Part 1: From Scarcity to Abundance: Shifting Your Mindset for a Fulfilling Life

Dr. Christine Li [00:00:00]:
Welcome back to the Make Time For Success podcast. This is episode number 208. Are you ready to shift from a mindset of scarcity and lack to one of abundance? In this episode, we're going to explore the profound differences between these two perspectives, and I'm gonna help you uncover how your mindset can really shape your life. I'm gonna be sharing examples of abundance in action, things like expressing gratitude, showing generosity, living in the present moment, and reframing overwhelm as overflow. And then I'm gonna contrast those kinds of behaviors with living in lack and scarcity. And, hopefully, this will encourage you to embrace a more abundant mindset so that you could live with greater joy, opportunity, and fulfillment. I can't wait to share this content with you, and I'm gonna continue this content in next week's episode part 2 where we're gonna dive into practical steps for how to live with an abundant mindset. Let's go listen to this episode together now.

Dr. Christine Li [00:01:17]:
Hi. I'm Dr. Christine Li, and I'm a psychologist and a procrastination coach. I've helped thousands of people move past procrastination and overwhelm so they could begin working to their potential. In this podcast, you're going to learn powerful strategies for getting your mind, body, and energy to work together so that you can focus on what's really important and accomplish the goals you want to achieve. When you start living within your full power, you're going to see how being productive can be easy and how you can create success on demand. Welcome to the Make Time For Success podcast. Alright. I'm so excited to get into this 2 part series on the abundance mindset and how to adopt it.

Dr. Christine Li [00:02:08]:
In this first episode of the 2 part series, we're going to talk about the abundance mindset and the scarcity mindset so that you know the difference. You know how to identify which one you happen to be using predominantly, and I'm gonna give you some structure behind these two concepts so that you know what to practice and what to look out for in your day to day and how to train your mind to look for the abundance in the world and the abundance that really surrounds us. So to start, I'm just gonna define an abundance mindset as the feeling that you are connected to the abundance in the universe. All that there is, all the energy, all the opportunity, all the things, but not only that, not only are you connected with that, you are purposefully aiming to see that. You are turning neutral events and seeing how they are abundantly oriented where you can benefit from everything that you see, experience, and go through. The opposite of this kind of mindset is called a scarcity or a lack mindset, and it's basically the opposite mindset where your mind is dominated by fear and worry and the feeling that you never have enough and that you're never going to feel like you have enough. So there really is a stark contrast even at the beginning of the session, and I'm just gonna give you some examples of both the abundant mindset and the scarcity mindset so you really get it, because you might be going back and forth between the 2. I think, oftentimes, that's what probably the majority of people do, is sometimes we're seeing the positive and how much there is, and then we can quickly fall into, oh, wow.

Dr. Christine Li [00:04:10]:
Everything is so short in supply. I'm really lacking in this. I'm lacking in that. So my goal is to help you to understand what is involved, but then also to help you feel like it's easier to live in abundance because I do feel that that helps you to open your own doors. Not only is the universe waiting for you to take advantage of all the abundance that is, we are sometimes waiting for ourselves to take that opportunity too. So the first example of an abundance mindset is when you tend to see situations as a win win situation rather than something where you can fail. And I think when we get into the practice of fearing failure all the time, guess what happens? We stop even imagining or dreaming or aiming for the win. We are so busy trying to protect ourselves from shame or failure or disappointment that we don't even really try our hardest, and then we miss the win.

Dr. Christine Li [00:05:19]:
So instead of thinking of everything as a test or a potential failure, I want you to start seeing things as a win win that you can win and your neighbor can win. It's not a competition for resources. It is a world where we can all have what we need. The second idea is that you learn how to express gratitude regularly even when you're feeling like you're in a difficult or challenging situation. I think this is something that we might need to break the habit of complaining about things because it can be really fun or seem fun to complain about things when things aren't exactly going our way. Like, we have a tech headache or a tech disaster right when we need to show up really professionally. That has happened probably to everybody who's listening to this podcast, and it certainly happened to me before. But I wanna say that not only am I grateful for tech, I'm also grateful for the past headaches that tech has caused me because I've become better and better at tech because of those headaches.

