18 Oct is thinking with an abundance mentality a valid approach?
Happiness … it’s intimately linked to thinking and mindset.
Happiness … it’s the subject of science and pseudo-science.
What REALLY contributes to happiness and what’s just mumbo-jumbo?
If, like me, you’re interested in all aspects of happiness and health, success and life satisfaction then keep reading…
via FastCompany by Tara Swart
If you’re familiar with self-help literature, you’ve probably come across the idea of “abundant thinking.” It’s a term that unscientific and “inspirational” gurus often throw around, so you may have been tempted to dismiss it as self-help candy floss. But if we take a serious look at it, it is possible to take a common-sense view that science supports. Let’s explore the concept.
THE INTERNAL BATTLE FOR ABUNDANCE
In most people’s minds, there is a battle going on between two perspectives: abundance and lack. These are like two roads that we can choose to walk down, each giving us vastly different experiences of life.
Abundance correlates with positive thinking and generosity, with the central belief that there’s enough out there for everyone. By carving our niche and claiming our success, we’ll add to the realm of possibility. Abundance feeds our self-esteem and confidence and helps us stay resilient during the tough times. It’s also infectious and generative, creating a flourishing environment and community around us. Like attracts like, so if you look around you, you’ll find positive, confident people who are friends, partners, or business partners with similar mindsets.
On the other hand, when we think from a perspective of lack, our primary motivation is fear. We think in negatives, are highly attuned to what we don’t have and what won’t work, as well as the deficiencies of our situation. We think in black and white and shrink from obstacles and limitations, retreating to a conservative, protective comfort zone, avoiding risk, and resisting change. “Better the devil, you know . . .” we say, or “Out of the frying pan, into the fire.” Yet, we often have no actual evidence that bad things will happen if we take a risk.
Think about your own life. Have you ever stuck with something—a job you were unhappy in, a dysfunctional relationship, a friendship you had outgrown—because you feared uncertainty and change? Do you worry about failure if you embark on something new? Often, when we’ve gone through something unpleasant, we might start to adopt this mindset without realizing it. A single friend of mine who desperately wants to meet a partner stopped dating recently after a run of bad experiences. She believes all men are the problem. When you’re stuck in a lack mindset, you strengthen the negative pathways in your brain. As a result, you continue to respond to life as if the worst is going to happen…
…keep reading the full & original article HERE