Abundance

Abundance mindset. This is another critical mind shift you need to make that will significantly increase your results, because it completely changes your perspective, as well as your interactions and attitude when dealing with people.

Let's start with looking at the opposite of abundance - scarcity. Scarcity says "there's not enough to go around". It implies that, for you to get something, someone else has to give something up, or at the very least that it's taking from a pool of limited supply that won't leave as much for someone else. It says someone has to be the loser and someone has to be the winner; that someone else has to miss out. You see what the problem is with this mindset? Especially if you're working from an ethical standpoint, if you really believe that this is true, then you're going to have a very hard time convincing yourself to get a win on your end if you believe someone else, even if it's not someone directly involved at the moment, has to be on the losing end of it. How can you negotiate a win for you when you feel like someone else is getting a less than desirable result on their end?

On the other hand, abundance says "there's more than enough to go around for everyone to be able to benefit". This mindset believes you can always create win-win-win solutions; that there doesn't have to be a loser. This means negotiating deal doesn't have to mean you getting what you want and the other person getting the raw end of the deal. It means there's always a solution that will result in both sides getting what they want, if you take the time to figure out that solution. Sure there will be some give and take on both sides, some negotiation, but that doesn't mean one side or the other loses. That's just part of making a deal. An expert negotiator will find a way to make everyone happy, and if they're really good the other side wont eve know it's a win-win. All they'll know is that they got what they wanted, even though it may be exactly what the other person wanted as well. In your thinking on negotiation, shift from thinking about being on opposite sides of the table, fighting against each other for different outcomes, to being on the same side of the table, working together to find a solution that works for everyone.

Scarcity is a fear mentality. Often those that are of a scarcity mindset are afraid to lose what they have. They're afraid that if they share their resources, they'll lose out, so they hoard their money and their knowledge and try to keep it from other people, thinking that keeping that to themselves will prevent others from gaining that expertise. They think this gives them an "edge", because they have something someone else does not. Here's the problem. First, pretty much anything you want to find out these days is free access to anyone. If someone wants to know something or find a resource, all they need to do is "google it" and there are literally thousands upon thousands of resources available to learn whatever it is you want to learn. You're not hiding anything from anyone or keeping anything to yourself; it's already out there! Second, how in the world to you think you're going to achieve any results when you're trying to hide what you know or are trying to do under a rock? Having a scarcity mindset and being afraid of someone else doing what you're going to do means you'll always be afraid to talk about it, and how can you get the word out to the world about your business or your goals if you don't tell people about it? Even better, how can you expect to have healthy business relationships (let alone find anyone to work with you in the first place) if you're not willing to openly share and work together. A lot of times a scarcity mindset is also rooted in a self-esteem issue. They're afraid that if someone else knows, they will be edged out because they're not up for the competition or don't believe they can stand up in a crowd. They're not confident in their own abilities, so the answer is to make sure no one else has the opportunity. Here's the real answer to that - GET BETTER. If you're not improving yourself, your declining, especially in today's rapidly changing world. If you're putting in the work to improve yourself and always growing in your knowledge and abilities, you will always have opportunity. If you're lazy and stop learning...well, that's another story.

Here's another example of an abundance mindset. I am involved with a group of real estate investors that meets on a regular basis to discuss everything from the current market to investment strategy to marketing to specific deal or business issues. Here's the thing - we all invest in the same market. We're competitors, yet we're collaborating together to learn from each other and become better at our craft. It goes beyond that even. We all genuinely want each and every person in that group to succeed. How can competitors share what they're doing in their business, and feel free to give honest feedback to another investor? Someone that very well could come across the same potential deal as they do? Abundance mindset. Not only that, but it actually provides opportunity to work together, whether it's just talking through an idea to get a deal together, or fully partnering to take something down that would be too much or too difficult for one of us. Without the abundance mindset and openness, those opportunities would be lost. Sure we push each other and there is a level of competitiveness, but it's far from the cutthroat "it me or you" scarcity mindset.

Zig Ziglar said it best when he said "You can have anything you want in life if you just help enough other people get what they want." This is exactly what the abundance mindset is all about. Helping other people as a priority, doing what you can to share your knowledge and recourse to help them succeed, and ultimately you will reap the benefits of success on your end as well.

Check your mindset. Be someone of abundance. Believe there is a way to work together to create solutions. Don't hide your resources or your knowledge. Share it with others who need it and I promise you'll see the rewards.