Mindset of Abundance

When life feels full, when we have everything we need and more, an aura of abundance permeates our outlook. Looking at the world through a lens of abundance often manifests in the perpetual recognition of what we should be grateful for, joy, and connection around every corner, between every crevice, and within and out of sight. 

It's the sensation of being on top of the world without an edge of superciliousness that can often accompany this mindset. In this blog, I discuss how to cultivate an increased sense of abundance in your life and understand the benefits of doing so. 

Cultivating an abundance mindset starts with recognizing what exists internally within you and externally in your environment. Focusing on and increasing gratitude for what you have will, oddly, assist you in finding what you lack. On the inverse, concentrating on what you lack will almost certainly cause you to negate what you already have. 

Scarcity is the opposite of abundance. Seeing only dearth within yourself and your surroundings will almost always lead to feelings of hollowness and endless void. It ultimately becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy that is difficult to deter. 

Part of the reason it is so easy to focus on what we lack or avoid feeling grateful is that we are biologically hardwired to be risk-averse. Concentrating on what is negative can feel productive; however, we are prone to overgeneralizations. 

For example: let's say that you were bit by a dog as a child. Just because you were bit by a dog does not mean that all dogs want to harm you. Or, let's say you got into an argument with your significant other. Just because you had a disagreement doesn't mean that the relationship is doomed or you don't have plenty of pleasant experiences to draw from when recalling the overall quality of your relationship. 

You are prone to seek patterns, for better or worse, and can often draw inferences from isolated events with low repetition. Thinking that the world is a dangerous place full of rabid dogs or that your partner is a mean-spirited fool based on few and far incidences may not be doing dogs, your partner, or yourself due process. Challenge how you remember not based on experiences of unfairness but experiences of kindness, joy, and moderate contentment to exuberant positivity. 

Lastly, something that tends to get in the way of living an increasingly abundant lifestyle is the persona that you have cultivated. The term persona originally meant the mask an actor wore in a play. 

Carl Jung argues that it is essentially a projection of your individuality that protects you from feeling a part of society as a collective whole. In other words, it is a defensive way of acting around others that forms a basis for survival to prevent undue damage to the ego. 

Persona can be used to seem more desirable to others or to ward off perceived predators. This mask used as a method of distinction has its utility; however, it can create disconnection, isolation, or anger if worn too frequently or in the wrong settings. Integrate authenticity more with your persona; this will allow an increased sense of connection, promoting abundance. 

The benefits of this mindset are that it can feel like the world is your oyster or that you have a higher vantage point from which you can view your life. Feeling connected to the people or environment around you provokes an enriched sense of being that provides deep fulfillment. Abundance is all around you; obtaining it requires a process of recognition, reframing, and lowering of defenses.

References

Jung, C. G. “The Persona as a Segment of the Collective Psyche.” Two Essays On Analytical Psychology, 2nd ed., vol. 7, Princeton University Press, 1966, pp. 156–171. Collected Works Of.

Kahneman, Daniel. “Two Selves.” Thinking, Fast and Slow, Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2011.