How To Overcome a Scarcity Mindset

There’s an unlimited amount of abundance, success, and prosperity in the universe, but we’ve been conditioned to believe resources and opportunities are scarce and that abundance is only for the special few. I’m here to tell you that is a lie. Abundance is your birthright, and I’m going to show you exactly how to overcome a scarcity mindset so you can create the joyful and abundant life you deserve.

My Scarcity Mindset

It’s the reason why I have to show up at the movie theatre at least twenty minutes before the movie’s supposed to start.

It’s why I don’t like to go to busy restaurants without a reservation.

And it’s why I’ll back away from packed rooms without even trying to step through the door.

It’s also why I’ve spent years looking in at the writing community from the outside, never even trying to go in. And why I’ve felt pangs of envy when I see one of my peers succeed.

It’s the little voice in my head that tells me that I’ve already lost before I’ve even tried – the story I told myself for far too long. It’s the deeply internalized fear that prevented me from doing, trying, and even attempting:

The fear that there is no room for me.

I’ve always shown up to dinners and events early because I’ve never trusted that any of the movie theaters, restaurants, parking lots, or other places I go will still hold space for me if I don’t beat the crowd to secure my spot.

And on a much larger scale, I’ve never trusted that when someone else succeeds in getting a major book deal, writing a buzzworthy article, or experiencing writing success, that there will still be space for me to succeed as well.

It’s like being allowed entrance into an ultra-exclusive club with limited room capacity. Those in front and behind me in line are my competitors. The person who just got in secured a valuable spot, and now there’s one less spot for the rest of us to compete over.

If you’ve ever experienced this kind of feeling when it comes to something you really want, I’m here to tell you this:

This feeling is a lie.

The belief that there’s a limited amount of spots for abundance and success?

Lies.

The fear that there won’t be room for you when it comes to your passions and dreams?

More lies.

I’m here to tell you that everything you want and more is available to you, and you do not have to compete with others in order to obtain exclusive VIP access to the life of your dreams.

You can overcome the Scarcity Lie and live a life of true abundance, and I’m here to show you exactly how to overcome a scarcity mindset with three simple and effective practices you can start today.

What is the Scarcity Lie?

Before we dig into how to overcome a scarcity mindset, let’s go a little deeper into the Scarcity Lie.

The Scarcity Lie is the fear that there is limited room for a person to succeed in reaching their dreams. It’s the belief that abundance is available for some but not all. Limits are the cornerstone of the Scarcity Lie. Instead of attaching ourselves to the wondrous opportunities that present themselves when we set an intention and go after our dreams, we attach ourselves to the limits that hold us back.

The Scarcity Lie is a belief not rooted in love but in fear.

It’s a fear of not being enough. A fear of not being worthy of your dreams. It’s the fear that if you don’t do everything faster and better than the next person, you might miss out on your big chance.

And in this fear, there’s harmful ugliness that highlights the worst in us as humans, because when we submit to this fear, we’re unconsciously saying that it’s okay if someone else gets left out as long we secure our spot.

Does Believing the Scarcity Lie Make Us Bad People?

Absolutely not.

This fear is powerful and often deeply ingrained in us from childhood, when we were separated in groups based on test scores and fed statistics of how many people would and wouldn’t get into certain programs and universities. For us, these statistics were our solid proof that the seats were limited, and to get ours, we had to compete and do better than the person next to us.

I believe humans are innately compassionate and kind, but we’ve been conditioned to compete for a limited number of spots and taught to believe that there is a finite amount of abundance in this world. Every man for themselves, they say. Survival of the fittest.

But does it really have to be that way?

Absolutely not.

Our thoughts create our reality, and the Scarcity Lie remains prevalent because we’ve been conditioned to believe in limits and lack. But what happens when we retrain our beliefs to see possibilities instead of limits? What happens when we assert our power and decide there is room for us? What happens when we cheer each other on and encourage one another, knowing someone else’s success has no effect on our own (and vice versa)?

Then, an entire world of possibilities opens up before us, and our potential becomes limitless.

How to Overcome a Scarcity Mindset

So now, let’s dig into how to overcome a scarcity mindset and the methods you can start using today.

Three practices have served me well in allowing me to consciously change old thought patterns around scarcity that weren’t serving me: Affirmations, Visualization, and Meditation.

Method #1: Affirmations

Affirmations are powerful. I believe in them so strongly, I’ve made it one of my goals to share them as far and widely as I can. If you want to learn more about affirmations, you can download my free ebook, 400 Powerful Affirmations Designed to Uplift, Inspire, and Empower Your Highest Self. You can also check out some free resources I provide, read my 35 Empowering Affirmations for Self Belief, and/or follow me on Instagram, where I post daily affirmation stories.

So why am I so passionate about affirmations?

Because one of the biggest reasons I’m sitting here writing this right now is because I learned how to embrace positive affirmations in my daily life. Affirmations helped me to become consciously aware of my negative thought patterns and to slowly shift them with time as I continually affirmed to myself that I am worthy, I am enough, and that I deserve to live a joyful and abundant life.

