The opposite of scarcity is not abundance it’s sufficiency. We live in a culture of scarcity, where we feel compelled to strive for more because there is the illusion of not enough.
The pursuit of abundance itself is a scarcity tactic, creating a low level(sometimes high level) of anxiety that makes it hard for us to relax and appreciate what is. The marketing world plays on this using advertising that hijacks your amygdala and has you looking for ‘enough’ outside of yourself. Using your resources, time, money and energy, in ways that aren’t in alignment with who you are and what you are a stand for.
Sufficiency is enough, not just getting by, not less than, but simply enough. Sufficiency does not preclude fiscal responsibility or wealth building, or vacations, or nice things.
It’s about being enough,
The state of mind,
The state of being,
The state of engaging ….. as enough.
It’s not a number or a goal. It’s about appreciating what is. It’s about aligning with your unique set of values and commitments. It’s using your resources, time, money, and energy, on the things that are meaningful to you, that bring you joy and a sense of fulfilment. Sufficiency lets the excess fall away and frees you up to focus on what is really important to you.
Ironically this is also what opens the way for abundance because abundance is all about flow. There needs to be movement, a freedom that can organically go where it needs to. Scarcity has us holding on too tightly. Sufficiency loosens the grip and lets us see more clearly what’s really important. When we lose touch with our inner compass it’s easy to get sidetracked thinking that the next thing is the answer.
Take a few minutes and look at where you’re plugged into the ‘not enough’ scarcity mentality. Is it money? Is it time? Is it resources?