Do not index
Do not index
A poverty mindset, often referred to as a scarcity mindset, is a deeply ingrained belief that there is never enough, whether it's money, opportunities, or resources. It can hold us back from realizing our full potential and experiencing financial freedom.
Symptoms of Poverty Mindset:
One of the most apparent symptoms of a poverty mindset is hoarding. Individuals with this mindset tend to save every dollar, fearing that they may run out of money in the future. While saving is important, an excessive fixation on accumulation can hinder investment in personal growth or opportunities for growth. There might be a tendency to hoard things we don't use for not needing to buy them in the future, creating an overwhelming experience and conflicts with our partner who wishes for a tidy space. The other side of that hoarding is overshopping as a momentarily rebel action from the constant scarcity and sense of lack, which only fixates that cycle even more.
People with a poverty mindset often find it challenging to accept help or support from others. They may view it as a sign of weakness or feel indebted, which can isolate them from potential collaborative efforts and networks that could enhance their well-being. But, at the same time, it can cause them to seek help all the time and be a burden to others because of the deep ingrained belief that nothing will ever fill their empty bucket. That can damage relationships badly, create an avoidant or anxious relationship dynamic that can lead to abusive relationships and their ending.
People with a scarcity mindset often experience constant worry and are preoccupied with financial concerns. Poverty mindset often creates excessive thoughts about the future and about every expense. It feels like we are doing something when we are actually making the problem bigger, but not doing anything focusing on the problem and not on the solution. This constant undercurrent of anxiety and stress has a negative effect on overall well-being. This worry drains our energy, takes so much time of our lives that we run out of fuels to do what is really important for us. In a holistic view it weakens our mind capacity, our body, muscular and immune system.
Self-doubt and self-deprecating thoughts are often part of the poverty mindset. Individuals may believe they are not worthy of success or that they will inevitably be a failure, which can be self-fulfilling prophecies. It's a vicious cycle of self-doubt that leads to a real lack in the bank. The more we doubt ourselves - the less we do things that will change our current situation.
So, whether you have money or you don't, you can have a poverty mindset that potentially sabotages your life, success, and relationships. So what can you do about that?
Once you identify you have a poverty mindset, you want to be curious about it and get to know it inside out. You can start journaling about it whenever you feel triggered by money to get to know yourself better. Change will occur naturally, "just" by paying attention to that. Second, to overcome a poverty mindset, gratitude practice is a very powerful tool. It places the focus on what you have versus on what you don't. When you do that, allow yourself to really feel the gratitude and joy spreading in your body, feel it fully and feel wealthy with everything you have. It can be anything such as being healthy, being able to walk to work, living next to a forest or a beautiful park, having a good conversation and so on.
In the session we'll dive in deeper than those suggested practices to locate the source of that mindset and heal it. We'll trace all beliefs that are related and change them in a way that will be aligned with your goals and aspirations. I'll encourage you to take actions that will tell your brain that this change is real and is here to stay to integrate the healing into your life.