I have been thinking a lot lately about what I see as the fundamental beliefs about life – scarcity, sufficiency or abundance.
When we operate from scarcity, we are worried that we won’t have “enough” – enough money, love, beauty, friends, whatever it is that matters to us. We are concerned about consumption and work hard to get more and conserve what we have accumulated.
When we operate from sufficiency, we believe we have enough, but not much extra. We worry less about basics, but put often our dreams on hold because we don’t think we have the means to make them come true.
When we can move into an attitude of abundance, we can focus on our dreams because we believe the resources we need to achieve them are available.
I have lived much of my life in a sufficiency mindset. How that looks for me today is that I have the resources to care for the horses and maintain the farm, but not enough to finish the facilities I’d like to have to run my equine assisted personal development programs in the way I’d like to. That would look like landscaping, a deck to congregate on, a lovely fire pit, and overnight accommodations in the basement. The bones are here – but I haven’t yet got to a place where I can confidently visualize the remaining structures.
For me, accomplishments are rooted in preparedness and gratitude. If we start the journey, take the steps towards our dreams, and celebrate the milestones, we will attract more of what we’ve experienced.
My journey this year will be in examining how I can move from sufficiency (“enough”) to abundance (“more than enough”). I look forward to seeing how that plays out for me, and invite you to examine this concept with me if this interests you.
Now that the end of the world is no longer imminent, I can’t wait to celebrate with my friends and family throughout this year of new beginnings. I wish you all a very Happy New Year and many blessings in 2013.