingrained into our parents from their parents. Secondly, because we are seeing evidence of scarcity, we spend time accumulating and consuming more and more to make up for it. There is literally no time or space to just enjoy what we have. Let me give you an example. I am a "foodie". I love food. I like shopping in grocery stores that have lush produce sections and enjoy cooking from scratch, when I am able. When I'm in "scarcity mode", I don't see what I want in the store, I complain about the prices, and I am speeding my way through the cooking process. I end up eating my delicious food that took me hours to prepare in 5 minutes and then sit there in bewilderment. "All that work for nothing!" It's a very unsatisfying way to live. However, when I am in "abundance mode", that is, consciously observing the existing abundance surrounding me, I take time to marvel at the incredible variety of color, shape, and texture of the produce. I take time to select my ingredients and am awed by the amount of selection. I am thankful that I have the resources to buy such fresh food to nourish my family and myself. I have a pleasant chat while paying. I take time to prepare this recipe and enjoy the continual layers of aromas that build as each ingredient is added. And finally, I sit and eat this dish slowly and really taste each bite fully. I am constantly on the look out for the abundance and it is overwhelming there. By the end, I am bowled over by how much I have. That shift then brings even more to me. If you are interested in finding some fun and revealing ways to experience the abundance around you, check out my
Free Abundance Course
and click on Section III: Intro and Observe the Abundance Around You
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