What's Stopping You from Taking Action? Break Free from the Scarcity Mindset and Embrace Abundance
November 8, 2023 | Supreeya S
We all have hopes and dreams. If you say you don’t – I know you at least daydream. More often than not, we don’t take action towards them. Sometimes we hide that under analysis paralysis. Other times we are just scared.
Scared to be seen. Scared to fail. Scared to take a step in the “wrong” direction, or towards any direction.
We don’t want to make a wrong move. We don’t want to choose. We just want to “take a minute” to think through our whole life. And that “minute” turns into our whole life.
Why do we do this?
Not taking action and not taking risks can be behaviors that stem from having a scarcity mindset. Scarcity mindset is a mindset where we feel like we have limited resources. We feel that things are scarce. Resources like time, money, or opportunities are hard to come by. Social connections are hard to foster. Furthermore, we feel like we have to fight others to get access to the limited resources, opportunities and success.
Having a scarcity mindset affects your attention and how you behave.
According to the article “Psychological Responses to Scarcity,” having a scarcity mindset makes us more likely to prioritize short-term gains over long-term gains and that’s not always productive towards changing our life for the better.
Think about it
If you feel like you have limited time, you’ll plan your day down to the minute and second to make sure you maximize your use of time. And that’s great for you for the day, but spending that much effort to plan means you’re not putting effort in planning your future or doing other things.
It’s great in solving the problem in front of you – the lack of time. But it’s counterproductive to actually solving the lack of time for the long-term.
So having a scarcity mindset means that you don’t only feel like you lack certain resources (time, money, opportunities), but you will also end up lacking cognitive resources (attention, control) which means you won’t be able to get yourself out of the scarcity loop.
Or you’re trying to start a business. But because of your scarcity mindset, you try to plan to use your resources, time and money very strategically. Because you feel like you might not get another shot. You keep planning and tweaking your plan, over and over again. It’s never time to take action. There’s always another spreadsheet you can work through, or another person you can seek for advice.
The more you pressure yourself and feed yourself the narrative that you only have one shot because you believe that you have limited opportunities or time or money, the more unlikely you are to take action.
Perceived Scarcity vs Actual Scarcity
Let’s clarify that feeling like we are facing scarcity is what results in a scarcity mindset. We don’t have to actually be in that situation of lacking in order to have a scarcity mindset.
According to Tabitha Kirkland, a psychologist and professor at the University of Washington’s Department of Psychology, “our perceptions of things matter more than what is true. It seems to be more important that we have a perception of scarcity than to objectively have low resources.”
How To Tackle A Scarcity Mindset
What mindset we choose to adopt is entirely under our control. We don’t have to deter to the mindset that we’re used to.
So if you recognize that you have a scarcity mindset, and you want to work on it so that you can work towards your goal and start taking risks, you need to work towards having a more abundant mindset.
An abundant mindset is the opposite of a scarcity mindset. You believe that there’s more than enough resources to go around. You can create opportunities. You feel like you have or will have all the resources you need to succeed.
If you’re someone who wants to shift from behaviors or thought patterns of the scarcity mindset, here are some suggestions:
1. Build Awareness
Take control of your thoughts and your mind. Notice your thought patterns and word choices. Activities like meditation and journaling will help you to understand your thoughts and feelings.
Write down what’s stopping you from taking action towards what you want. And then interrogate your thoughts. Keep asking yourself
- Why do I think that?
- Why do I believe that?
- Am I operating from a feeling of fear or lacking?
Your mind doesn’t always work in your favor. Sometimes it can run wild. You’re more likely to root out irrational thoughts by journaling and asking yourself questions.
If you can cut through the nonsense that your mind generates, you can start to dismantle some of the beliefs about scarcity that your mind has created.
If you start to take down beliefs that are no longer working for you, such as those that come from a feeling of lack, you can build new beliefs that will support your goals and you can slowly change the way you approach your life.
2. Recognize That You Have Enough
Enough depends on how you look at things.
Gratitude is an important “predictor of well being and other desirable life outcomes.” It results in emotional, social, personality, career, and health benefits.
A gratitude practice will help you to see the things you should be thankful for in your daily life.
Learning to look for the good in things will show you that there will always be a way for you to create opportunities for yourself.
The research article “Gratitude: A Tool for Reducing Economic Patience” found that gratitude reduces impatience and can curb the desire for short-term gratification. Therefore, if we want to make better decisions for our future, and lessen the pressure on ourselves that have been built up from negative emotions and from a lacking mentality, a gratitude practice can help.
You can start by writing down three things you are grateful for and why.
- I am so thankful for… because…
- I am so blessed to have… because…
- I am so grateful for… because…
3. Focus On The Right Question
When you feel like you’re stuck, ask yourself “How can I make it happen?”
You might not feel like you have enough money, or enough time, or know the right people, but there’s always a way.
Training your brain to look for a way instead of fixating on what’s out of your control will get you to where you want to be.
You have to be focused on the right question. That question is “how.”
4. Start Taking Action
Lastly, to combat not taking action, you simply have to take action. Take the smallest step you can towards what you want. If you want to create a blog, think about 1 topic.
You can write an introduction paragraph the following day. Write three key messages on the next day. It doesn’t matter how many days it will take. Small actions lead to big differences over time.
There’s always something in your means you can do. There’s always something small you can start with. Once you start, you’ll know it’s not as scary as your brain has built it to be.
Conclusion
Our dreams are often hindered not by external limitations, but by the constraints we place upon ourselves through the scarcity mindset. We allow fear and self-doubt to paralyze us, preventing us from taking actions necessary to pursue our aspirations. However, it’s crucial to recognize that the scarcity mindset is not an unchangeable reality; it’s a perception, a product of our thoughts and beliefs.
By building awareness, practicing gratitude, rewiring our thinking, and taking small, consistent actions, we can shift our mindset from scarcity to abundance. We have the power to change the narrative within our minds, enabling us to see opportunities where we once saw limitations. Embracing an abundant mindset doesn’t mean ignoring challenges; it means approaching them with a belief in our own capabilities and the availability of resources.
Challenge the scarcity mindset that holds you back, embrace gratitude, focus on solutions, and take those small actions. As you do, you’ll discover that the life you desire is not out of reach but well within your grasp. With the right mindset and consistent effort, you can break free from the chains of scarcity and create a future filled with abundance, fulfillment, and achievement.
References
- Zhao, J., & Tomm, B. (2018). Psychological Responses to Scarcity [Review of Psychological Responses to Scarcity]. Oxford Research Encyclopedias. https://oxfordre.com/psychology/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780190236557.001.0001/acrefore-9780190236557-e-41#acrefore-9780190236557-e-41-div1-6
- DeSteno, D., Li, Y., Dickens, L., & Lerner, J. S. (2014). Gratitude. Psychological Science, 25(6), 1262–1267. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797614529979