The Abundance Mindset Trap

There are many different types of Mindsets that exist.

They often contrast against other specific Mindsets.

One of the popular pairs you hear about are Growth Mindsets and Fixed Mindsets (which people often get completely wrong, setting them back).

However, there is another popular pair that people often contrast.

Scarcity Mindsets and Abundance Mindsets.

What They Are

There is a major difference between these 2 Mindsets.

In a Scarcity Mindset, people believe that everything is limited and dwindling faster.

They become more competitive in what remaining Resources exist.

Whether it is budget, territory, or any number of other things.

As they do this, they tend to lose out on Opportunities and Innovative Ideas due to fearing losing too many resources.

On the other hand, in an Abundance Mindset, there is an inherent belief that there is always more.

Whether it is more money that can be earned, more territory to find, more Opportunities, and more Innovation that can occur.

No matter what happens, there is Abundance around us.

A common phrase here would be, "If there's a will, there's a way!"

Why The Abundance Mindset Is Preferred

Between these two Mindsets, it should be clear that the Abundance Mindset is preferable.

A Scarcity Mindset will quickly kill any business.

The inability to take hold of Opportunities and Innovations can quickly lead to collapse.

In an Organization, a Scarcity Mindset can put teams against each other instead of using Energy and Effort to make moves in the market.

I went into detail yesterday about how this (among other things) is already leading to businesses failing in 2024 (and beyond IF they make it that long).

When you view it this way, you should always move toward an Abundance Mindset.

Leaders need to always look for Opportunities and Innovation.

Plus, there is a Psychological benefit to the belief that there are always Opportunities and Innovation.

What we look for, we will find more of.

It's a part of how our brain works.

If we look for what is Scarce, we will find more Scarcity.

If we look for more Opportunities, we will find more Opportunities.

If we look for more Innovations, we will find more Innovations.

This is why the Abundance Mindset is preferred.

The Hidden Abundance Mindset Trap

There is one major Trap within the Abundance Mindset, though.

It is something we are seeing all over the world right now.

It is Blindly having an Abundance Mindset without paying attention to the consequences of our actions, and without looking at Reality.

It is essentially the Pioneer Legacy Problem that I have been talking about lately.

For instance - believing that there is Unlimited Abundance in Employee Productivity when they are already Burnt Out, and then adding MORE Stress onto them.

Or there are the companies that promise to "reduce" their Carbon Footprint within the next 25 years when there are so many more problems than "just" Carbon, and "reducing" isn't nearly enough.

You could also see this in continually driving prices up on many products and services while consumers struggle to pay for their basic necessities, as we see in the Housing Market.

Blind Abundance Mindset, while ignoring the Realities of the World around us, is a recipe for disaster.

How To Avoid The Trap

The key to avoiding the Blind Abundance Mindset Trap is NOT to switch to a Scarcity Mindset.

That will simply compound your problems further.

Rather, we need to accept Reality as it is.

There are things in life with legitimate Scarcity levels.

If we keep taking and taking, eventually, there will be nothing left.

Once we understand the Reality, we need to use the Abundance Mindset in a new way.

Instead of just taking, we need to move toward a Regenerative Legacy.

If there is something we must take, we must also figure out how to make more of that and replenish it.

Ideally, we want to make a surplus of whatever we are taking.

It is Reciprocity in Action.

If we are taking something, and we are truly unable to make more of it faster than we use it (such as Fossil Fuels), then we must quickly shift.

Whatever we shift to needs to be something we can Regenerate faster than we Utilize.

This may mean we must come up with completely new Technologies and Innovations.

With an Abundance Mindset that is Focused on a Regenerative Legacy though, it is something completely possible.

If you can always Create more than you Utilize, there is no such thing as running out.

It's a Circular Business Model.

Always giving back to what we take so that there is always more.

This creates TRUE Abundance.