For years, I didn’t believe I could call myself a writer until I was a published novelist. I thought that I had to wait until literary agents and publishing houses deemed me worthy of being a writer.

After I started practicing daily affirmations, while I was still working in a full-time office job, I stuck a post-in note to the edge of my computer monitor with the words, “I am a writer.”

I read those words over and over again, allowing myself to feel the joy of being a writer, until I finally followed my intuition and took inspired action to quit my job and fully embrace my writing passion. Yes. I am a writer. I have always been a writer. Using daily affirmations was a way to gently guide myself to truly believing it.

Using Affirmations to Overcome the Scarcity Lie

Once I recognized my negative thought patterns around scarcity, I knew that I no longer wanted to allow that to be my truth. However, I don’t believe in suppressing a negative feeling, as suppression is only another tool we use out of fear and not love, and any negativity I suppress will only rise back to the surface in time.

I also don’t believe in berating myself or making myself feel bad anytime I realize I’ve been subscribing to a negative belief. I believe in forgiveness and self compassion. We are all beautifully imperfect, and recognizing our flaws only gives us more power when we learn how to rise above them and assert our truth.

I knew that I had to own my story, and I knew I had to be patient and compassionate with myself as I slowly worked through this deeply ingrained belief. So I came up with a list of affirmations for myself, to be used both as a proactive and reactive measure. I could repeat these affirmations to myself every morning and night to set myself up for success, and I could also use them any time I recognized myself falling back under the spell of the Scarcity Lie.

Powerful Affirmations for Overcoming a Scarcity Mindset:

There is room for me.
The universe provides me with all I need and more.
There is an unlimited amount of abundance in this world.
This is an abundant universe, and there is more than enough to go around and come back again.
I rise by lifting others.
All of the good I put out into the world always comes back to me.
I embrace my role as an encourager, supporter, and friend.
When someone succeeds in accomplishing their dreams, we all succeed.
As long as I trust in my path, I will always succeed.
My presence is always welcomed and celebrated in any room I walk into.

As I set an intention to overcome the Scarcity Lie, I remained consciously aware of my thoughts and recognized opportunities to say these affirmations. Two unexpectedly common situations presented themselves when driving or running. If I found myself annoyed with a car cutting me off, I’d take a deep breath and silently say to myself, “There is room for me.”

And if I was running on a sidewalk and saw someone walking or running toward me, I’d look at the sidewalk and remind myself of how much space it held, and once again, I’d affirm to myself, “There is room for me.”

Why Affirmations Worked For Me

Deep down, my biggest fear was that there wouldn’t be room for me in the place of my dreams. And because I clung so tightly to that fear, I let it become my truth. We create our worlds through our thoughts, so because I believed in scarcity, I saw proof of only lack and scarcity everywhere I looked.

But when I released these fears and developed an abundance mindset, my whole world changed. What I saw changed. Suddenly, I was being welcomed into every room. My writing career was succeeding. I was receiving everything I wanted and more.

Because I believed in abundance, I found more and more proof of my abundance blooming and blossoming all around me.

Method #2: Visualize Your Highest Self

When I recognize that I’ve fallen into old patterns of thinking, where I worry that there isn’t room for me, I visualize the highest and most authentic version of myself.

What does the highest version of myself look like?
How does she treat people?
How does she make other people feel?
What’s her aura like?
How does she move about her day?
How will she be remembered?

Here’s my answer:

The highest version of myself is endlessly compassionate, loving, peaceful, and giving. She is gentle yet powerful. She has so much trust in the universe, she never worries about where her path will take her. Her movements are graceful and effortless. And she cares deeply about other people; her presence makes others feel good.

Visualizing My Highest Self

Would the highest version of me race to the table to ensure my seat, potentially leaving other people out? Would she let worry and stress consume her? And would she be so focused on this one single outcome that she’d close herself off to other creative ideas and inspired opportunities?

The answer to all of these questions is no.

The highest version of myself would never worry about being left out. She’d know, undoubtedly, that there is always room for her. She would trust her path and would always be aligned with the highest form of love.

And even more, the highest version of myself would look at that table and figure out a creative solution so that everyone could have a seat. She’d search for more chairs and carry them over. She’d look for flat sheets of wood and metal to make the table bigger. She would be resourceful and creative, and she would do all of this out of love. She’d make room so that there is space for everyone to live the life of their dreams and enjoy infinite success, love, and abundance.

When I visualize the highest version of myself, I carry this woman with me wherever I go. I think of her when I make decisions. I remember her when I start to think negatively. And the more I align with this beautiful, loving, kind, and compassionate woman, the more I become her.

Start Visualizing Your Highest Self Today

In order to overcome a scarcity mindset, we need to have a vision of the highest and most authentic versions of ourselves.

Then, we need to be that person.

This doesn’t mean being perfect all the time. It just means recognizing when you’ve become misaligned and gently returning to that vision, over and over again.

One method of visualization is to simply sit in a quiet space and start drawing a picture of your highest self in your mind.
Another way to do this is through journaling. Write out all of the details of your vision in your journal (or a piece of paper). This is especially powerful if you use the present tense. Instead of, “I will be . . .” use the words, “I am . . .”

