What if life doesn’t revolve around scarcity — or money?
During the time of Aristotle, people ardently believed that the sun revolved around the earth. Centuries later, Copernicus and Galileo challenged this idea. They introduced the theory that it’s the other way around. That the earth revolves around the sun.
Galileo almost burned at the stake because of this revolutionary view. Today, of course, we know that they were right.
It’s in this same spirit that I now challenge the belief in scarcity perpetuated in our world. I challenge the invisible Archetype of Scarcity on which our world revolves.
If you’ve ever played the game of musical chairs, you know what I’m talking about. The whole point of the game is scarcity.
Actually, it’s about AVOIDING scarcity by making sure you get a chair when the music stops.
If you don’t, you’re out of the game.
On a larger scale, the economy is a lot like a giant game of musical chairs. It’s predicated on a premise of scarcity. Consider the classical definition of economics I learned in college. “Economics is the study of the distribution and allocation of scarce resources”.
Ironically, what keeps scarcity so firmly entrenched is our understanding of abundance. In the dictionary, abundance is defined as the opposite of scarcity. And scarcity as the opposite of abundance.
The problem with defining abundance as the opposite of scarcity is that it puts us in a reactive state. Avoiding scarcity becomes the subconscious yet central focus of our lives. Like finding a chair when the music stops, abundance is our goal. Abundance is a destination to reach.
In this way, abundance becomes something outside of or separate from us to obtain. Something measured by externals — and their quantity.
And no place is this more obvious than with money.
We think the amount of money we have determines if we experience abundance or scarcity.
Thus, having enough or lots of money is seen as the pathway to freedom, happiness, security and power. And lack of money is what limits or prevents us from having those things.
Embracing my inner Galileo, today I propose a new definition of abundance. One that has abundance be the foundation for living our lives going forward.
Rather than simply tell you this definition, I first want to give you an opportunity to experience it.
So please take a few long, slow, deep breaths right now. As you inhale, realize that you didn’t have to earn or deserve this oxygen. Nor did you have to make or create it yourself.
It’s already there, available for you.
Created by the Creator of this vast Universe. By the God who created you and wants you to have life. Provided by the same Source that provides oxygen to every person on this planet.
This experience leads to my new definition of abundance…
Abundance is KNOWING that we are part of something bigger than us — something more loving, powerful, creative, resourceful, generous, intelligent and infinite than us– and we have access to all that we need.
By knowing, I don’t mean intellectual knowing. I mean knowing this in your gut, in every cell of your being, in your soul.
Think about it, my friend...
If you really knew this, what happens to any pressure or fear you may be experiencing? What happens to any sense of not enough and scarcity?
There’s a good chance it diminished. Perhaps it went away completely for a moment.
This definition doesn’t guarantee that what you THINK you need and what you REALLY need are always the same. But it does mean that whatever you need to fully live the unique life you were created to live IS available. Just like oxygen.
Speaking of which, please take another breath now.
Only this time hold it.
Keep holding it.…
As you do, notice the tension, pressure and scarcity you begin to experience.
But the reason you’re experiencing scarcity is not because oxygen isn’t available. Rather, it’s because you aren’t accessing it.
Okay — you can breathe now.
Sometimes, my friend, you may experience scarcity because you don’t know HOW to access what’s available. Which means you get to learn.
At other times, you may not LET yourself. Consciously or subconsciously, you block it. This is especially true for the people I work with when it comes to money. The beliefs you have about yourself, about money, about life — even about God — create a block. They either have you refuse to receive what’s available or refuse to release what you no longer need.
Having said that, I realize you may have some questions about this new definition. And one such question might sound like this…
“Yeah, but what about the people who are dying of starvation around the world? Or the homeless? If we have access to all that we need — how come they’re starving or don’t have a home?”
It’s a question I have pondered long and hard myself.
Yet it doesn’t shake my belief in this new definition of abundance.
As with oxygen, it’s not that the resources these people need are not available. There is more than enough food in the world that no one has to go hungry. There is more than enough money in circulation for every man, woman and child to have a rich and rewarding life.
Much like we can individually hold our breath and block the flow, so can we collectively. In our world today, individuals and systems block the flow of life-giving resources. Intentional or not, it’s a natural consequence of the Archetype of Scarcity upon which our world has been built.
Think of it like this.
If human beings refused to exhale the carbon dioxide we do not need, it would not be available for the plants that do. As a result, those plants are unable to release back to us the oxygen that we need.
We would all experience scarcity — unnecessarily.
Similarly, when individuals or institutions refuse to release resources they have in excess, people suffer. Other individuals and groups do not have the life-giving resources they need. They are not able to fully live the life they were created to live. They are unable to share their unique gifts with the world.
But it’s not because the resources they need are not available. It’s that the flow of those resources is being blocked.
Knowing these resources are available is the first step out of scarcity — be that the scarcity of excess or deprivation.
This is why embracing this new understanding of abundance is so critical.
I encourage you to put it on a sign. Take a picture of the image at the end of this article. Hang it where you will see it often. Put it by your computer, bathroom mirror or on your phone.
Then read it out loud throughout the day. Notice what you experience. If you’re like me and the people I work with, you’ll discover that it’s much more than a definition.
It’s also an empowering affirmation that can shift your experience in any given moment.
From feeling helpless to empowered. From inept to creative. From alone to connected. From scarcity to abundance.
Remember, the sun doesn’t revolve around the earth. And neither does your life have to revolve around scarcity.
So please repeat with me now…
Abundance is KNOWING that we are part of something bigger than us — something more loving, powerful, creative, resourceful, generous, intelligent and infinite than us– and we have access to all that we need.
