When it comes to overcoming scarcity and getting back to abundance…
…putting up with more than you’re willing is what leaves you on the hamster wheel longer than you’d like.
It doesn’t create the abundance and harmony you crave.
Today you’re going to see how to make yourself less of a common resource.
In fact:
This simple insight is what helped me re-evaluate what I’m willing to put up with to get what I want;
And this in-turn is what shifted me from the constant state of desperation and scarcity to creating more consistently.
Let’s dive right in
Blog post after the jump
So a few weeks ago, I was feeling my thinking about money.
I started getting desperate because I was thinking that my bank balance was below what I’d like it to be.
The fear was real and so visceral.
And there was an urge in me to DO something, to get busy, productive and make something happen.
I made it all about me.
Was I not doing enough and should I do more?
How bad an idea was it to let that asshole client go?
They were going to pay a lot of money.
Maybe I screwed up there.
And on and on the story went.
One of the things drives people to desperation is our thinking around money or the lack of it.
Thought about my bank balance not being where I wanted it to be, took me on a roller coaster ride until I caught myself and remembered something fundamental about this issue.
I remembered something that I’ve been seeing about money and more importantly scarcity, And that is:
The more you think something is scarce, the more you’re willing to give up to get it.
But when you think something is common, you’re less willing to give up a lot to get it.
Think about it, have you ever felt a pressing need to bribe the security guard for access into a Walmart or Tesco store during opening hours?
But on the other hand, how many times have you had to put up with a lot of stuff from your boss or a ‘difficult’ client?
That’s because, to you, they’re the ones with the money; and as you believe that money is scarce, you’ll put up with a lot to get it.
It’s that simple.
But to get off this scarcity train, there are two things you need to see differently; and they are that:
When I say this, I see people roll their eyes and say “here we go with the woo woo stuff”
But let me make this more practical for you.
A majority of us assume that money can only come from our jobs, the government, our business, a wealthy relative; or whatever we are directly linked with and focused on.
It never occurs to us that there is a wealth of opportunities which surround us every single minute of the day.
We are so focused on trying force money from only one source that we disregard the possibility of it coming from somewhere else.
This insight got crystallised for me when I moved back home and for a while was personally broke and unemployed for all intents and purposes.
And not only didn’t I have any sustainable and tangible source of income, but we also faced a mountain of debt.
It meant I had to get creative about this.
I had to be open to where money was going to come from.
So I couldn’t pick and choose the source of income.
I could only show up and try to make a difference where It seemed obvious for me to do so.
Doing this meant unusual opportunities presented themselves to me.
Being honest and open about it, meant I connected with people that I would never have if I was still in my head listening to the stories about WHO I thought I was and what I could or couldn’t do.
Anywhere there is a possibility of making a positive difference, there is also money to be made. If you can’t (or won’t) open yourself to make that difference, then you won’t make any money.
It’s that simple.
One of my mentors used to say:
“If you’re running low on money, go out and buy some.”
It used to drive me crazy until I finally realised what he was trying to say, and that is:
When you stop listening to your ego about WHO you think you are, you’ll permit yourself to get the money from wherever it is right now.
Because WHO you think you are, usually determines the type of opportunities you think are worthy of creating money for you.
And this leads us to the next point:
Often, because you don’t see yourself this way, you don’t invest in yourself.
You don’t invest in your skills, your energy and your wellbeing
And ironically, these things are what up-level the types of opportunities that present themselves to you.
As you become more and more skilled, people become more drawn to you.
And as you become happier in yourself and with yourself, more people come to you.
When they come, that’s when you charge ‘em.
A lot of people look at things backwards; they’re worried about looking like a fraud for charging or asking for certain amounts of money.
They are obsessed with what prices to set or what salary to negotiate for, but that’s putting the cart before the horse.
When you start seeing yourself as a scarce resource, all these other things fall into place; they become a no-brainer.
As we come to the end of this conversation, the point I want to leave you with is this:
The more you keep acting like you are a common resource, the less likely people will be willing to pay more for you.
And the more you keep acting like money is a scarce resource, the more you’ll be willing to do ANYTHING and put up with anything to get it.
As soon as you have made yourself as a scarce resource, money will inconvenience itself to get to you.
Here’s to you seeing something different about scarcity, living in scarcity and most importantly overcoming that scarcity mentality.
the extent to which we can see through our own made-up ideas and concepts of money, the easier it becomes to use it as the tool that it is, rather than as a solution to a feeling that we crave.
I’m Elizabeth Archibong. A Nigerian girl obsessed setting the rules on fire to create life and results from a place of ease and a path of least resistance. I teach people how to see themselves more simply and accurately. So that they can create and get more of the things that they want.
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