As you visualize, return to these questions:

What does the highest version of myself look like?
How do I treat people?
How do I make other people feel?
What’s my aura like?
How do I move about my day?
How will I be remembered?

Method #3: Meditation

It’s okay if you don’t meditate. This isn’t a non-negotiable whether you do or don’t. But I offer it as an option because of how much it’s helped me.

There’s a prevalent myth around meditation that it requires someone to cease thinking altogether. This myth is why so many of us write off meditation completely—because we believe “not thinking” would be impossible. However, “not thinking” is not the goal of meditation. The goal of meditation is to become conscious of your thoughts. To recognize and observe them without judgment. You can think of it like you’re lying in a field of grass, watching the sky. You notice a cloud passing above you. As it passes, you look at that cloud objectively and unemotionally and think, “Oh, there’s a cloud.” And then you release it, letting it slowly and gently float away.

That cloud is like your thoughts. In meditation, you notice them. You allow them to exist without judgment. And then you gently and kindly allow them to float away.

Types of Meditation

There are many kinds of meditation, and not all are rooted in these types of mindfulness practices. Some of my favorite types of guided meditations are visualization meditations. You can use visualization meditations for many purposes, such as to visualize your dream life, which can help with setting intentions.

When it comes to overcoming the Scarcity Lie, we can use visualization meditations to open ourselves up to an abundance mindset and release any blocks that may be holding us back.

For example, one of my favorite visualization meditations has been to close my eyes and imagine a beautiful waterfall in front of me. The rays of the sun beam down on this waterfall, cloaking it in radiant light. I walk forward and place my hand in the water. When I pull my hand out, my palm is covered in gold coins, beautiful jewels, and anything else I can dream of. Every time I put my hand in the waterfall, I receive more prosperity. More abundance. And I know deep down that I always have access to this abundance. It is always there, ready and waiting, whenever I seek it. I can never be cut off from this abundance unless I choose to cut myself off. Knowing that, I can move easily through my day, knowing that what I’m seeking is always available to me.

Meditation and Breathwork

Another technique I’ve used in meditation is to consider my breath. On any average day, I breathe without giving it a lot of conscious thought. My breath is always moving in and out of my body. I don’t have to cling tightly to the last breath, worried I won’t receive another. When I exhale, I innately understand that all I have to do is inhale to receive more oxygen. Just like I don’t have to cling tightly to every breath in fear that there won’t be more, I don’t have to cling tightly to material goods or anything else in fear that I’ll be lacking. I release my tight grip and have faith in my path. I let go of control and just trust.

Getting Started with Meditation

If you want to get started with meditation but aren’t sure how, I’ve created a beginner’s guide for you: 7 Types of Meditation Practices for Beginners. I’d also recommend downloading a meditation app. Insight Timer and Headspace are both great apps, but feel free to download a few and see what you like best. You don’t have to make any big commitments. Start with ten minutes a day for ten days in a row and see how it feels to you. To read more about how meditation has helped me and the science-based benefits of meditation, check out my posts 10 Things I’ve Learned From Daily Meditation and 10 Science-Backed Health Benefits of Meditation.

Conclusion: How to Overcome a Scarcity Mindset

I like competition in sports and board games. I especially believe competitive sports and family game nights can be positive opportunities when we’re young to learn how to handle both success and failure with grace and gratitude.

But I refuse to treat life as a game in which one must be competitive, cutthroat, and clever to get access into the VIP room of success and abundance. I refuse to view my fellow writers as my competition or to believe their success will undermine my own. I refuse to root for another person’s failure in order to succeed myself. And I refuse to lose the vision of my highest and most loving self.

We don’t have to treat life as a game of odds and probabilities in which only a limited number of people are allowed entry into a lifetime of abundance. That’s the old story. The old consciousness.

Luckily, there’s a second option:

Instead of continuing to allow there to be limited seats at the table, we can make that table bigger.

Instead of allowing the room of success to have a capacity limit, we can knock down walls.

And instead of begrudging someone for achieving the success we dream of, we can share in their joy.

And the big one:

Instead of trying to control each and every detail of our individual journeys, we can let go, trust the path ahead of us, follow our intuition, and take inspired action, knowing that we will never lose out on what’s meant for us.

I don’t subscribe to the old stories about scarcity anymore. I don’t want to. It feels good to cheer for another’s success. It feels good to love with my whole heart. And it feels good to wholeheartedly believe in my complete and unlimited access to infinite abundance. It feels good to trust. To believe. To let go.

There is room for me. There will always be room for me.

And there is room for you. There will always be room for you.

Now that you’ve discovered a few methods on how to overcome a scarcity mindset, the best thing you can do for yourself today is to stop subscribing to someone else’s story of what is and isn’t possible and release the limits that others have constructed for you. Today.

You control your thoughts, and you decide what limits do and don’t exist.

Now that you know how to overcome a scarcity mindset, discover more powerful practices to create the life of your dreams:

Zanna Keithley

Hi, I’m Zanna! I’m a blogger/freelance writer living in Boise, Idaho. My mission is to help you break through the barriers holding you back from accessing infinite abundance and to inspire you to gather the courage and confidence to follow your dreams.