
“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” Socrates
Welcome back to #wabisabiwednesdays! Happy Lunar New Year, and welcome to the year of the Snake. The snake in Chinese philosophy represents many things, including rebirth, the destruction of the old to create the new, as we move into a more positive mindset & space for 2025.
For this lunar new year, allow me to introduce to you the abundance mindset. The abundance mindset is a way of thinking that believes there are limitless possibilities, resources, and opportunities in life. It is rooted in the idea that success, happiness, love, and prosperity are not finite but are available to everyone. This perspective encourages positivity, generosity, and an openness to growth, rather than fear or competition.
The abundance mindset is not something that someone suddenly wakes up one day with, it is something that is built over time, with resilience and choosing to see the good.
Now this all sounds incredible, why wouldn't you want to create more opportunities and happiness for yourself, right?
But how do we start operating from it?
The first thing we have to understand is that our life right now is a result of our old beliefs. The way we see our life is a result of the beliefs that stemmed from when we were young, influenced by our caretakers or even society and its traditional concepts and “rules” This is what psychologists call the “subconscious”. Whether we like it or not, we are all operating from our subconscious mind.
For example, let's say you want a new job, and consciously you look for a new job, but subconsciously you believe you are not good enough for it, therefore, your mind will block out many opportunities, and you might procrastinate or avoid certain paths because of your “lack of experience or knowledge” because deep down that subconscious is running your actions. Your mind is trying to keep you safe, more than anything. By applying to a smaller amount of jobs and not the bigger “scarier” ones, you can avoid the feeling of rejection or even possible failure in bigger companies. But when you shift your mind, you start seeing these “rejections” as opportunities to shift and do better next time.
The secret to the abundance mindset is not to focus on changing everything at once, as that can be extremely overwhelming. But more so to become aware of the beliefs we have about ourselves and how we can slowly start to shift them for our lives to appear more wonderful and fruitful.
1. Identify your beliefs that promote a scarcity mindset.
Accept your life right now as it is. You have to take responsibility for preventing yourself from your own growth. There is no need for shame but you have to wake up to the fact that your perspective is what shifts your entire life from bad to good. Start observing your thoughts everyday, you need not attach yourself to them, but begin to observe where your mind goes when you are faced with a challenge or if something does not go according to plan. Are you one to complain and feel that nothing is going right for you, or do you treat every challenge as an opportunity for growth? Listen to your inner voice.
2. Begin to replace the thoughts with a more abundant perspective.
If your thoughts hint to a negative perspective, begin to slowly replace each thought with something that is more beneficial for you. Let me explore a few scenarios.
a. “I can’t believe my bus is late because of the rain, why can't anything go right for me?”
Can be replaced with:
“The rain is causing delays, but this gives me a chance to practice patience and maybe even catch up on something while I wait.”
OR
“The rain is causing delays, but this gives me a chance to ensure i leave earlier next time it rains before work”
b. "I can't believe I got angry and yelled at my mom i feel so embarrassed"
Can be replaced with:
"I got angry and yelled at my mom, but I can reflect on why it happened and work on communicating better in the future. I’ll apologize and make it right."
c. "i procrastinated on this entire task because it is so daunting, how am i ever going to do big things in life?"
Can be replaced with:
"I procrastinated because the task felt overwhelming, I forgive myself as my brain was trying to avoid discomfort and keep myself safe.. But now I know I can break it into smaller steps and learn how to manage my time better for future challenges."
Do you see how one statement benefits you while one statement brings you down? You hating yourself, capitalising on your shame, and beating yourself and the world up for your mistakes is not serving anyone, and definitely not yourself.
Forgiveness is a huge value that is part of the abundance mindset, as we grow it is important to recognize that we are all human and that we will make mistakes from time to time, life will go awry but it is up to us to ensure we look at everything from a lens that benefits us, in order to ensure we end up exactly where we want to be going.
3. Incorporate practices that allow you to shift your mindset from scarcity to more abundant.
Abundance is all around us, truly waiting for us to see it. Here are some ways to slowly instill it into your life.
1. Practice Gratitude Daily
Focus on the positives in your life, no matter how small. Gratitude shifts your perspective from lack to abundance.
How to do it: Write down three things you're grateful for every morning or night.
2. Surround Yourself with Positive Influences
Spend time with people who inspire and uplift you. Their abundance mindset will rub off on you.
How to do it: Seek out mentors, join supportive communities, or follow inspiring people online.
3. Celebrate Other People’s Successes
Instead of comparing yourself to others, celebrate their wins. Recognize that their success doesn’t diminish your potential.
How to do it: Offer genuine compliments or cheer someone on for their achievements.
4. Be Generous
Share your time, resources, or knowledge freely, trusting that giving creates more abundance for everyone.
How to do it: Volunteer, mentor someone, or help a friend without expecting anything in return.
5. Use Affirmations
Repeat positive affirmations to reprogram your mindset.
Examples: “Opportunities are everywhere,” “I attract success and abundance,” or “I am worthy of greatness.”
How are you going to start incorporating the abundance mindset? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Have a great Lunar New Year!
By: Ranya I.
Comments