The Real Mental Barrier to Your Happiness and Success. (Scarcity Mindset)

The mentality of a person can easily dictate the type of lifestyle they live. The mentality of a person acts like a filter which is applied to every thought which occurs to them, every real life incident and is the passive fuel behind every action they take.

A major inhibitor in most people’s lives is their mentality.

Having the wrong form of mentality can not only lead to a lifestyle where you don’t achieve your full potential but also lead to a lifestyle of distress, grief and depression.

A common mentality possessed by people today is the Scarcity Mindset.

The Scarcity Mindset is the belief of a person that there is a scarcity of resources of they’re or they will be unable to provide for themselves.

This leads to individuals believing that whatever they had achieved in life so far was the best they could do and they have to focus more energy and power on preserving those past achievements rather than seeking out new ones.

This can often lead to a person living in nostalgia. Where he’s consistently reminiscing about that one event or in general events in his past and how he’s scared he may never ever experience an event of the same caliber again.

This leads to a person directing their energy and focus to past events. Since energy and focus of a person are limited (Read Previous Article for more details) this leads to lesser energy being focused on their present and future goals inhibiting their growth. This inhibition of growth traps the person in a cycle of constant reminiscence and can even lead to a person feeling depressed due to a lack of progress in life. In a nutshell, what the person initially believed with their Scarcity Mindset starts to become a reality for them, simply because they chose to view life a certain way.

What is the antidote? The solution to the Scarcity Mindset?

Before i discuss the answer, let’s understand the above content better with an example :

Adil is the eldest son of a migrant family in a first world country. His family moved to this country when he was just 2 years old in search of a better quality of lifestyle to raise their son in. Since then Adil has been brought up in the first world country with access to quality education, healthcare and hygiene. The quality of life which Adil experienced was one of the finest which any country could offer.

However, after Adil graduated from high school, his family had to move back to his home country due to unforeseen circumstances. Initially it didn’t bother Adil much, because he hadn’t experienced any another lifestyle than the one he was brought up. After moving to his home country, Adil had a hard time adjusting himself. The lifestyle he was living now had a significantly decreased quality of life as compared to where he came from. The milk didn’t feel the same, hospitals had endless queues and the infrastructure was only so good.

Eventually Adil adjusted well in a span of a year or two but, it hit Adil one day when he was sitting. Adil realized that he may have to spend his entire life here, the place he had such a hard time adjusting in thinking it’ll only last for a temporary period of time may become his final abode. 

Eventually, Adil started missing what he had. The places he hung out at with his friends, the long car rides, the get-together barbecue’s, the view of the sunrise by the seashore. It all hit him when he realized he may never be able to experience all those again.

The idea of him being stuck in a single place for the rest of his life which voids him of the luxuries he used to have in his former lifestyles leads him to thinking more and more about the past. This hinders him from looking ahead in his life. This pessimistic thinking eats away his energy and focus which is much needed for him to ensure him a good future (Article on limited energy and how to use it wisely : https://wiseryouth.club/?p=94). Adil is still in his primary building years, constant reminiscence about his past leads him to stop focusing on what is presently going on in his life and his future goals. 

So, what could have Adil done to not only feel happier but also go on to achieve more in his life?

Abundance Mindset.

The belief that there is ample and more than enough resources for everyone and that you will be able to amass them.

After a few months of talking with his seniors and relatives, Adil comes to another realization. He realizes that he has barely lived 1/3rd of his expected life cycle and has still experienced so much in life. What if he just makes the effort to get the most out of the opportunities he currently has and works hard to gain them, what else could he not do?

Adil realizes he cannot change his past, but he can change his current and future circumstances, the opportunities are open, far and wide, just not enough people working hard to grab them. 

Adil finally shifts his mentality, from a Scarcity Mindset to an Abundance Mindset. 

Adil finally believes that the world has many great fruits to offer, it just requires you to seek them and dedicate yourself to get them (A dedicated article on this topic : https://wiseryouth.club/?p=89).

Adil envisions a happy, fulfilling and successful life where he doesn’t lack anything, he envisions a life full of abundance but Adil isn’t dreaming, the life he imagines has a lesser probability of turning into reality but it is a possibility. 

Adil starts to focus on his envisioned goals and starts working towards them, he has his direction set all he needs to do is to push the pedal.

Adil now is motivated, grateful and has a purpose to work towards, he realizes sooner or later the people in his life right now in the current circumstances will leave, whether it be through social circles, diseases or change in living environment. Adil now feels happy sharing the limited time he has with parents and loved ones while they’re still healthy and in their youth.

Adil’s mental state and emotional state changed dramatically, but did you notice? The environment Adil is in is the same as before, he’s merely changed the lens with which he views the world and its current state. All those months of emotional distress and regret has matured Adil into a wiser person who sees the broader perspective instead of dwelling on history which he can do nothing to change (his past).

Adil now feels happy, motivated and grateful. He works towards his goals and focuses on living in the present rather than crying about his past. Adil now realizes, you can not change your past or the events that happened, but you can surely change your future by focusing on your present, the Present.

TLDR/Summary : Majority people have a Scarcity Mindset which leads them to believe that there is not enough resources and that they won’t be able to provide for themselves or those around them. This leads to people feeling sad, demotivated and dwelling in the good memories they’ve made so far. This sort of mentality can be extremely devious to our growth as we possess limited energy and focus, focusing on the past and stressing about things which we cannot change can lead to clouding of our future goals and being unable to finish our current tasks. The antidote to the Scarcity Mindset is the Abundance Mindset, which leads a person to believe that there is ample resources and they can possess them and provide for themselves and others related to them because there is enough for everyone. To be able to grab these opportunities and become someone who possesses abundance, you need to have a clear vision and goal to pursue and use all your energy and focus into making the most out of your present for a bountiful future.