You’re a big dreamer. People who aren't like us don't understand our pie-in-the-sky dreams, but we wouldn't feel like us without them. You want to change your life, financially and otherwise.
You know that you're going to make it big someday. You repeat this belief to your spouse, your parents, and your kids. But, there’s always something getting in your way. Why hasn’t it happened yet?
You think:
"If only I buy this product, my life is totally going to change."
"If only I get ahold of this tool, it will all come together."
"If only I could get rid of this problem in my life, I could have made it big already!"
"If only I had more money, I could really succeed in earning a good income."
"If only I had more time, I could make more money."
These are thoughts you repeat to yourself to mask what's really going on. Do you, deep down, think things are going to change on their own? Can you really see yourself becoming one of the ones who make it big with your dream?
If you've been at this for a while and you're still dreaming instead of doing, or if you're doing and not getting anywhere, then you might have a scarcity mindset and it’s holding you back.
I like to use the visual of "treading water" because that's really what it's like. Your feet are kicking away like crazy and you're dead-tired from all the work and effort you're putting in. But you're not getting anywhere because you're too scared and the current is working against you. The observers standing on shore can tell you’re not getting anywhere.
You mean well and you work hard, so why isn't it coming together? You know you'd much rather be swimming through life with ease but something is holding you back.
That something is you… and believe me, I’ve been where you are.
You have a scarcity mindset that tells you that you can't achieve your dreams-- that you may not even deserve to achieve your dreams. This mindset mocks you and torments you but it does it in a silent way so you don’t even realize it’s invaded your brain.
It's time to stare the scarcity monster in the face and take control. It's time to develop a mindset of abundance so you can change your life in incredible and measurable ways.
The Backwards Power of a Scarcity Mindset
How is it that these subconscious thoughts can have so much control over your life? To understand that, it's helpful to understand how I'm defining “scarcity mindset.”
A scarcity mindset boils down to the belief that wealth, achievement, and happiness are meant for other people. This mindset may be so encoded in your mind that it's never even occurred to you that it's there. You might have an ingrained belief that money is bad, that striving to earn more is bad, and that you're bad if you don't stick to what's expected of you.
You may believe, deep down, that money is the root of all evil (the more accurate saying is that the love of money is the root of all evil, but many people believe the first version). You may believe that it's impossible, immoral even, to earn money if it didn't come from the result of blood, sweat, and tears.
In your heart, you may believe that your life is going to change in so many scary and unpredictable ways if you do achieve your goals that it's definitely safer to stay in the situation you're in right now, even if that means living a life of financial hardship and self-perceived failure.
There's a social aspect to this as well. People love to complain about how hard life is and they take pleasure in finding similar misery in others. People at work love to gather around the water cooler and talk about how hard everything is and how much their job stinks. It's expected in our society that we go to work, attempt to climb some arbitrary ladder of success, and hate every minute of it.
It's expected that a certain number of people will earn a ton of money but the rest of us will fight for the leftovers. That's just how it is, and who are you to rock the boat?
You're you, that's who.
You've felt a calling to do something different and more. This calling might make you feel guilty, particularly if no one in your life really understands. Work for yourself? Strive to earn more? The concept seems completely nuts to a lot of people. Their perception can make you feel completely nuts.
But then, you start to meet people who are making it big. Or, you see their stories in the news. These people are earning a ton of money and they make it seem so easy. You know there are scams out there, but the people you've met seem to be completely legit. People spend an incredible amount of money, you reason, so there has to be someone at the other end of that.
You start digging into the various business models and see stars and dollar signs in your eyes. It's a complete rush-- the endorphins are going and you're energized, happy, and sure your life is about to change in a major way.
You buy a ton of stuff, tell everyone you know about it, and try to get it to work. But it doesn't work. The money doesn't start rolling in, after all. You spend all this time in panic and desperation, you've spent all this time trying these different methods, you’ve spent bucket loads of money, but it's not working.
And again, I can empathize with you. I’ve been there, done that, and survived to talk about it.
You know it’s possible to achieve your dreams. You know there are dozens of viable profit models within and you've tried so many of them. But you're still stuck at your old job or with no job at all, except now you have credit card bills on top of it all. You've wasted time and you just feel completely crushed. You were dreaming and hoping so big and look at you now.
