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Scarcity or Abundance

08 Jul 2021 8:33 AM | Alec Arons

Scarcity vs Abundance – Inquiring Minds Want to Know

As a reformed Scarcity-based thinker, I have to admit that living with an abundance mindset has been one of the most transformative experiences of my life. Now, that might come as a shock to anyone who has known me for any length of time. It might even shock you that I am sharing this level of detail about myself. 

But as I have been developing the discipline of creating my own blog, the best piece of advice I’ve come across was from my friend Richard — and it was free. 

He and I have talked about how important it is to write from a place of personal passion, from your distinct point of view, to give people the opportunity to engage with you. With that in mind, I am going to try something new this week. I am going to raise a topic and ask you to think about it. And like Linda Richmond, the old Mike Meyers character from SNL, I want to suggest you talk amongst yourselves and leave a comment below.

Do you have a Scarcity or Abundance Mindset?

As I said above. I am a reformed Scarcity-based thinker. I was an incredibly competitive person in my corporate days. I shared very little with colleagues and “friends” based on the belief that there are finite opportunities out there to be successful, and each one of us needs to know about those opportunities before anyone else to gain an edge. 

I have come to realize that not every opportunity I hear about is the right opportunity for me and perhaps that might be the case with others. I also came to realize that if you do not share your ideas and insights with others, you might be robbing the lifeblood of a great opportunity you do not need to own yourself.

Having gently hit myself in the head with this 2 by 4, I began to listen more to people around me. I started to share more information with my limited network, which in turn has resulted in my developing a more vibrant network. I have also been introduced to a number of new groups and online communities where I have learned about business and learning opportunities that continue to force me into this new world of abundance. And the funny thing is, it always returns my generosity tenfold.

Let’s get started

In the weeks to come, I plan to share more from a place of abundance in terms of books I have read, coaching tips, and photography pointers. I am even willing to share some of my most guarded secrets as people return to attending live sporting events. My shortcuts and parking tips to Yankee Stadium, MetLife Stadium, and the Philadelphia Sports Complex. Just subscribe to my blog.

As for the books I am reading, I have thoroughly enjoyed Thinking Again by Adam Grant. 

https://amzn.to/348zQTk. (Please share what you are reading in the comments below.)

So satisfy my curiosity now. And be honest with yourself now. What’s the level of your scarcity mindset?

Do you covet information about opportunities, for fear someone else will take them and run with them faster than you will?

Are you reluctant to share insights and assistance unless you are paid for it? 

I would really like to know.

Alec

Comments

  • 13 Jul 2021 2:09 PM | Alicia Daugherty
    Alec, I love these questions! One of the things I love about the profession of coaching is the abundance mindset. Coaches are so willing to share their learnings, their time, and their resources. Confident coaches are willing to say "this isn't the right client for me, but maybe it's the right client for you?"

    I think organizations are built on a scarcity mindset - the shape of the org chart makes this inevitable in some ways. For one to succeed, another has to fail. Budgets restrict resources and even performance ratings need to follow a bell curve. For someone to be "better than", someone else has to be "less than". Because I am an idealist, I'd like to think that organizations can shift from a scarcity model to abundance, but I'm not yet smart enough to know what that would look like. I love being in an industry where abundance is the norm!

    And to answer your question, the 4 books I've enjoyed so far this summer:
    The Coaching Habit (Michael Bungay-Stanier)
    The Advice Trap (Michael Bungay-Stanier)
    Atomic Habits (James Clear)
    Educated (Tara Westover)

    Cheers!
    Link  •  Reply

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