I was inspired to write this week’s blog based on the feedback Meg and I have received from our Done with Diets Summit viewers! We are about halfway through the event and women from all over are getting that “aha” moment related to all different aspects of their lives. There is one unifying theme, and that is transitioning our mindset out of deprivation and into abundance!
Deprivation is absolutely everywhere. Yes, it’s most obvious in food choices, but has this way of leaking into other aspects of our lives like finances, relationships, and the way we look at time. The Done with Diets summit addresses how we respond when we feel deprived of adequate time, money, nourishment, meaningful relationship, etc.
My first real run-in with the scarcity mindset occurred when I began studying for my grueling 4-part exam to become a Certified Public Accountant. I viewed the studying process as something that was stealing away my time from the rest of my life. Granted, this studying process is never sunshine and rainbows, but I know I made it worse by focusing on all the things I couldn’t do because I should be studying instead. I made the yearlong process much more painful than it needed to be, and as a result missed out on events with family and friends and spent a year being a very unhappy person. This sounds a lot like our focus when we go on a diet…all the things we need to avoid…. all the things we “can’t” eat.
The next life event that could have sent me down the scarcity mindset hole was a bit different, because it was (more) voluntary. Voluntary deprivation, aka self-restriction, can be a very difficult thing for the mind to accept (think diet, self-imposed budget, etc.) because you are answering to yourself. After an especially long busy season with tons of nasty takeout food (3 months of eating catered fast food for 2+ meals per day), I decided to stop eating meat as a challenge to reach for vegetables more often (and kick start my immune system).
Instead of thinking about all the hot dogs, burgers, deli sandwiches, and chicken delights I would be missing out on, I switched my focus. And amazing things happened! Instead of feeling like there was nowhere I could go out to eat (in the sausage capital Chicago), I began noticing vegetarian menus and restaurants all over. I made a folder of all the non-meat recipes I wanted to make and it was soon overflowing. Our reality is really created by our thoughts and I had entered abundance!
One of my favorite motivational gurus, Dr. Wayne Dyer said, “Abundance is not something we acquire. It is something we tune into.” When I first heard this idea I was both excited and confused. Excited because abundance brings happiness, and if we don’t need to acquire abundance it means we already have it…. Confused because HOW do we do that?
We need to focus on how we may be sabotaging ourselves + our goals by living with the wrong mindset. Stephen Covey discusses deprivation and the scarcity mindset in his book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. We’ve all felt like there isn’t enough time in the day, that there aren’t enough fish in the sea, or our bank account never has enough in it, we aren’t satisfied when following a diet. Stephen says, “Most people are deeply scripted in what I call the Scarcity Mentality. They see life as having only so much, as though there were only one pie out there. And if someone were to get a big piece of the pie, it would mean less for everybody else.”
We need to believe we are capable and worthy of abundance! Look at your life right now, what are you attracting? Do you make decisions from a fearful place? What is your perspective? You’ve got to be willing to give from where you are. Give what you got because giving signals “plenty.” It signals abundance. When you’re in a state of giving, and giving willingly you’re telling others (and yourself) that there is plenty. That there is more than enough for everyone.
Spend a week testing this new thought process. You might just be amazed at how things “show up” in your life right on time. The way you do anything is the way you do everything. If there is lack in one area, then there is lack in all areas of your life. It really comes down to your mindset. What we focus on grows, so think about what we want.
With all of these tips, you have to start with where you are. You can’t give what you don’t have. Be willing to give what you got from where you are and I promise you – abundance will flow into your life. You will be actively creating the abundance mindset.
What is the biggest thing you feel a “lack of” in your life right now? How can you switch into abundance? Let us know in the comments!
Live your WHOLE life,
Shannon + Meg
Interested in tips from our lifestyle experts about switching your mindset? You can still signup and get access to ALL the interviews, yes even the ones you missed! Register @ www.donewithdietssummit.com