Change your expat life
How to Lead with Abundance — and Create More of It
One of the things my family and I love doing to relax is watching David Attenborough’s stunning nature documentaries. We often curl up together on the sofa on a Friday or Saturday evening and marvel at the spectacular landscapes and wildlife, as well as the fantastic stories David tells so poignantly.
On a recent weekend, however, we were not watching nature on a screen in our living room. Instead, we were experiencing it live in Walvis Bay, Namibia. One of the most memorable moments came as we drove along Pelican Point Peninsula, where we were greeted by millions of cormorants and hundreds of thousands of seals. There were animals everywhere we looked. The scene was spectacular. We spent hours observing the playful seals frolicking in the waves — just taking in the abundance.
Abundance is a frame of mind
Abundance is a powerful feeling that acts as a nutrient for the mind and food for the soul. The more we feel it, the more it creates in our life. For some people, the feeling of abundance comes naturally. They are able to look at all the wonderful things life brings them and feel full with all the great things they have. Others tend to focus more on scarcity, however, and this creates a totally different experience.
In order to know whether your mind tends toward abundance or scarcity, ask yourself: what do I have in my life?
Perhaps your mind immediately starts overflowing with some of the following thoughts:
- “I have wonderful healthy children”
- “I have a husband I love”
- “I have a beautiful house”
- “My life is filled with great experiences and memories”
- “I have relatives I cherish”
- “I have dear friends around the world”
Thoughts like these not only reflect an “abundance mindset,” they actually create more of that wonderful, abundant feeling.
Alternatively, when you ask what you have in your life, you might immediately think about not having a place that you can call home, about not having the career or success you dream of, about not having enough time to do all the things you want, or about not being able to connect with the friends and family you love during the pandemic. These thoughts reflect a feeling of scarcity, and they are often pretty unpleasant.
Abundance is a skil
In truth, most of us have both abundance and scarcity within us. In some instances, we are tuned into an abundance mindset, and at other times we feel scarcity.
What I propose is that you start paying attention to what thoughts create abundance within you and what thoughts create the feeling of scarcity. Most of the time, our minds will try to tell us that it’s the situation that creates scarcity. But, in fact, it’s always our thoughts about a situation that create the feeling of either abundance or scarcity.
Not only is creating abundance a fantastic skill to develop, it can be done easily by taking a look at what you already have in your life.
Here’s how to get started:
Look at the past twelve months with curiosity, and notice what you’re feeling. It’s fine to observe that you feel scarcity. No problem with that. Simply know that you have a choice. If you wish to create abundance, all you need to do is to turn up the volume on all the things you have, and lower the volume on all the things you do not have. All this can be done simply by observing your thoughts and adjusting your focus.
Over time, this practice becomes easier and more natural. The skill of thinking through the lens of abundance becomes, simply, an abundance mindset.
So start today: what abundance do you have in your life right now?
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