When I was in college, I used to walk to the Metropolitan Museum of Art almost everyday. I was studying art history at the time, and I was in awe of what people were able to create. How a blank canvas, or a chunk of marble could become something just by someone having a vision and making it come to life.

The sculptures were the most fascinating to me. One of my art assignments was to go study the Kouros sculpture. I would stare at it thinking some person took some stone in 500 BC and just started chiseling away with some ancient instrument and created what was in his mind.

So fascinating!

But really, is it?

Our minds create EVERYTHING we desire. Literally everything ever created started in someone’s mind. (Well, except the universe and the planets and stars, but you know what I’m getting at.)

Our minds are the most powerful instrument in what we experience in our lives. They not only create our visions, they create the stories we tell ourselves and those stories, in turn, are what impact the actions we do or do not take.

When I was learning to drive my great aunt said to me that the car can be very dangerous and I have to be very careful and have the utmost respect for it and how I drive.

That same premise goes for our minds. Our minds are POWERFUL instruments. They can be dangerous or magical. We have to be careful how we use our mind, what we fuel our minds with, and how we operate it because of the big impact it can have. We have to have the utmost respect for our minds.

Here is my question for you: What are you feeding your mind? Are you living in an abundance mindset or a scarcity mindset?

Do you tend to have more thoughts around what is going wrong, all that you’re missing, what isn’t working out for you? Or more thoughts about all the possibilities, how things are moving forward, and how you are moving TOWARDS your goals?

Your answer will give you all the information you need to shed light on why you are experiencing what you are experiencing currently in your life.

As humans we either adopt a fixed mindset (where we stay stuck in our current thoughts, feel this is just how it is, that what we have around us is all we are meant to have or capable of achieving), or a growth mindset (where we are always learning, shifting and changing, and our experiences continue to bring us new opportunities and possibilities.)

We tend to lean towards a fixed mindset because past experiences, the limiting beliefs and stories we continue to tell ourselves, or because we adopted that mindset based on the mindset of our families, friends, and communities we surround ourselves with.

A fixed mindset keeps us in a scarcity mindset – feeling like there is not enough, that we don’t have enough knowledge, skills, or money.

A growth mindset keeps us in an abundance mindset – there is always more, we are more than enough already, there are endless possibilities, we have enough skills, knowledge, experiences, money and there is even more available for us. That we are capable of more success and more financial abundance. That we are never stuck where we are.

You are never stuck in a fixed mindset or scarcity mindset. You always have the opportunity to shift into a growth mindset, afterall at the core, all it is a different perspective, and it takes time and consistent effort to make that switch, but eventually, you can rewire your brain to see your situation differently.

For many of us, scarcity mindset feels natural because it has been our “natural” state for so long. Let’s take a moment to understand our belief systems and where our current mindset comes from.

How our mind currently sees the world and our life is based on the cumulation of conditioning from society and influences around us, and our lifetime of experiences. As we go through life, what we experience, feel, hear and learn from others, start to mold our limiting beliefs.

You may even find that some of your beliefs aren’t really yours, but you’ve heard them so many times from people around you, that you just started to believe them.

I used to have a belief that you can’t have money and good health at the same time. That limited mindset around money, came from a family member who used to say it all the time.

I used to think health was more valuable than money and that the universe would only give you one of those. You couldn’t have both.

I also held onto the belief that money was scarce and I could only earn a limited amount and that once I had money it was fleeting and would disappear easily, that I should hold on tightly to any money I received because more may not flow my way.

Once again this thinking came from a family member.

I also believed that I had to have a 9-5 corporate job with a set salary and benefits, because it was the only way to have security. Once again, a belief I adopted as I grew up, keeping me stuck in the limiting opportunities for me for my career and money.

In turn, all these limiting beliefs lead me to a scarcity mentality.

What happens is we build an internal filtering system made up of those beliefs, so we start to see every situation based on limitations.

Over time, they just feel like natural thoughts based in fact because you created “evidence” of lack everywhere with every experience you had in the past where you told the story based around the filter of lack – you didn’t get the promotion because you LACKED skills, your boyfriend broke up with you because you LACKED something, you never have enough money in the bank so you never will.

A scarcity mindset will always limit the actions you take. You’ll talk yourself out of considering opportunities, you’ll stop as soon as something doesn’t go as planned or didn’t work out. You’ll find all the reasons why you can’t go out after your goals and dreams.

It’s an energy drain.

BUT, an abundance mentality will keep you moving forward. It brings its own momentum and energy. 

You’ll see how even the smallest step forward is bringing you closer to where you want to go. You’ll see missteps as learning opportunities. You’ll believe that you are enough, have enough and know enough to get started, and you’ll start to focus on all you DO have and make a plan honoring all your qualifications.

You CAN overcome scarcity thinking and step into and adopt a growth mindset moving forward.

It will take time. I mean, you didn’t develop a scarcity mindset overnight, but a few small practices everyday will start to rewire your brain. It might feel a little like brainwashing at first, but eventually your old thought patterns will no longer fit. They won’t feel right. They won’t fit the new mindset you’ve created.

Your nervous system will feel uncomfortable with new thought patterns and try to prove to you with past “evidence” that all is not abundant, but over time, you will start building new evidence that will replace your limiting beliefs.

This is about replacing negative self-talk with new thoughts, beliefs and mindset shifts.

Like with any new habits, you need to practice this new mindset everyday. Stop yourself when your thought patterns waver, and reframe your thinking. Like building muscle, you’ll feel weak at first, but over time, your mind will strengthen and you’ll go longer between negative thought patterns.

So, you might be wondering HOW to get this magic moving, here are some powerful practical steps to take each day that will help you shift into and lead with an abundance mindset.