Dr. Christine Li [00:06:32]:
I wouldn't have advanced in my knowledge about how to use tech for my benefit and for my business' benefit if I didn't go through those rough moments with the tech. So you see what I mean? We are seeing tech as a win win situation where we're so lucky to have it. We're showing the gratitude, but we're also even seeing the nightmares that tech can bring us as opportunities for more wins. The next point to illustrate an abundance mindset is when you recognize that there is an abundance of opportunities surrounding us. And when you feel overwhelmed, you can just see that as, there's an indication that there's so much for me to handle, or there's so many opportunities. I can't even pick 1. There's so much goodwill in the world. I am feeling completely emotionally overwhelmed.

Dr. Christine Li [00:07:29]:
So I wanna train you or suggest to you, coach you, I should say, that if you tend to feel in overwhelm about the numbers of things and opportunities and feelings that you might have, Think of that instead of overwhelm as overflow, that there's just so much good stuff coming your way. You happen to feel and be in a state of overflow. I think that phrase has a more positive spin than overwhelm does, and I'd love for you to try that out and let me know how that works for you. I am new to that word, but I like it because it just means there's just more where that came from. We never really have to worry about running out of steam or running out of spirit or running out of ambition, things like that. The next point is when you're in an abundant mindset, you know how to value the present moment, and you really find joy in being in the now that you're not wishing for some time that happened long ago or some time that has passed, but you are really grateful for everything that you have now, all the opportunities, all the people, all the options, all the unknowns, all of this is in the present moment and stimulating and motivating and inspiring you, and it is all overflow. The next point is when we're feeling abundant, we practice celebration. We actually look for opportunities to celebrate.

Dr. Christine Li [00:09:03]:
We look for other people to celebrate with. We celebrate the achievements of our friends and strangers. We really feel that the successes of other people are just indications that there is just so much more for us that is possible in terms of achievement and success, and it's just this one big party. The next point is when you're feeling abundantly, you will feel free to practice generosity. This is one of my favorite tips of all time because once I learned that generosity wasn't going to deprive me of my resources, it was actually gonna fill me up with joy and gratitude and good feelings and a feeling of goodwill that I've shown goodwill to someone else, I started to practice generosity much more willingly and often, and that, I think, always is a win win. It's another example of activating win win situations in your life. When you are practicing generosity and we're in the winter season where gifts are about to be prepared and exchanged and tips are going to be given and compliments and just warm feelings, hopefully, we know that this reflects that we feel well, that we feel that we have enough to give, and I just want you to just reflect on that for a moment. It can feel difficult to give if you feel like you're lacking.

Dr. Christine Li [00:10:41]:
So if you're in that state, work on turning that lack into a sense of generosity. Even if you're feeling short on funds, I promise you, you can change that feeling of lack into a feeling of abundance. Just give it a try. And the last point on this list of concepts of abundance is maintaining an optimistic outlook, always, and focusing on the positive. You know if you've been listening to any of these podcast episodes that this is just the root pillar for what I do and how I think and how I teach, that without a positive outlook, we're starting behind the starting line. And with a positive outlook, I think we're giving ourselves kind of this, quote, unfair advantage that we are seeing the wind that is just ahead of us. We are thinking, oh, wow. I am so lucky I'm in this position already even before I've started.

Dr. Christine Li [00:11:39]:
You want to just practice seeing the good in not only other people and situations, but also in yourself, how you think, how you feel, how you be. Just enjoy it all and make your mindset filled with positivity, generosity, gratitude, and abundance. Alright. Now we're gonna flip the script, and we're going to go through a few concepts that indicate that you might have a lack mindset or a scarcity mindset, which, basically, is the same thing. So one thing that might indicate that is if you're holding on to physical clutter. You probably didn't think I was gonna mention that, or maybe you did because clutter is, in some ways, real overflow. It's overflow that we actually don't need, but you might be clinging to that clutter out of some sort of fear that if you discard it or if you donate it or if you throw it away or if you put it aside even, that you're gonna need it again or you're gonna regret it. So that's that tricky dance that we do with our belief systems and our fears.

