The Big Risk | Part II

Scarcity Mindset

There is something called scarcity mindset. I wasn’t even aware of the term until a few weeks ago, and 4 years ago I had no clue. But the funny thing was that I knew to a certain extent what I was trying to overcome even without a fancy term. Scarcity mindset is simply when you never feel like there will be enough. You will never have enough money, food, support—or something else entirely so you are always in a mental state of lacking. It’s like a reflex. A protective mechanism that we develop to be frugal and hold on to things and not make risky decisions. At times we need to be frugal and not take risks, but what happens when we need to leap? When we need to leap, and we aren’t really sure what’s up ahead? Or down below? Or coming at us from the sides? Are we deemed irresponsible if we do it anyway? I know many of my friends and family members said yes to that question. I didn’t have a lot of money saved. I wasn’t certain I really had this “dream job” and I wasn’t fired or laid off I was quitting my current job!

“Does this new job have insurance and benefits?” “It’s a vacation resort so what if the economy goes bad and people stop traveling?” (One of my favorites) Obviously, the scarcity mindset runs deep in my family and part of the country.

It took me years to overcome (overcome is a strong word in this case but I’ll use it) these fears that life could end up worse or harder than it is. I’m sure people were thinking “oh you think you are struggling now? Go ahead then and quit your job, move away from everything you know and sell all your belongings for 1/10th what you paid for them so there is no chance you can buy new things.” People might have thought that….I most certainly know that I did.

There would never be enough. What the hell was I doing?

I’ve been told I’m a “fly by the seat of your pants” kind of person. Which isn’t true, actually. When you see someone make a life changing decision like mine—they may have been planning it or dreaming it for years or perhaps their entire lives. From the time I was born I had an innate understanding that life was meant to be enjoyed. That you didn’t have to wake up every day and go to a job you didn’t want to support a life you didn’t like. It was this mentality- this need for enjoyment, curiosity, the fear of missing out and leading a life of regrets that drove me past the scarcity mindset. I had to believe that things would turn out okay. Not even okay- way better! The only way out was to believe in something I had never believed in before.

I have to tell you my friends this was it. This was the big risk. The mental leap. For years I had let scarcity mindset orchestrate my life. The fear that there would never be enough if I deviated from it paralyzed me. I started to listen to my intuitive voice that said “there’s more” “this is a test” “you’ve been prepped for this” “you’re ready” “STOP listening to everyone else and listen to ME!” and finally…

“everything will be okay, no matter what.”

I wasn’t totally in abundance mindset. But I had gotten to “everything will be okay” mindset. And that was enough to start the chain of events. I gave life the nod, and I took the risk.

I hope you are enjoying my little epic tale :) Next week, I’ll share the chain of events that

led up to my new life after my big decision and how abundance mindset helped me to let go of most of my possessions. My hope is that by sharing my next story I can help you create space for the life you desire. If you are reading and enjoying I would love to hear your feedback in the comments section! Feel free to give me your questions or share you own struggles with making a big decision or scarcity mindset!

Stay adventurous amigos.