There are a number of mindsets which dramatically set apart those people who are able to live large, generous, fruitful lives and enjoy it and those who cannot. The mindsets of abundance or scarcity are two of the most powerful.

In 2003, I was a relief worker in South Sudan. South Sudan was experiencing famine, war and multiple outbreaks of diseases that have been wiped out nearly everywhere else on earth.

To prepare to go in, I was shuttled through a series of briefings and trainings. I learned about the war, about politics, about how to relate with the military, rebels and tribal factions.

I learned about how to survive aerial bombings (get low and pray), how to avoid setting off land mines (don’t go anywhere), and how to escape a helicopter attack (you won’t).

We learned about land navigation and survival. Or enough to give us a false sense of confidence. We learned how to filter our water and learned about all the little bugs waiting to make a home in us if we didn’t.

We traveled as a self-contained unit, packing up and flying in all of the food, fuel, tools, and gear that we would need.

We learned that Sudan was a place of tremendous need, scarcity, and deprivation.

Once I was actually in Sudan, I had an experience that radically shook that perspective. It was a simple experience. It has never left me.

I was talking with a local leader one day. We were standing near a trail by his mud hut. Another man walked up. He said he was traveling through to a village several days’ walk away. He was nearly naked and carried a spear over his shoulder. At the end of his spear, he had a small bundle in a handkerchief. Like a hobo.

That was it. We said our pleasantries and he was off down the trail.

I realized something. When I looked down that trail I saw danger, hardship, and famine. When he looked down that trail he assumed he’d find food, safe places to sleep and a successful journey to do his business.

Even though “I had” so much and “he had” so little – He was living in abundance. I was living in scarcity. He could step out boldly and pursue the path he wanted. I could not.

Abundance vs Scarcity

Scarcity: The scarcity mindset is the mindset most of us have. It is the mindset that says “there is only so much to go around.” It suggests that other people might have ‘gotten theirs’ but I might not ‘get mine.’

It hints that influence, happiness, and contentment are all connected to things that I either need to fight for or accept that I’ll never have.

Abundance: The abundance mindset isn’t about having a lot of stuff. It is about viewing the world as a place where we can always have enough. A world where we can always create more value, more wealth or resources. It allows for easy generosity of resources, time and relationships.

They are both ways of seeing.

Seven Ways to See Abundance

It’s not about having rich parents. It isn’t about everything working right now. Seeing and living in abundance is about reshaping the lens through which we view life. The following practices will help you shift from a scarcity to an abundant perspective.

They work cumulatively. So, you need to give them time to ‘build up.’ My recommendation is to try these for 21 days – just to see if you feel any different. If you do, try them for six months. That will create tangible changes in your life.

1. Practice Gratitude: Zig Ziglar used to talk about the kind of people who walked around as “Fault Finders.” His encouragement was to learn to be a “Good Finder.”

I write down three things I’m grateful for every day. When I’m having an especially difficult time with something or someone – I often list 10 things that I’m grateful for about the situation or person. It shifts perspective and mood. It helps me identify “good.”

2. Practice Appreciation: It sometimes seems like our defaults are set towards cynicism or critique. I used to be a deeply cynical person. Which was at odds with a more natural optimism.

I have made it habit to try to express appreciation to at least one person each day. It helps me see good and take the extra step of communicating it. That extra step is important. It is how I practice holding up a mirror to the world and saying, “Hey! I see good in you!” In the course of a year – you’ll see a lot of good in the people around you.

3. Practice Careful Companionship: I’ve learned to be careful about who I spend my time around. I try to spend most of my time around people who love their spouse and kids, who are ambitious and creative in their careers, who tend to talk about ideas and things that they like (not problems and complaints) and who live by values that I identify with.

I have intentionally reduced time with everyone else. Over this year, I’ve even applied this principle to my clients. I’ve discovered that my best and most effective work (and highest paying) has all been with the kind of people I described above. My practice continues to grow and I (now) look forward to spending time with each of my clients. They are people I respect, admire and learn from. It is the most natural thing for me to be committed to their success.

4. Practice Intentionality I: Knowing “why” is important. We don’t discover this by waiting for “why” to just drop down out of the sky. We choose our “why.”  We may need to experiment with this. We many need to change it. But we need to choose.

I wrote down my vision for the life I want to create. I revisit what I wrote regularly. My wife and I review this together. It reminds me of what I’m building for my family, myself and my community. It reminds me that I am creating something good. I’m not hoping someone else will do good or give good. I’ll create it.

5. Practice Intentionality II: I do the “Next Right Thing.” 2016 has had some very high times and some very difficult times for me. During good times – I can make the mistake of choosing to coast. To stop making effort. During hard times I can spend time wallowing. I can sit and ask “why me?” But none of that helps.

So, I decide “What is the next, one, right thing that I need to do to continue answering my Why? What one step can I take towards building my vision? It’s kind of like getting up and working out on a day where you just don’t feel like it. It still produces value and, usually, I feel a lot better having done it.

6. Practice Generosity: Give what you want to receive. Give what you have. Give when you don’t have. This isn’t some kind of cosmic manipulation. By giving, especially when giving largely, we are taking the stance that, “I have enough. I can create enough. Enough will be there.”

I’m grateful that the habit of giving was something that my parents taught me since I was very young. It is one of the more powerful tools for developing a perspective of abundance. It also provides balance in our lives when we are experiencing abundance. It keeps us oriented towards providing value not just consuming value.

7. Practice “Mental Nutrition”: I have become very rigorous about screening out news stories, entertainment, literature or anything that creates a sense of fear, a sense of scarcity, a critical attitude or any other toxic mindset. This doesn’t mean I’m out of touch with the news, media or culture. But I monitor how I’m responding to what I expose myself to.

Additionally, I try to immerse myself in the kind of content, thoughts, and stories that reflect the attitudes I’m trying to cultivate. Create an environment for yourself that encourages growth. Don’t sap your growth, your creativity or your enthusiasm by getting sucked into others people’s septic thinking.

Abundance is a mindset. As you begin to see abundance, you can begin to interact with abundance. As you interact with it, you can begin to experience it.

Try it out. It’s not that hard, it is free and it will change your life. Seems like a pretty good deal.

What is one way that you can begin practicing an Abundance Mindset today?