Have you ever felt like there's never enough pizza? (Especially when there's clearly more pizza?)
We're all familiar with the feeling. You stare longingly at that last slice, convinced it's the only slice left in the universe. Panic sets in.
Should you grab it before someone else does? Maybe close the box so nobody else sees it, then come back to it later when no one's looking?
That, my friend, is a classic case of scarcity mindset.
But fear not, fellow pizza lovers (and general life navigators), we've come to save the day! This article will serve as your guide to ditching the scarcity mentality and embracing the abundance of, well, everything (including pizza).
We'll explore how this mindset affects you, the tell-tale signs you might have it, and, most importantly, how to cultivate a mindset that sees the world as a world of opportunities.
What Is The Scarcity Mindset?
Success, love, money, and that perfect parking spot. People with a scarcity mindset believe there's a limited amount of all the good stuff in the world, and if someone else grabs it, none will be left to them.
In other words, this mentality forces you to see the glass half-empty and keeps you obsessed with finding ways to fill it, sometimes regardless of the measures it'd take.
Unfortunately, hyperfocusing on the things you lack sometimes leaves you oblivious to the things you do have. And even though, to some people, you're doing just fine in life, the constant chase for more—that lack of contentment—can leave you feeling miserable.
This brings us to the next order of business. How does a scarcity mindset affect your well-being?
How Does Scarcity Mindset Affect Your Mental Health?
As you can imagine, this negative view of the world detrimentally affects your brain, like an attic collecting cobwebs of not-enough-time and dusty boxes of worry-about-failure and creepy rocking chairs of fear-of-missing-out.
It sucks the joy out of everything, like a psychic black hole in your brain. But more specifically, they change how you think and how you are.
1. Limited Brain Function
The scarcity mindset keeps you constantly worrying about the things you don't have enough of; money, time, and success.
This limits your brain's capacity to accommodate other important things, rendering you unable to focus, solve problems, and, well, generally function at its best.
But how does limited brain functionality manifest itself? Easy. If you're constantly worrying about finances and all the things you "need" to chase, even simple decisions will feel overwhelming.
That's decision fatigue. Your mental resources are so sucked into a black hole of worry that you just can't think clearly, even for the smallest things.
2. Lowered IQ
The scarcity mindset keeps your brain in panic mode since you think the world's limited resources are running out and you haven't gotten your piece of the pie yet.
The constant mental struggle will eventually take its toll on you and generally lower your IQ, according to a study from Harvard. And what happens to a kitchen knife when you use it for virtually everything? It gets dull.
The same goes for your brain. It loses its sharpness, all for things that don't matter and shouldn't eat away at your brainpower in the first place.
3. Impulsivity
"Limited Edition! Few stocks left! Promo runs until the end of the day!" Surely, these statements are bound to get your attention.
To think that that last box of limited-edition cereal was the only one left on Earth, who wouldn't buy it? But did you even need the cereal?
The scarcity mindset makes you act like a kid in a candy store, throwing your decision-making skills out the window.
You end up buying so many things you don't need, thinking the world will run out of them. Not exactly the recipe for long-term happiness. It can even ruin the relationship you have with your future self.
Scarcity Mindset: The Signs
"It's not bad to want more out of life, right?" That's true. Striving to earn more, whether that be time, money, and success, should not be viewed as something bad.
However, there's a fine scarcity-mindset-line that you shouldn't cross. How do you determine that? By becoming aware of the signs that point toward scarcity instead of an abundant mindset.
1. Worry About Money
Okay. It's totally normal to worry about money. After all, financial security is an integral aspect of peace of mind and living comfortably, right?
So, where does the scarcity mindset start to bury its claws in your life when it comes to money worries?
When everything's paid for, the fridge is full, and you have more than enough money in the bank, you still can't shake the feeling of impending financial doom.
2. It's Never Enough
"Never enough. Never! Never!" You may not be Jenny Lind in The Greatest Showman, but a scarcity mindset makes you feel as though you have none despite all the glitz and glamour of your life.
Just to be clear: There's nothing wrong with chasing the next big thing (as long as you're a hundred percent certain that's not just a case of shiny object syndrome).
However, if after getting a promotion, winning a game, or achieving any sort of goal, you can't celebrate because your mind is already asking, "What's next?" the scarcity mindset is holding you down.
3. Constant Feelings Of Envy
There's no shortage of success to go around. All of us have the capacity to earn our slice of the pie if we put our minds to it. Unfortunately, a scarcity mindset is blind to this fact.
Some people will inevitably feel envious of other people's achievements. Sometimes, this resentment leads to strained relationships, too, which means it's not just affecting your potential for success, but also the people around you.
4. Zero-Sum Perspective
"For me to succeed, someone else must fall. I mean, the house of success only has enough room for a few people, right?" That's the zero-sum perspective in a nutshell.
Since everything is a scarce resource, you'd think that other people must suffer or sacrifice so that you can have that abundance in your life.
Ironically, some people end up procrastinating because of the zero-sum lens. Since everything is a competition, you'd want everything you do to be perfect so you'd be the "winner."
But perfectionism is the enemy of progress. Procrastination then becomes a defense mechanism to avoid potential defeat, leading you to postpone initiating any task at all.
Abundance Mindset: The Antidote To Wanting More
A different perspective. Sometimes, that's all it takes to demolish the creepy (and squeaky) house of scarcity you built in your head.
Of course, it's easy to say that. I know. And you're probably thinking, "It's not like there's a 'scarcity switch' in my brain I can turn off whenever I want."
Well, with practice, that switch could actually be a real thing. How do you practice an abundance mindset, you ask? Gratitude.
Here's how.
1. Appreciating The Things Around You
It doesn't really matter if the glass is half-full or half-empty. What matters is that there's water in the cup. So, just appreciate that fact and stop trying to figure it all out.
Oftentimes, we give so much thought to deciding whether something is one thing or another that we fail to appreciate the fact that it exists.
When you practice gratitude, even if you see what's missing in your life, you still find yourself content because you focus more on what you have, not on what you don't.
2. Appreciating Other People
Someone else's achievements are not reflections of your incompetence. Most importantly, their success isn't stolen from your piece of the pie.
Allow yourself to celebrate the success of other people and see your capacity for joy and gratitude expand.
Being happy for them and with them could even be beneficial to your team's mental health. Remember, a rising tide lifts all boats.
