Did your parents ever say this to you after you requested something that you thought was quite reasonable? If so, you are not alone. It seems like it was a favorite saying of parents, certainly when I was growing up.
Now we all know that there is not a tree in the garden with $5 notes on it (I was about to write $1 notes, but realized they don’t exist either), and when you were a child you knew that there was no such tree, so what were your parents talking about?
Interesting isn’t it?
The sentence does not make sense now, but to the child it actually made sense. We all knew our parents were actually saying that they didn’t have the money. There was not enough money around for what we wanted. It went with the other familiar saying of “What do you think we’re made of money?” No. We knew that was not true either, we just wanted something and had done what any sensible kid did, and asked for it.
What we heard back was a scarcity mindset. It is our parents saying to us to stop complaining, we are lucky to have what we have. It was their way of explaining that we cannot have everything we want, and it takes an effort to make money and we cannot waste it.
So what did we learn?
We learnt that there is not enough money to go around. We have to be careful with the money we have. We can’t just buy what we want because we do not know how much more is to come. It was all about scarcity, about lack, about fear and worry about money.
We can’t blame our poor old parents. Depending on how old you are it is probable that your grandparents or great-grandparents went through the depression and the 2nd world war, and these were tough times for many. The skills of making do, of being careful, were useful skills that got many families through, and our parents have been taught by these previous generations, and they taught us what they had been taught.
(It is interesting to note that during the depression more people became millionaires than any other time in history. Take note of your thoughts around this statement.)
What is the truth now? Are we living in a time of scarcity, or a time of abundance?
I believe that it is a time of amazing abundance.
Scarcity is a belief that no longer serves us.
Scarcity belief says that there is not enough to go around, and if you have some I will have less. It is a fearful mindset that drives us to hoard and to compete. It tells us to be afraid of others, to worry about the future, to be envious of others and see possible disasters around the next corner.
Scarcity is also telling us that we are not enough. We need more qualifications, we need to be prettier, or skinnier. That we have to sacrifice something to have something else that we want.
Compare that with an abundant mindset.
Abundance says there is more than enough for everyone. That we can share, and collaborate. That there is more where that came from, and we can just ask for what we want.
When we have an abundant mindset we can feel happy, full of energy and creativity. There are solutions everywhere. Abundance encourages us to be connected, sharing and inspiring.
This is a choice you can make. You can continue to believe that money does not grow on trees or see the world of possibility around you.
As you start believing that we do live in a world of massive abundance you will start seeing and hearing the old thoughts and beliefs that try to keep you “safe” in the old way of thinking. Catch these thoughts, and make them the basis for your daily tapping practice. As you clear away the fears, the blame, the jealousy and any other voices that are trying to hold you in place, you will see all the golden opportunities that are just waiting for you – the WORLD OF ABUNDANCE.
And you will see that money really does grow on trees.
If you would like to learn more about how our mindset determines our abundance, come to a free webinar on Wednesday 21st March at 1PM Brisbane time.