Abundance vs. Scarcity: A Quiz

Jan 17, 2019 | Happiness Fulfillment & Self Esteem

A black and white photo of a writing notebook with a pen sitting on top. Written on the page is the text “Question number 1: Are you living in a scarcity or an abundance mindset?” The Lisa Kaplin logo is beneath the text.

Please choose the answer that most applies to you:

Love:

  1. My partner never shows me enough attention.
  2. My partner shows me just the right amount of attention.
  3. When I want to be closer with my partner, I reach out to them.

Money:

  1. I never have enough money.
  2. I have enough money to get by.
  3. Money flows easily and effortlessly to me.

Business:

  1. If there is too much competition, I can’t win.
  2. I have enough business, but I’d like more.
  3. There is plenty of business for everyone.

Resources:

  1. I have to hide and save resources because there isn’t enough for everybody.
  2. There are adequate resources, but I don’t want to share them with others.
  3. There are enough resources for all of us.

Are You Focused on Scarcity or Abundance?

If you answered 1 or 2 for any or all of these questions, you are probably living in a scarcity versus an abundance mindset. What’s the problem with that? When we have a scarcity mindset, we focus on what we don’t have versus what we do have. We look at the world from a place of fear and inadequacy versus hope and faith. 

If we say to ourselves, “I never have enough money” then we focus on “having” to get money versus wanting or choosing to make money. The difference is the energy or focus we put into it. If we live in constant fear of not having enough, it’s hard to think clearly about how to make money or even how to save money. No doubt it is easier to think from a place of abundance when you have money or feel confident that you can make it, so there is some amount of privilege in these statements. Yet, how beneficial is it to try to make money from a place of panic?

When we have a scarcity mindset, we look at the world from a place of fear and inadequacy instead of hope and faith. #mindset #abundance #scarcity #optimism #gratitude Click To Tweet

The scarcity mindset hurts our relationships as well, in that it puts us in a place of feeling as if we never receive enough from our partners, friends, or loved ones. They can never live up to our need, thus they are frustrated and so are we. What if we believed that we have enough love because we always have self-love or self care? How differently would we approach relationships? Most likely we’d come at a relationship from a place of calm, loving, and giving versus fear and neediness. 

Changing our mindset from scarcity to abundance isn’t a magic pill in that money or relationships won’t immediately appear. We still have to do the work to make money and to develop relationships. However, think about how differently we would pursue these things if we changed how we approached the pursuit. 

Try changing your mindset to one of abundance and then pursue your goals. See if that shift changes both how you feel and how you show up in your daily life. A scarcity mindset will lead you to fear and anxiety, versus an abundance mindset that will lead you to gratitude and optimism. 

Love,

Lisa Kaplin Psy. D. CPC

Lisa Kaplin Psy. D. PCC

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