What if I told you this is one of the most common stories among those who are ready for more? What if I also told you that I have the cure?
It doesn't come in the form of a pill or a bottle or a push-button course that's going to "put piles of money into your bank account." Everything you need is what you’re reading right in front of you. If you're feeling lost and frustrated and terrified that you'll never reach your goals, never earn enough money, and never feel good about your business or life again, stay tuned. The answers are here and I know these revelations are going to be very life changing for a lot of people…
… including, hopefully, you.
How to Develop an Abundance Mindset
Now that you recognize the possibility that you have a scarcity mindset, it's time to figure out how to change things. I don't write about having a scarcity mindset to make people feel bad or to feel like there's no hope. There absolutely is hope that you can ditch that mindset and attract abundance in your life. This is true even if you think certain patterns in your childhood brought you to this point or you feel like you're totally stuck.
Have you heard of "The Secret," a very popular book from several years ago? Don't worry; I'm not going to get into too much of some of the more controversial airy-fairy content from that book and movie. But I am going to talk about the Law of Attraction.
Whether you believe in its more mystical qualities or not, it's indisputable that, on average, people who are positive, seek positive opportunities, and have a mindset of success tend to find success. Those who are negative, turn down new opportunities, and have a mindset of scarcity do not tend to find success.
You can find a lot of material about The Law of Attraction if you're curious about that more mystical side, but I'm going to distill it down to the above, for the purposes of this content. Think positively and actively seek positivity in your life, and you will find it. If you actively look for problems and why things can't or won't work, you'll attract negativity in your life.
It’s sort of like when I was driving down the highway, and my wife said to me that most of the cars we were encountering were white. I hadn’t noticed that, but as soon as she said it, my senses were tuned into car colors, and sure enough, there were more white cars than silver or red or blue or black.
I’m not saying that the fact that I was noticing this made them suddenly turn white, but what I’m saying is that expecting positive things to happen to you in your life can easily tune you into opportunities that you’d otherwise miss.
If you think things won't work, they won't. If you come up with all the reasons why you won't succeed, you won't. If you think your customers won't buy, they won't, or at least they won’t in the numbers that you want.
Unfortunately, even if you become aware of these patterns and thoughts, your subconscious mind can sneak into the background and will make you revert back to old patterns. This is true even if you've made a decision to develop a new habit or make changes to reach a goal.
You’ll self-sabotage so you don't reach your goals because your subconscious feels its job is to make you stick to what's "true" about you. If you don't believe you deserve to have money, your subconscious will sabotage you. That's why it's time to change your internal beliefs and mindset. You need to have an abundance mindset so your subconscious will not sabotage you, rather it will aid you in ways you won't even realize.
Think of This in a Whole New Way
We were born to be creative, smart thinkers. We are designed to use our minds to make our lives and the lives of others better. If you go through life with a scarcity mindset, you won't just be holding yourself back; you'll be preventing others from benefiting from the great things you're going to do with your life.
When you think of it like that, it almost seems selfish to stick to your old patterns and have a scarcity mindset. There are wonderful things waiting for you, you just have to tap into them. Your outcomes and success can be anything you want them to be. Commit yourself to changing your life and the lives of others and you just might be more motivated to follow through.
Consider how you feel about yourself. Do you feel you're worthy of finding success? You have to think of yourself in a positive way. You're a good person who is going to do wonderful things. If you believe you're bad or unworthy, you're not going to get very far.
The classic and beloved Winnie The Pooh stories feature an Eyeore character that is always gloomy. He's negative and expects that bad things will happen to him. So, bad things happen to him. He doesn't live in a nice house like his friends, though they are always trying to help him build one.
Don't be an Eyeore. Life really isn't that serious or bad. The money is out there, you deserve it, you can help a lot of people, and you live in a fantastic time where you can create your success, and quickly. There is literally nothing standing in your way.
By the way, having an abundance mindset doesn't mean everything will run smoothly all the time. You will make mistakes and bad things will happen in life and in business. But when you have an abundance mindset, you'll be able to bounce back very quickly. Nothing will hold you down for very long. You'll know that as long as you're alive, you're going to live life on your own terms and you are going to succeed.
