Scarcity Mindset, Gratitude, And Joy

Scarcity Mindset, Gratitude, and Joy, are three emotional states that are interlinked.

We often think of Scarcity Mindset from a material standpoint, specifically regarding our relationship with money. While this may be partly correct, there is a much bigger play here. Our Ego is the source of all scarcity thinking. Our Ego’s core agenda is to make us hyper-aware of whatever we lack in any domain of our life.

Scarcity thinking pushes us into a subconscious paradigm that keeps continuously reminding us of some inadequacy- Not good enough, rich enough, loving enough, peaceful enough, confident enough, etc.

When we are stuck in the warp of scarcity thinking, we will be in this eternal loop like a dog chasing its own tail all the time. There is no scope for lasting happiness, joy, fulfillment.

Dr.Brene Brown, in her book Daring Greatly, says that the opposite of Scarcity is not Abundance. It is “Enough”

When we cultivate a feeling of being enough and having enough, we will be able to pull ourselves out of the vortex of scarcity thinking.

Cultivating Gratitude For Joy

According to Dr.Brown, gratitude is not an attitude. It is an emotional muscle that we need to exercise with intention. It involves going through the day looking for reasons to be joyful and happy and therefore be grateful for.

Before we get down to practicing gratitude it is important to first remind ourselves about the ill effects of our scarcity thinking that makes us miss the most obvious sources of joy in our life.

• The joy of car door slamming and your kid stomping into the house, back from school.
• The aroma of dinner telling you how much your mom or spouse( in my case, my son) loves you.
• Those raging fights between your kids that remind you what a complete life you have.
• Unspoken words that convey how much your team looks up to you.
• That little sacrifice your spouse makes in giving you that extra scoop of ice cream from his or her share.

These are moments that are in front of all of us every day. And, we have an opportunity to stop and say, ” God, I am so grateful for this.” 

It is in these moments of acknowledgment that you experience Joy. The joy of knowing you are enough and that you have enough.