Hold an Abundance Mindset

As you read this article, we invite you to think about where you have experienced this in your own work, and share with us in the comments.

Think big. No, bigger. The possibilities for your community are endless. The possibilities of what you can do as a community steward are unimaginable.?

It’s so exciting: what we can achieve together!

But when we start getting into the nitty gritty of the day-to-day stewarding, coordinating, managing, and operating a community, we might be overcome by a sense of doubt. What if there is just not enough??

What if we give a lot of ourselves (time, energy, resources) to a community, and others don’t give the same - or more - or the right things - back in return??

What if we don’t do something, and then someone else does, but doesn’t do it the way we want it to be done? We might be left on the sidelines, watching our dreams being carried out (poorly, of course) by a different leader!

What if our members feel bored, or disgruntled, or someone else does it “better,” and our community wanders away to another space?

That’s just some of the fears that might race in our mind. But all of these have something in common - they hinge on feelings of scarcity.??

And it’s no wonder! Most of us have been raised in a culture where there is an imbalance of “haves” and “have nots.” We are fed messages that claim that “bigger, better, more” is the goal. We are shamed for not having the latest technology or eating at the right restaurants. The rich get richer, and that is acceptable. It’s just their hard work afterall, right?

The truth is, much of the “haves” built their empires on the backs of someone else. From stolen land to stolen labor, the myth of being self-made somehow continues to eclipse reality. All of us are prey to the despair of scarcity when we witness, from the outside, someone else’s abundance, regardless of whether it is just or not.?

Because we are taught to believe that if one person has more, it necessarily means that someone else has less.?

Because we are encouraged to “get ahead.” Be the best. Do more.

Because we are cooked in a soup of these values, and they are so, so hard to separate from everything else in our lives.

To truly break out of these old patterns and ways of being, and create a deeply transformational community, we need to be cognizant of our mindset, particularly when it starts nagging us with feelings of “not enough.”

In their book, “The 7 Laws of Enough,” authors Gina LaRoche and Jennifer Cohen write, “Enough is not about dictating amounts or a particular lifestyle. It is a point of view, a context for the way we orient to ourselves, to one another, organizations, and life itself.”

One of the best tools we know of for beating back that feeling of scarcity, is incorporating a mindful approach whenever you are thinking about, working with, or addressing the needs or concerns of your community. We know there are many teachers and resources for mindfulness out there that you can access, and many additional books you can read about the topic. We also recognize you may already be applying mindfulness to your community work, or in other areas of your life.?

What we want to introduce here is an invitation to extend your mindfulness practices into your work with groups - specifically around growing an “abundance” mindset.

You may also be tempted to skip over this part. Maybe you don’t want to “go there.” Or maybe you feel this isn’t relevant to your current situation. Or maybe the idea of mindfulness seems a little too far out in left field.?

We invite you to acknowledge any resistance, set it aside for a moment, and when you’re ready, read on.

Part of an abundance mindset is being OK with letting go. Letting go of the clenching and clamping down that often happens when we are experiencing feelings of scarcity. What would it feel like to let go of your feelings of “not enough?” What would it feel like to let go of worrying that if you don’t hold it all, nothing will be held? Or that it won’t be held “right.” Or that someone else might hold it instead of you??

Our experience is that it feels like a huge relief. Like a weight has been lifted.

In life, we tend to make arbitrary metrics of what is considered success. If you are feeling like you are stuck in a scarcity mindset, it may be time to re-examine your metrics of success.

Here are a few tips and ideas to help you think through shifting your mindset and reframing success:

• Notice it. The first step in letting go of a scarcity mindset is realizing when it is popping up, naming it, and examining it. If we can’t notice when it is happening, we can’t do anything to address it. What does it feel like in your body when feelings of scarcity arise? Let those feelings arise, say “hello!” to them, those familiar reactions.
• Stop and breathe. Once you have learned to recognize when you are experiencing feelings of scarcity, it is important to stop and take a breath. This is because if we don’t stop before we begin to act, we will not be able to break out of the old pattern of thinking and doing. You can even say to yourself, “Ooooh, I recognize this as my scarcity mindset creeping in. I see you, scarcity! I am going to take a minute to think about this before I act on this.”
• Revisit your goals. We often fall into feelings of scarcity when our goals are murky and or feeling unattainable. Maybe the original ideas for this community were very lofty but never clearly stated. Maybe it didn’t happen the way you’d envisioned. Maybe you got pulled down another path, or no path at all. That’s ok! There is no need to beat yourself up for not meeting your metrics of success. Pause. Notice. It is what it is. Use it as a learning opportunity, and start over with a new set of goals (more ideas on this below).?
• Go deep, not wide. If three people show up, and you were hoping for 20, that doesn’t mean the event is a failure. Time to pause and reframe: Maybe it’s a new set of community members who showed up for the first time, or maybe it lets the three people who showed up dive more deeply into the topic. More people does not always mean better. Reconsider any attachment you have to numbers.
• Reenvision “failure” as an opportunity to pivot. If you were hoping to raise $1,000 but only raised $100 through your fundraising, it might be a chance to reposition your efforts into something more accessible to your community; time to switch to something that may ultimately be better for the group. For example, instead of grants, try donations; instead of bake sales, try an auction. What opportunities can you find in this learning moment?
• Avoid Comparisons. It is so easy to feel let down when it appears that groups around you are flourishing while yours isn’t. Instead of comparing your community to others, watch and notice. What are those groups doing? What can you learn from their “success?” It also helps to remind yourself that things often look much rosier from the outside than they actually are on the inside.
• Set reminders. Create a post-it or note to yourself that reminds you to breathe, notice what you already have, and stop comparing. Post this reminder prominently where you will often see it. The tendency to slip into a scarcity mindset can be intensely strong, so intentionally creating a system of counterbalance is especially important.?
• Continuously learn. When you notice or act on feelings of scarcity, look around and see what you can learn from the experience. What triggered it? What might you do differently next time? It is a never-ending journey, so take some notes, and move on. There will always be a next time!

From Eva: In a recent strategic planning session with a community I steward, group members began suggesting things that felt way too big for me to hold. I felt my pulse begin to quicken, almost to the point of panic. A website? No time for that! Membership dues? So difficult to manage! In that moment, however, I was able to pause, and notice - aha - this is my scarcity mindset creeping in. I am saying “no” in my heart to these wonderful ideas because I feel like I don’t have the time and energy to put them into play. As soon as I recognized that it was my fear of “not enough” saying no, I was able to sit back and listen to all of the ideas without panicking, knowing that the details could be worked out later.?

Once you are able to let go of your scarcity mindset, you can much more whole-heartedly think big, no bigger. Because the possibilities are really even more incredible than you ever could have imagined.?

Where you have experienced this in your own work? We'd love to hear from you!