Shalom vs. Scarcity
“When you start your day in a state of abundance, there's no room for negativity to bring you down.” ~ Tony Robbins
“People with a scarcity mentality tend to see everything in terms of win-lose. There is only so much; and if someone else has it, that means there will be less for me. The more principle-centered we become, the more we develop an abundance mentality, the more we are genuinely happy for the successes, well-being, achievements, recognition, and good fortune of other people. We believe their success adds to…rather than detracts from…our lives.” ~ Stephen Covey
“If you develop an image of success, health, abundance, joy, peace, happiness, nothing on earth will be able to hold those things from you.” ~ Joel Osteen “Everything changes once you see how the universe is designed for abundance and not for scarcity.” ~ Erwin McManus
“The universe operates through dynamic exchange… giving and receiving are different aspects of the flow of energy in the universe. and in our willingness to give that which we seek, we keep the abundance of the universe circulating in our lives.” ~Deepak Chopra
If Tony Robbins, Stephen Covey, Joel Osteen, and Deepak Chopra agree on something … it has to be true. Right?
I’m not necessarily recommending any of these authors, but I do think they have identified some profound truths about the fundamental nature of reality:
The universe was designed for abundance.
Flourishing is the default setting of reality.
Shalom is the way the world was and ought to be.
If Shalom is both “The Way The World Was” AND “The Way The World Will Be”, then why don’t we think this way? If the universe is designed for abundance, why do we live with a scarcity mentality?
Here are a few reasons I’ve seen in leaders that have kept them trapped in a scarcity mentality.
We’ve all experienced scarcity
Most of us have, at some point in our lives, not had enough of what we needed. Personally, I’ve never gone hungry, but I do know the taste of government cheese. Whatever your story, it is likely that you have had seasons in your life where you have not had the food, shelter, love, or resources you need to thrive. Perhaps this is part of what drives you. My point is not to make light of anyone’s suffering. My point is that it can be hard to believe in abundance when we’ve personally experienced scarcity.
We’ve all seen scarcity
As an adult I’ve had the privilege to travel internationally, and I’ve seen heartbreaking poverty. If you’ve traveled much, or watched much television, you’ve seen that millions of people around the world struggle to scrape together the basics they need to survive. I am not ignoring this grim truth, rather I want to help you reframe this reality in a way that motivates you and other entrepreneurially minded leaders to do something about it.
We are all bombarded with messages of scarcity
There is a lot of money to be made with perceived scarcity. “Act Now”, “Last Chance”, “Limited Time Offer”, and other messages remind us that scarcity is a reality. I’m not saying the media is out to get you or that all marketers are liars. I’m simply pointing out that scarcity is true in many, many instances. But abundance is more true.
No one taught us the big story
With all due respect to pastors, very few of them effectively connect their Sunday sermon to the Monday reality of running a business. But this big story matters. What we believe about the nature of the universe, where it came from, and where it is going, shapes how we behave. Most of us have been more shaped by Survival of The Fittest than by Shalom. There is truth in both, but Shalom is a deeper, truer reality and we need to talk about it more often.
We are too caught up in our smaller story
It can be a little overwhelming and confusing to try to connect Sunday to Monday. It feels easier in the short run to just focus on what must be done in the office each week. Taking care of customers, managing a team and making payroll can be exhausting – leaving us little time and energy for our families, friends, and hobbies. While this near-term focus feels easier in the short run, we gradually lose perspective. We settle for making money when our hearts long to make an impact and leave a legacy.
We’ve learned to be afraid.
We have all experienced the pain of loss, disappointment, and failure. These may be failed businesses, failed marriages, or just the struggles of parenting a challenging child or managing a company through a recession. In these moments it is easy to believe that scarcity is a foundational truth of our world. But in reality, fear is a learned behavior. Risk mitigation is wise, but fear is a lack of confidence in the face of risk and uncertainty. Caution is wise, but an abundance of caution is foolish. There is an abundance that is deeper and more true than the suffering and scarcity we have all experienced.
How would you lead today if you truly believed that abundance is the default setting of the universe? We talk to leaders everyday who operate from a scarcity mentality that is holding them back from stepping into effective leadership. Lets talk about leading from a framework of abundance.
