Understanding & cultivating abundance
Cultivating abundance is two fold..… although very closely linked and affect one another, we can approach feeling abundant in two ways.
1 = an abundant mindset
2 = an inner feeling of abundance
What is the difference…..
An abundant mindset
An abundant mindset is one that isn’t afraid of change. Is one that can ride the wave of uncertainty, that isn’t afraid of listening to their heart and intuition. Someone in an abundant mindset isn’t trying to control everything. They’re more in flow and less rigid with their thinking.
An abundant mindset “correlates with positive thinking and generosity of spirit. Abundance feeds our self-esteem and confidence, helps us stay resilient in the tough times and is infectious and generative, creating a flourishing environment and community around us”.
Quote by Tara Swart from her book ‘The Source’.
An inner feeling of abundance
This is an inner feeling of enoughness just as we are without needing anything outside of ourselves to make us more worthy, complete or whole. When we are in the energy of abundance we feel more free and light, we feel expansive and we’re connected to our self-worth.
How to cultivate an abundant mindset?
First we need to understand how a lack mindset might show up in our life and how this makes us feel. All of us have elements of a lack mindset (sometime it’s just) and have our own version of ‘I am not enough’, which stems from a feeling of lack.
A lack mindset
A lack mindset is driven by fear and only focusing on the worst outcome. The outcome you fear the most. When we have a lack mindset we are settling for what we have even if we might not be happy, fulfilled etc. For example, you might not be enjoying your job or career but you think you can’t do any better or earn as much somewhere else. This is a lack mindset. Or, you could be in a relationship you’re not happy in, or that isn’t quite right, but you’re willing to sacrifice things because you’re afraid of not meeting someone else. The fear of being alone overrides the possibility that you could meet your dream partner.
“When we think from the perspective of lack, our primary motivation is fear. We think in negatives, are highly attuned to what we don’t have and what won’t work, as well as the deficiencies of our self and our situation. We think in black and white and shrink from obstacles and limitations, retreating to a conservative, protective comfort zone, avoiding risk and resistance’.
Quote by Tara Swart
The ‘I’m not enough’ limiting belief.
In some shape or form we all have a version or several versions of ‘I’m not enough’. This stems from society and our culture imprinting on us and teaching us that we need things outside of ourselves to make us worthy, whole and complete. In fact, and as the yoga philosophy teaches us, we are already born worthy, we are already whole and nothing outside of us can make us more worth or complete.
When we are stuck in the lack mindset and ‘I’m not enough’ narrative, we believe that we’ll be happier if we have x,y or z. If we’re not feeling happy inside ourselves then the happiness we received from the promotion we just got, or the holiday we just had, simply doesn’t last.
It’s important to notice what shadows we have that are stopping us feeling content, in joy and abundant.
HOW TO SEE WHAT’s Getting in the way
Visualise your most abundant self. In flow, feeling free, grounded, positive courgeous, trusting, 100% enough…etc.
Contemplate how you look, act and feel when you’re in the energy of abundance.
See your future self fully in the energy of abundance with an abundant mindset. What are you doing different? Let your imagination take you to you far and wide.
Once you have the visualisation and inner feeling, contemplate what is stopping you from being that NOW. This should bring up from the subconscious mind what limiting beliefs and narratives are getting in the way.
Write them down. Take ownership of them. Journal around each thing that comes up. Dig a little deeper.
The first step to overcoming these is to be aware of them!
CULTIVATING AN ABUNDANt MINDSET
A powerful practice to help you cultivate an abundant mindset and an inner feeling of abundance is learning to see through the lens of APPRECIATION.
Start to teach yourself to look out on each moment through the lens of appreciation. Notice how much you have in your life rather than lack. Be grateful for all that you have and all that is going right. Feel the gratitude for those things in your body and have the inner knowing that you might not have these things.
Other things to flex to cultivate an abundant mindset:
Learn to flex COURAGE and tune into TRUST.
See if you can begin to see fear as a sign of growth and expansion.
Challenge yourself to release control and embrace change.
Believe in yourself and tune into trust when you’re moving through an uncertain time.
When you’re looking at the negative ‘what if's?’ remember to consider all the positive ‘what if’s’?
Connect to your heart as much as possible and see if you can respond to the world more from your heart rather than your ego mind.
To cultivate an inner feeling of abundance try the below meditation.