Dr. Christine Li [00:12:56]:
Our fears can overwhelm our real belief that, oh, you know, this little trinket here, it's actually clutter. I never liked it. I never use it. I already spent the money on it, so I don't have to worry about wasting money by giving it away or letting it have another life with someone else. But when you cling to these things that no longer have good energy for you, that may be a sign that you're living in a fear of lack and living in a fear that you're gonna need this. And when we feel needy in any way, it is a sign of a lack mindset. The second idea is when we're fearing waste, like, when we're fearing that we're wasting the clutter by giving it away and focusing on seeing your resources dwindling rather than recognizing the abundance that you already enjoy. Of course, there are times when our resources will be sliding into the less category, less than more, but you know that, typically, it doesn't just end there, that you find another job, you find another resource, somebody gives you a gift, somebody gives you an opportunity, and so when you're already in a mindset that, oh, something better than this is coming, you can create an abundant mindset even in a time of real lack.

Dr. Christine Li [00:14:21]:
So make sure to clear your mind of any fears of declining resources because there are always more resources for you to pursue. The next concept that I have for you about a lack mindset is worrying about money and viewing financial resources as scarce. Now this is probably as old as money. For as long as money has been a concept, probably people have started to worry that there will be none, that there will be too little to be comfortable, that there will be too little, and then problems will ensue. But I want you to check for yourself. Are you chronically in a worried state about your finances, your wealth, your abundance? And I wanna ask if you can ask yourself, is that perhaps a reason why you're not seeing the ways to improve on that situation? Right? Sometimes we think, oh, this is the situation I'm in, but sometimes staring at the situation is not helping the situation. Sometimes we need to just open up our hearts, open up our vision, and see, wow, there are resources everywhere. I just haven't been using them all.

Dr. Christine Li [00:15:44]:
I've been afraid to knock on that person's door. I've been afraid to ask for support. I've been afraid to sell another item. I've been afraid to raise my voice and connect myself to someone who might be able to help me. These are all indications of fear and sometimes lack. And then the last concept on this list of lack mindset concepts is when you struggle to say no because you feel fearful. It's just a a symptom that you feel like you have to say everything because you feel pressured to hang on to every person, to hang on to every opportunity. You lack trust that there's gonna be a flow back and forth of opportunity, that some opportunities are going to go and they're gonna be taken by other people, but that's gonna be okay for them, of course, and then there are gonna be other opportunities that flow in and are gonna be just right for you.

Dr. Christine Li [00:16:51]:
It's a little bit like Goldilocks and the 3 Bears. It's kind of just wanting your own situation just right. Instead of fearing that you're not gonna have your just right bowl of porridge or a life situation, you wanna say, I trust that the universe has this situation that I'm craving and designing for myself in an abundant number of ways that I can find it. And I'm just looking forward to the moment when I realized that I can put my life path and my life vision together in a way that feels right for me, that feels just in the right timing, that does not wipe me out, and it is just filling me with joy and enthusiasm. So, basically, the message about the lack mindset is you don't wanna saddle yourself with that because, you know what, life can be tricky. Life can be difficult. Our situations can be difficult, and, actually, finances and abundance can feel short sometimes, but you always want to make sure your mindset is leaning you in the direction towards having enough, having more than enough, having overflow, not just in your bank account and in your home and in your relationships, but in your heart. Really, we're going for that feeling that real abundance gives us, which is safety, peace, and calm.

Dr. Christine Li [00:18:25]:
When you think about it, it's never about the stuff. It's really about the feelings that the stuff gives us. It's about the comfort and the safety and the feeling of well-being, and know that with your mindset, you can set yourself up for abundance at the start, and I wish you all lots of abundance. I wish you all open hearts to receive abundance. I'm grateful for the abundance of your attention for me and this episode and this podcast, and I wish you a fantastic day. If you would like a free download summarizing and reminding you of the concepts of lack and abundance, I would be happy to share that with you. All you need to do is go to maketimeforsuccesspodcast.com/overflow. Again, maketimeforsuccesspodcast.com/overflow, and I'll send that free resource to you right away.

Dr. Christine Li [00:19:27]:
In abundance, we live. Okay. Take care, everyone. I'll see you next week when I continue this conversation on abundance. Bye. Thank you for listening to this episode of the Make Time For Success podcast. If you enjoyed what you heard, you can subscribe to make sure you get notified of upcoming episodes. You can also visit our website, maketimeforsuccesspodcast.com, for past episodes, show notes, and all the resources we mentioned on the show.

Dr. Christine Li [00:19:59]:
Feel free to connect with me over on Instagram too. You can find me there under the name, procrastination coach. Send me a d m and let me know what your thoughts are about the episodes you've been listening to. And let me know any topics that you might like me to talk about on the show. I'd love to hear all about how you're making time for success. Talk to you soon.