Scarcity Mindset Part I: Hungry Ambition or Starving for Something?

 When we’re hungry or feel like we’re starving, our consumption can be extreme. This applies to every aspect of life. Whether we’re hungry for food, love, belonging or spiritually hungry, the ways in which we seek to fill ourselves will vary.

The ugly stepsister of hunger is scarcity. This insidious mindset can be pervasive and destructive, especially since it can go largely undetected.

First, let’s define scarce and mindset. According to Cambridge Dictionary, scare is defined as “a situation in which something is not easy to find or get”. Mindset is defined as a mental attitude. 

Now, the question is how this shows up in our lives. It can be so tempting to look at a scarcity mindset, solely, from the standpoint of finances; but, I want to approach it from a health perspective or from a “psychological hunger” standpoint.We often hear terms or phrases involving what someone is starving for. Starving, which implies a lack of something, can take on many forms.

·      Starving for acceptance…

·      Starving for love…

·      Starving for attention… 

·      Starving for prestige… 

·      Starving for fame…

·      Starving for financial security… 

·      Starving for happiness… 

·      Starving for fulfillment…

Have you ever considered how something that you’ve hungered for has manifested itself as a scarcity mindset?

What happens when we feel like we’re starving…when we feel like our hunger is overwhelming us? We seek ways in which to fulfill it. 

Imagine being very hungry and going to a buffet. What normally happens? More than likely, filling up on things that we know maybe (ultimately) detrimental to our physical health and even to our self-esteem (once we berate ourselves for what we’ve done.)

It’s often easier to see another’s behavior, long before we recognize our own. “Oh, that person is starving for attention” or “She is starving for love.”  The bigger question is what role this mindset plays in our own decisions.

We tend to become focused on whatever it is that we feel is lacking. As such, with an increased self-awareness, we can gain a better understanding of what we feel may be missing from our life.

By paying attention to where our thoughts reside, we can take a look at our fixations and understand the areas in which scarcity has captured our attention, even though we may not be aware of it. 

Are we fixated on relationships, weight loss, food? Are we reading about what we lack or constantly thinking of ways to obtain it? Do we notice things and other people that may be indicators as to what is going on within our own subconscious?

Being dominated by a sense of lack and our pursuit of getting what we feel that we don’t have can result in a psychological “hoarding” or holding on to what we feel we may lose forever… 

Fearing Loss

Imagine a plastic water bottle. It is the only water that you have left, in that moment. If you believe that you won’t have access to more water (scarcity mindset), how are you likely to behave with that water? How would you feel or react if someone reached for that water?

Our natural tendency would be to grasp it tighter; but what happens when you squeeze a plastic water bottle? You lose some of the water that you have in it.

We can become so afraid of loss, that we can squeeze the life out of everything around us, from our finances to our personal development to our relationships. This fear can become an underlying but, incredibly influencing, driving force.

Fearing loss does not prevent it. Hoarding does not bring abundance. Beware of the false promises of a mindset that whispers safety but brings destruction.

The Dangers of Perceived Scarcity

Scarcity changes our perspective. Think of a break up and going out for the first time on your own. It is not uncommon to notice happy couples or families that appear to be enjoying life. We may notice it more (than ever) because it is now something that we’re missing. Our increased attention to our circumstances only causes more pain. 

Consider a relationship that we feel is lacking some component. We can become so focused on that missing piece that we end up even more dissatisfied. What do you think would be the outcome of that attitude on the relationship? On our emotions?

A mindset rooted in lack (and fear) can contribute to feelings of low self-esteem, jealousy and envy. Our own lives can come to feel like cages. The stress, anxiety and depression that can result from this type of thinking only serves to make the problem worse.

Health and Fitness

Scarcity can be one of the main factors that prevent people from healthy lifestyle change. One issue that consistently pops up is people feeling like they’re giving up something…like they’re going to miss out on something…like they’re losing something.

That may be food, alcohol or going out to eat with friends. It may be a perceived lack of the freedom to choose.  It is entirely based on interpretation. So, due to a mindset of lack, or the fear of lack, or the perception of what the “lack” would bring, people stay in the same stuck position.

Think About It

Think of a time that a scarcity mindset may have been a dominant (though underlying) force in your decisions.

·      Is it present in your life now? 

·      What missing thing or fulfilling thing are you in pursuit of? 

·      Is that pursuit driven by the feeling that something is missing from your life? 

·      Have your health and fitness decisions ever been guided by focusing on what you would be missing out on?

A healthy mindset is the foundation of a healthy life. Join me for more articles and thoughts that will inspire you to think outside the box and from within your core being.