A leader inspires. A leader energizes others. Very often, that energy comes from whether the person has chosen the Scarcity Mentality or the Abundance Mentality. Let’s begin unpacking this subject with the Scarcity Mentality.
You can look immediately and see the core of Scarcity Mentality. Scarcity Mentality believes that competition is the source of survival. It is survival of the fittest in its purest form.
I compete, and if I’m stronger than my competitor, I survive. This particular belief at the core of oneself causes fear to be a motivating factor. Fear of retaliation from someone stronger than I am. Fear of abandonment from people who don’t like me or who don’t want me.
Fear creates scarcity. The fear of retaliation, if you go down the left hand side of the poster it says, “I’m in danger. You’re in danger. It’s dangerous.” This leads me to striking out, judging others, anger, have attacking behavior.
I’m as harsh judging myself as I am at judging others–leading to despair. When all the components of The Scarcity Mentality are combined the natural result is destruction, scarcity and suffering. Fear is at the heart of the Scarcity Mentality.
If my eyes go to the bottom diagram, I see Love, Faith in a higher power, and interdependence with others as a source. Love creates abundance. There’s acceptance. There’s trust. When one begins with faith in a higher power and interdependence with others as a source as opposed to belief in competition as the source of survival, the end result is a belief that there is always abundance. Creating new resources is always an option.
That acceptance brings me to — I’m enough. You’re enough. There’s enough. I can forgive myself. I can find serenity. There’s a generous behavior (i.e. a giving of self). There’s a trust that comes out of it. I’m safe. You’re safe. It’s safe.
By forgiving others I experience freedom and creative risk-taking behavior – extending self. Here to me is the greatest difference between Scarcity Mentality and Abundance Mentality (i.e. the freedom to create).
The Scarcity Mentality says, “There’s only so much. If you win, I lose. If I give something away that means there’s less for me. There’s only a finite amount of resources available. And one of us will win them and one of us won’t. I can’t celebrate with you because when you win, I have less. You’ve taken something from a limited amount of resource.”
Abundance Mentality says creation is always possible. We can create more, and consequently there’s an abundance. There’s an abundance for me to be giving. There’s a joy in that, and it circles back to the top.
Are you living with an Abundance Mentality or a Scarcity Mentality? Leadership that energizes people consistently overtime comes from an Abundance Mentality. All truly great leaders exude an Abundance Mentality. It’s foundational to the key role of leadership (i.e. that of energizing others).
Categories: Creativeness, Emotional Composure, Governance, Passion, Vitality
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