“I try to be grateful for the abundance of the blessings that I have, for the journey that I’m on and to relish each day as a gift.” James McGreevey.

It’s almost Christmas Day, a time for joy and celebration. Sadly, whilst we take time to celebrate today, there is some gloom and doom around in the world at present. I am referring to the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine. It’s sad to see the loss and suffering of so many innocent people. As a result, watching news bulletins can make us feel quite miserable.

We can’t control the issues being reported on but we can control our reactions to them. In an effort to counter some of the negativity that we are all exposed to on a daily basis, I make a conscious effort to think in an abundant way.

An abundant mindset is when you believe that there are enough resources for us all and you have greater appreciation for all that you have. When you think about life in this way, it takes on another meaning and has a different look and feel to it. I have noticed that my shift in thinking has made me feel lighter and more positive.

In life we have a choice about where we put our attention. We can focus on our weaknesses, our limitations, lack of opportunities and what’s missing in our life. We can have a lack of appreciation for our material possessions and what we’ve earned. This can be combined with not fully appreciating the people in our life and what they bring to us.

In contrast we can choose to focus our time and mind in an abundant way and appreciate all that we have including our possessions and the contributions people make to enrich our life. We can have gratitude for our natural strengths and talents, the opportunities and all the experiences that we have. In this state we will view any challenges we’ve encountered as a lesson or insight instead of a chance to see ourselves as a victim.

The mindset we choose to adopt will have an impact on our body and energy. When we think abundantly, we feel more optimistic and this helps us to feel lighter and more energised. As a result, we’re more likely to attract positive circumstances as our self-talk will be more empowering and drive positive behaviours which help to create great results.

Conversely, a scarcity mindset will have a negative impact on our mood and energy levels. Our bodies will feel heavy; our self-talk will be negative and create dis-empowering behaviours and poor results. This kind of mindset can be a self-fulfilling prophecy and create more results that reinforce a feeling of lack.

Thinking in an abundant way contributes to a feeling of security. It helps us to feel confident and have high self-worth levels. As a result, we feel secure when interacting with others. We form positive relationships, where we look to be collaborative rather than overly competitive and create “win/win” scenarios. Adopting this mindset doesn’t prevent us from feeling empathy for other people’s suffering and for those less fortunate than ourselves.

In contrast when we have feelings of lack, we may have difficulty sharing credit or recognising the contribution of others. The scarcity mentality is limiting and may mean that too much time and energy is wasted on conflict, negative thinking and repressing creativity. On the other hand, the abundant mentality is fearless; it’s free and immune to criticism.

In order to feel abundant, we need to get better at noticing and recognising what’s available to us in terms of opportunities, resources and choices. We aren’t wired to notice things or be particularly observant.

It doesn’t make us stupid if we fail to notice things, it just depends on what our brain has been primed to see. If we focus on scarcity, we will find evidence to support this. If we want to notice abundance, we will find it.

As I said earlier, we can’t control all events. However, we can choose our reaction, the attitude we adopt in the present moment and where we place our attention. We get what we look for! What we choose to focus on grows.

I send my very best wishes to you and your family and wish you all a very joyous and happy Christmas period.

This week, why not take a few moments to reflect and consider which mindset you adopt the majority of the time. Are you thinking in an abundant way? Do you regularly notice things to appreciate?

To arrange a free no obligation consultation, please contact Stephen Pauley via the contact form or by e mail: Stephen@befirstclass.co.uk