How to let go of “not enough” thinking
Develop a positive and abundant mindset to create a new direction in life
“The mind is everything.
What you think, you become.”
Buddha
We create our lives every day with our thoughts.
Really think about that; we think it’s our circumstances and that things happen to us, but it’s our thoughts about those circumstances that are really creating our lives.
Here’s the good news - you get to choose how you want to think about everything that’s going on around you. Why not choose thoughts that support you and your journey through life, i.e., thoughts that are positive, thoughts that create feelings of abundance?
According to a research study by the National Science Foundation, around 80% of our thoughts are negative each and every day. 80%!! The study further stated that it’s estimated we have around 12,000-15,000 thoughts each day. That’s a lot of negativity!
This study illustrates how important our thinking is in living our best lives and achieving our goals. Our thoughts are key and starting each day with an intention to embody a positive, more abundant, mindset will make a huge difference in your life.
One way to start living a peaceful and stress-free life, (i.e., to think with positivity and abundance instead of scarcity), is to focus on what you have instead of what is lacking.
This is often called an abundance mindset.
Someone with an abundance mindset believes that the world has enough resources for everyone (i.e., money, love, opportunities) and that those resources won’t run out.
If you spend your time worrying that you won’t have enough money, time, friends, or ___________(fill in your particular fear), then it's time to change that scarcity thinking into abundant thinking.
You’ll know you have a scarcity mindset if you never think you have enough (even when evidence supports that you do) and you don’t allow yourself to dream and set big goals because of something that you lack.
How to develop an abundance mindset
Focus on what you have instead of what you don’t have. For example, if you’ve just lost your job, focus your attention on the opportunities that lie ahead, i.e., more time to enjoy the things you love or the prospect of an even better job.
Surround yourself with people who have an abundance mindset. When we want to move away from a mindset focused on scarcity and lack, it’s important that we’re not surrounded with people who think the same way. Find role models who have an abundance mindset.
Practice gratitude. I can’t emphasize enough the importance of gratitude. When we’re grateful for the things we do have in our lives, it helps create an abundance mindset because we start to realize that we have so much in our lives already.
Develop a positive mindset! (See below).
Tell yourself you are deserving of abundance. Work on believing in yourself and your worth. For some people this is very difficult. If you’re one of those people, I encourage you to talk to your coach or therapist about it and work through those limiting beliefs you have about abundance.
Someone with a positive mindset makes thinking optimistically a habit. Thinking abundantly comes naturally to them. They are continually looking for something good even in the midst of a bad situation. A person with a positive mindset lives in reality, but knows that things that aren’t going so well will improve.
Do you tend to think positively or negatively? Here are 6 ways to develop a more positive mindset:
Focus on the good things in your life. Our mind has a negativity bias which means we naturally think negative thoughts. Purposefully focus on the good things.
Practice gratitude. Write in a gratitude journal or simply close your eyes and repeat silently or out loud 3-5 things you are grateful for every single day.
Look for the humour in life. Surround yourself with people who make you laugh.
Watch how you talk to yourself. Are you using negative language? See if you can find a way to think about a situation positively and eliminate phrases such as “I can’t” and “I don’t know how”.
Start every day intentionally with a positive attitude. Smile as soon as you open your eyes in the morning. You’ll be surprised how effective that is.
Add some mindful movement to your morning routine. Being kind to your body creates a positive attitude.
If you’re struggling to develop a more positive, abundant mindset, try these new ways of thinking and talking to yourself. For example:
Instead of saying:
“I’m not good at this”
“I give up.”
“I can’t do this any better.”
“I can’t do this.”
“My first plan didn’t work.”
Try saying:
“What do I need to learn?”
“It’s time to try a new strategy.”
“I can always find ways to improve.”
“I’m going to try and figure this out.”
“I’ll try something different.”
How we talk to ourselves is so important because our brain believes everything we tell it. Make sure you’re feeding your brain with information that supports you.
Here’s a short morning meditation that will help you start developing a more positive, abundant, and growth-oriented mindset.
I like to do this very short meditation while I’m still lying in bed in the morning.
Morning Meditation with Affirmations
Find a comfortable position either sitting or lying down. If you’re still in bed, spend a moment stretching your arms over your head and reach your toes towards the end of the bed before relaxing. Place both hands on your belly and begin to notice your breathing.
Notice how your body is feeling and maybe do a brief body scan, starting at your feet and slowly moving your awareness through your body from your toes all the way to the crown of your head.
As you are lying or sitting, breathing and noticing, internally state three to five things you are grateful for this morning. Breathe into each statement as you say it to yourself.
Try out these affirmations and see how they feel:
“I allow myself to be who I am without judgment”
“I give myself the care and attention that I deserve”
“There is plenty of time to work towards my goals”
“I am learning, growing and changing every day”
“I am open to limitless possibilities”
“I believe in myself”
When you’re ready, gently open your eyes, stretch in any way that feels good right now, smile and get on with your day.
Hint: To make this practice even more powerful, get out your journal and write down the three to five things you are grateful for as well as the affirmations. Follow that by setting an intention for the day ahead and watch your world change!
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I’d love to hear from you so please send any comments or questions to me at sharon@sharonashtonmindfulyoga.com. Feel free to share this email with anyone else who may be interested.
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What is stopping you from living your best life? Get out your journal and a pen and take the new quiz on my website to find out:
Are you interested in learning more about life change & mindset coaching from a mind/body perspective? Please email me at sharon@sharonashtonmindfulyoga.com for more information or to schedule a free introductory consultation to see if coaching is right for you. You can also visit my website coaching page.
"I felt at complete ease with Sharon from our first conversation. She has a wonderful, gentle but firm way that made me focus on my thoughts / feelings so I could remove / change to move forward with a completely different feeling to what felt like obstacles. It was great having regular coaching that gently kept me accountable to actioning and moving towards my goals. Sharon has vast experience in so many areas, I felt that makes her an amazing coach.”
— Michelle Carney, East Galway, Ireland
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