Are you feeling the scarcity mindset creep in?
I’ve had a few moments, amidst the COVID-19 crisis, that have been so scarcity-mindset-driven that I’ve literally laughed out loud at how ridiculous they are.
Just this morning, I threw away a pair of socks that were getting thin on the bottom (it’s still cold here and we got snow last night so ain’t nobody got time for thin, hole-y socks, guys) and this thought popped in that stopped me dead in my (soft, thick socked) tracks:
“What if I can’t get socks in a few months when I need them? Should I keep these just in case?”
Now, mind you, I have 15 pairs of socks in my drawer – I counted them just to see how illogical this thought really was.
And then I wondered, wait a second, how did I get here? Saving crappy socks?
As soon as I started wondering, I knew immediately how I had gotten here. It wasn’t like I had gone from immense abundance mindset, knowing the world was my oyster and that all my wants and needs are met in the here and now to saving crappy socks.
No, the scarcity-mindset thoughts began about a week and a half ago (at the time of this publishing). Right around the time I learned there was going to be a travel ban between the US and Europe. That was Friday, March 13.
I was working from home that morning when I got a notification that President Trump would be going on air to address the nation at 3pm ET. At the time, I didn’t know what he’d be communicating to us all, but I had a sinking feeling that restrictions on movement would start going into affect. Just the day before, my dad had stocked up on groceries and called to urge me to do the same. Things were changing.
So at about noon that Friday, I thought to myself, “I better get out and about before I’m not allowed to.”
So I shut my laptop, grabbed my purse and hand sanitizer, and went to town. (We still call it that out here in the boonies.) I picked up a few groceries and hit the bookstore for a couple books. I mean, if I’m going to be quarantined, I want a good old fashioned book or two, with real-life pages to turn, in my hands as much as possible. Amiright?
Plus, I got a buy-one-get-one cookie coupon, so bonus. Warm chocolate chunk cookie? Yes, please.
Now that I think about it, that might’ve been when my stress eating started too. But that’s a whole other story. Anyway…
While I was out that day, I could sense things were shifting. I wasn’t going to the grocery store to get stuff to eat. I was going to the grocery store to stock up on things we’d need for at least a couple weeks. I was asking myself questions like, “A bag of apples? I’ve never bought a bag of apples in my life unless I intended to make an apple pie and use 8 apples in one fell swoop. Can we even eat an entire bag of apples before they go bad? I suppose we would if there wasn’t anything else to eat. Better get them.”
“…if there wasn’t anything else to eat” ?!?!
I realize how ridiculous that sounds, now that it’s out in the open like this. But I’m just being honest. This is what my brain started doing.
And then it just kept on going for the past 10-ish days, about pretty much every consumable I’ve used. Food, shampoo, my beloved face oil, and um, electricity. For the record, there’s zero indication electricity is going to be shut off. Why would it be? But yet, my seductively scared mind still found itself going around my house, turning all the light off unnecessarily.
So we did not just land at saving crappy socks.
Nope. My fearful little mind and I have been creeping toward saving crappy socks for days now.
The obvious question is, well what’s next?
What’s the next thing I’m going to irrationally try to save or ration? All the while, consciously thinking, “This is silly. I live in the abundantly-privileged US in the year 2020. I do not need to save and ration. Not really. But also, I might actually need to save and ration. Crazier things have happened. Think of my not-so-long-passed great-grandparents who lived through World War II in POLAND of all places. They probably thought they didn’t need to save and ration at the beginning of that either.”
It just goes on and on, people.
I’m sharing this, knowing full well this might make me look like a lunatic. Don’t care. Because I have a strong inkling that I am not alone here. I am not alone in this wild-and-crazy ride of scarcity mindset brought on by CODIV-19.
And naturally, for my sanity and yours, I’ve been asking myself, So how do I combat this? How can I fight this ever-deepening trench of not-enough?
My first (and therefore, truest) instinct was to dive back into the books I’ve read about abundance. I’ve been studying my own mindset for years now and a majority of that study has been focused on my relationship with money and provision – the giving, the receiving, the limitlessness of it all.
So I made a list of all the books I’ve read related to developing an Abundance Mindset and am now sharing those with you.
Because maybe you, like me, want to snap out of this scarcity-laden mind trap you’ve found yourself in.
Yes?
Yup, thought so.
And because I am me, I’ve also added what personality type tribes I expect to get the most out of all of the books I’ve listed. Cool, huh?
It’s funny – these 9 books don’t say 9 different things about abundance. They say pretty much one thing about it in 9 different ways. So you might as well start with the book(s) that matches your personality type and go from there.
Enjoy these. And if you’ve already read them – like I have – read or listen to them again – like I am. It can’t hurt. It certainly cannot hurt, people.
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9 Audiobooks About Abundance to Snap You Out of Scarcity Mindset
Happy Pocket Full of Money by David Cameron Gikandi and Bob Doyle
Recommended for the Analyst Tribe and the Diplomat Tribe
Download on Amazon*
This is the one book I’m diving back into right now. It’s the most intense I’ve ever read on the topic of abundance, so hey, might as well sharpen that abundance sword to fight those saving-crappy-socks thoughts right out the gate.
I also recommend grabbing the actual BOOK for this one. You can listen to it – I might listen to it this week, even – but if it’s your first time through it, read it with your eyes. And, if you’re like me, highlighters, notebooks, and your favorite pen.
I Will Teach You to Be Rich by Ramit Sethi
Recommended for the Analyst Tribe
Download on Amazon*
You Are a Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero
Recommended for the Explorer Tribe
Download on Amazon*
This one’s so powerful in audio AND in written form. My copy is so over-highlighted it’s not even funny. And I have the audio version and just turn it on anytime I feel like I need a hit of Jen Sincero.
Rich Dad Poor Dad by Guy Kawasaki
Recommended for the Diplomat Tribe
Download on Amazon*
The 4 Spiritual Laws of Prosperity by Edwene Gaines
Recommended for the Sentinel Tribe
Download on Amazon*
This one is just so much fun. Easy to follow, relatable, and super funny.
The Law of Divine Compensation by Marianne Williamson
Recommended for the Diplomat Tribe
Download on Amazon*
Get Rich, Lucky Bitch by Denise Duffield-Thomas
Recommended for the Sentinel Tribe and the Explorer Tribe
Download on Amazon*
Again, so helpful to have the words in front of your eyes so you can highlight and answer the questions and digest what Denise is saying. And then the audiobook hits it all home. Plus, I really love listening to Denise’s Aussie accent!
Super Attractor by Gabby Bernstein
Recommended for the Diplomat Tribe
Download on Amazon*
This is the most recent one I’ve listened to. I first listened to it in January 2020 and I’ve listened to it all the way through TWO TIMES SINCE. Three times total. It’s that impactful. Thank you, Gabby, for writing this.
The Alchemist by
I don’t know how to categorize this one. Recommended to everyone. Everywhere. Always. Forever.
Download on Amazon*