Are You Operating with a Scarcity Mindset or an Abundant Mindset?
How we think matters. In fact, I find myself telling clients often it is not so much what happens to us that matters; it is how we think and therefore respond to a situation that really impacts our lives, work and health.
So how do you show up in your business? How do you think about your organization in terms of bringing in clients or customers, working or collaborating with other business owners, or how you think about sustainability and profitability? Are you stuck in a rut of a scarcity mindset?
Scarcity thinking causes us to feel afraid, anxious or nervous that there is not enough. Not enough customers, clients, or resources. When we dwell on all of those thoughts we are more likely to function in a silo, more likely to view each issue and problem through the lens of not enough.
It is easy in these challenging pandemic times to go there… easier and more common to consider that we have to do it all ourselves, protect what we have as there may not be any more coming… and we as business owners and organizational leaders have all been there if we get really honest.
Experience has taught me however that when I function in a serving, giving, collaborative and abundance mindset, all the challenges of running a business are met with less stress and in the end bring numerous benefits.
We all as business owners and leaders have collective experience, resources and ideas to actually help one another along. The problem is if everyone is holed up in their own bubble unwilling to reach out, connect and collaborate then the outcome is a lot more stress and energy expended trying to keep functioning in our self made silos.
Today, and this week, reach out to another business owner or leader. Consider where you have resources that could be shared to each of your benefit. Make time to have coffee or a smoothie with someone and pick their brain for ideas on how they are solving common problems and issues in their business.
When you remember that even if you are in the same industry as the person you are connecting with, you each bring something unique to the table. Let that serve to remind you that not everyone is looking for what you offer, and not everyone is looking for what your competitor is offering either. Plenty of pie to go around…
Focus on what you do well and where you can make improvements in your organization. Focus on engaging with your staff in order to get the best of what they have to offer- they will often see things with a different perspective than yours. This will help you put your time and energy where it needs to be- on building the best organization possible.
Remind yourself that we are all in the pandemic boat together and these especially challenging times call for collaboration and helping one another out.
When you appreciate the unique strengths that you and your organization possess, and you begin to appreciate that others have some of what you need and you have much to share with others- tangibly or otherwise, then we can begin to think and function in an abundance mindset.
A healthy side benefit is we often come out of these collaborative connections feeling less alone, less stressed and more supported. We may even derive new clients or customers that our new connections can’t serve… but we can.
Lastly, focus on starting and ending your day with gratitude, for what you do have. Do you still have a functioning business? Fantastic! Celebrate that. Is your business still profitable? Wonderful. Then you have resources that you can share.
Today focus on what you do have and how you can connect, collaborate and spread the love around for your benefit and the benefit of others.