Five Ways to change your Scarcity, Mental Attitude
“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” -Oprah
Written by Jimmie Burroughs
It is easy to overlook all that we have to be thankful for because we feel it is not enough. I was reading about a multi-millionaire who said he was always driving himself to earn more because he never felt that he had enough. If we concentrate only on what we have, there will never be enough. When we learn to be content with what we have, it not only gives peace of mind; it paves the way for having more. Many of the issues of life concern attitude and the scarcity mentality is one of those things. Changing your attitude about scarcity will help you to enjoy what you already have. Here are five ways to change your Scarcity mental attitude:
1. Take an inventory of what you already have. Let me help you. Do you have a job making a decent salary? Do you have a roof over your head? Do both you and your mate have your own car? Do you have decent clothes? If your answer is yes to all those questions, you are in the top five percent of the wealthiest people in the world. Even if you could not answer yes to all five, you still are much better off than the majority who live on the planet. Eighty percent of the world lives on less than $10 a day.
2. Increase your knowledge on finances. Have you ever read a book on finances? If not, get started. You may be thinking; I have read a book on finances; do I have to keep reading? Yes, we never learn all there is to know about any given subject, especially about finances.
3. Quit wasting your money. Yard sales and donations to Goodwill are usually the result of buying junk that you did not need to start with. The difference between how wealthy, smart people spend money, and the poor and unlearned spend theirs is that wealthy people buy assets, not junk.
If you are the average, you cannot afford cigarettes and alcohol; buying them anyway will deprive you of things that are far more important and needed. Don’t believe me, count it up the cost for a year.
Being frugal when buying the things you do need can save you a pile of money. Always buy at a discount. Wait until the spring clothing sales start and save up to seventy-five percent on clothing. Buy your summer clothes when they go on sale in the fall. Buy expensive used clothes when you can. Goodwill sells some clothing and shoes that are more expensive than some of the best boutiques. If you know what to look for, and if you do not mind to wear used clothing, you can dress like a rich person for pennies on the dollar. Used clothing can be taken to the cleaners/laundry and look new when you get them back; shoes can be sanitized.
4. Prepare your own nutritious food at home and save tons of money. I love to eat out at a nice restaurant occasionally, but who can afford to take most of their meals out? Perhaps you can if eating is all you are interested doing.
5. Spread your wealth around. “It is more blessed to give than to receive,” so says the Bible. Luke 6:36 says, “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” There is more happiness in giving than receiving, for which I can attest. I believe it was Napoleon Hill, who said something like this: “Find a need that others have and fill it, and you can grow rich.” When you find youself coming up short (Scarcity), find a way to give to a worthy cause.
Conclusion:
As I said above, the mentality of scarcity is an attitude and the cure is changing your attitude. A good way to solve the mental scarcity attitude, along with many other un-needed attitudes, is by learning how to be content. Yes, contentment is a learned virtue. The Apostle Paul said that he experienced both having little and abundance along with various circumstances, but he learned how to be content whatever his finances happened to be or circumstance brought his way.
About the author: Jimmie Burroughs is a motivational speaker and author who has been involved in teaching Christian Personal Development for more than 30 years. There are hundreds of articles to help you on this website (Website Contents) in your personal growth.
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