Paradigms describe how the world occurs to us. In my mind, there are two general ways that the world occurs to people.
The first is from a place of Abundance. This is where people see themselves as acting on the world. They see themselves as the one that has to change. They see the possibilities in all things. They practice gratitude consistently.
The second is from a place of Lack. This is where people see the world acting on them. They assume that things outside of themselves need to change. They focus on what they don't have. They allow limitations to permeate their lives.
It is sad to me how pervasive the Lack paradigm is. The Lack paradigm fosters the fixed-pie belief, which then in turn creates the drive to fight for pieces of the pie and to protect the pieces we have. The world is in deep need of shifts from where we currently are. If we want to shift people's paradigms from Lack to Abundance, I will suggest that we need 5 things.
1. Stop thinking in limitations. Assumptions, stressors and beliefs can all be limiting. The easiest way I've found to stop it, is when you have a limiting thought.....ask yourself "is that 100% true". If no, then there is an opening!
2. Stop languaging limitations. If you pay attention to your language, you'll see whether your paradigm is one of Lack or of Abundance. A great practice is to always say "Yes it could be possible" before you say "No I don't think it will work".
3. Develop and embrace skills of the right brain. The left brain tends to work in reductionism. The right brain is expansive, creative, innovative and allows us to better process the vastness of abundance mentality.
4. Leverage roadblocks. I propose that roadblocks are awesome, because they give us a new way forward IF you ask enough questions about why they are perceived as roadblocks..Practicing relentless inquiry eats limitations for breakfast and opens up space for so much more.
5. Create a high dream. A high dream is one that lifts you up into the stratosphere of your imagination. High dreams comes from your heart and soul. You FEEL a high dream. When we make our dreams high, we can empower ourselves to be creators of something much bigger than ourselves. I highly recommend testing your high dream by sharing it with someone. If they think you are completely nuts...congratulations! You have a high dream!
I know we can shift to Abundance mentality, but only if we want to.
We need to be more courageous and dare to live with an Abundance mentality.
We need to be vulnerable so that we can let go of those things that have been holding us back and keeping us stuck.
We need to be BOLD and call ourselves to action with dreams that inspire us. We need to be better participants in the creation of our lives and future.
Let's create an Abundance movement. I'm in. :) Anyone want to join me?