Your Abundance Mindset Will Determine Your Outcomes
What do you believe success means? It's important to define this for yourself so you can work toward that. You might find that your concept of "success" changes when your mindset changes. In order to achieve your goals, they have to be measurable and realistic. But what you believe is realistic and achievable right now might be different after you've read this content and applied its concepts.
You have to believe that you are an intelligent, kind, creative, and quick-thinking individual. That will come across in everything you do in your business and in your life. If you think badly of yourself, you're going to hold yourself back. You won't take the bull by the horns and do what it takes, because you won't believe you have what it takes.
It doesn't matter what you're going through right now, or how much money you do or don't have right now. You can change. It doesn't matter how old or young you are, you'll see the positive changes you want to see in your life if you develop an abundance mindset.
If you think abundantly, you'll find abundance. If you believe you can do amazing things, you will do amazing things. If you believe that you can live life on your own terms, find success, and help people along the way, you will.
The Power of Opportunity
Think back to the past year or so. Did you take every great opportunity that came your way? Or, were you too scared or worried or totally ignored the opportunity? Reflect on this and really be honest with yourself as you consider whether you've truly taken every opportunity that was presented to you.
Successful people with a mindset of abundance are always on the lookout for new opportunities. They want to try new things (that are in line with their goals), work with new people, and take risks others aren't willing to take.
If you want to be more successful, and develop a mindset of abundance, it's time to seize the opportunities that present themselves to you. Take some risks-- it's scary, but it's how success stories are made.
Right now, the opportunities might not be very clear. It might feel like every door is closed to you. Reflect on why this is and start to brainstorm where these opportunities might be lurking. They will quickly come out of the shadows so you can seize them to work in your life.
One story I love to tell is about when I owned a retail store. We sold collectibles, and mostly to boys and their fathers. At one point I sensed an opportunity to get into a new line of merchandise, whose main customer base was girls and mothers. I’m talking about Beanie Babies (back in the 1990’s).
So when I proposed this new product line to my wife, she was against the idea, but I convinced her that the initial inventory cost would be modest, and we should just try it for a while.
Long story short, that decision totally changed my life. Because of that, I got into an entirely different line of merchandise that I could sell not only in my store, but on the Internet. I first sold on eBay, and then set up my own web site, and things just exploded from there.
I saw possibilities rather than problems, and that path has led me to where I am today.
Creating a New View of Yourself and Living a Life of Abundance
You want to develop a mindset of abundance, so you have to change the way you view yourself. Let’s do an exercise that can help you see an instant new view. Create a list of 10 things you believe to be true about yourself as a person and a businessperson.
Now, create a list of 10 things you think others believe to be true about you.
Then, ask close friends and family members to list the top 10 things they think of when they think of you.
This is an interesting exercise. The three lists might be fairly closely aligned, or you might find some major surprises in your answers and in the answers of others. Either way, the way you feel and present yourself to the world will be made clear. That can be eye opening in a way that can help you get unstuck and come closer to the person you want to be with the mindset you want to have.
Awareness is the first step. Then, it's changing your views and patterns. You can become conscious of some of your more negative thoughts so you can take steps to change them. Studies show that it takes around 21 to 30 days to create a new habit. I recommend working on just one thing at a time.
For instance, do you tend to complain that you don't have enough time to work on your business? That's a scarcity mindset. You have 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour a day. You can get a lot done in that time. Every little bit helps, and someone with an abundance mindset would see that right away and would chip away at their larger projects until the success started rolling in more quickly than they expected. Focus on changing your view and habit that you don't have enough time.
Or, maybe you're not willing to invest anything into your business. You hate the idea of spending any money at all, even if you know you're likely to turn that money into huge profits, very soon. You think something will happen, or that the money will disappear, or something else terrible will happen. Turn that pessimism into optimism. You don't have to spend money you don't have, but giving up a few bucks for a method or tool or advertising strategy that can give you major returns is just smart business. If this is an issue for you, focus on changing this habit and this mindset issue this month.
As you can see, habits help form our beliefs about ourselves. We have well worn patterns in our lives. We do the same things and think the same things and always will, even if we set lofty goals, until we break down the habits, thoughts, and beliefs that are causing the problems and take steps to change them to form a life and business of abundance.
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