You have given words to a process that defies words. And you’re constantly in a position to help
me continue to hone that, deeper and deeper and more and more resonantly, who I am and what I offer,
which is truly invaluable. — Jon Hansen, 
Working together was absolutely key, and I think that’s what made it such a great
experience. I felt like you were my partner in this. I felt like my success was your
success. To me, someone who has that attitude and the skills to go with it —
that’s an unbeatable combination! — Daniel Stone, 
I have a website I’m proud of — but for me, the hugest benefit has been
increased self-confidence. Because of the process we went through, and the validity that
came with the process, I trust what I think and I trust myself to speak about it. I have
greater confidence and clarity in my message about who I am and what I do. — Bev
Dwane AICI CIP, 
Enough already
There’s an old – and not very funny – joke about buying something frivolously unnecessary because it’s on sale. “Honey, look how much money I saved!” Yeah, right.
But what about when you buy something useful – but in far larger quantities than you can use, because it’s so much cheaper in bulk?
I threw out four grapefruit earlier this week. They were the last of a huge bagful, and had taken on that oddly floral scent that grapefruit get when they’re rotten inside.
It’s far from the first time, whether grapefruit, tomatoes, avocados, or any of a variety of perishables I’ve tended to buy in quantity. Or, for that matter, perishables I like more in concept than in reality. You know, the things you buy because the thought of them entices you, but then they sit there till they rot and you throw them out.
It got me thinking. What is abundance, really? And how much of what we might consider “abundance thinking” is actually scarcity thinking in disguise?
It makes perfect sense to purchase some things in quantity, if you’ve got the storage space to hold it. Paper products, for instance – tissues, paper towels, toilet paper – don’t “go bad,” and are certainly cheaper and more convenient to buy in bulk. But with other things, especially those perishable items, I’ve started realizing that my supposed abundance mentality – having enough on hand, being “generous” with myself in keeping extras – is sometimes actually scarcity thinking. Not to mention wasteful, when things go bad.
I especially noticed this when I realized that when I don’t have a backup or reserve available when I run out of something, I sometimes feel surprisingly anxious. That’s definitely scarcity thinking!
I’m conscious now of buying just what I will actually use. (No more huge bags of grapefruit!)
And I’m even more conscious of just how much abundance there is in my life – an abundance of beauty, joy, friendship, love, laughter, and, yes, tears, fears, and sadness, too. There’s no progress without a little pain to point you in the right direction. When I welcome those pointers with understanding instead of resistance, though, the pain is gentler and the abundance is obvious.
What about you? Where is the abundance and scarcity in your life?
Posted under The internal message.
Tags: Money
Comments
Comment from
Grace
Time March 6, 2009 at 11:20 am
Carla – Yes! I absolutely understand what you’re saying.
And I want to acknowledge your final sentence, because it’s so true. You not only will be okay, but you ARE okay, right now, in this moment. 
Thanks for your comment!
Comment from
Char
Time March 6, 2009 at 5:19 pm
My favorite part of this article is this line:
But with other things, especially those perishable items, I’ve started realizing that my supposed abundance mentality – having enough on hand, being “generous” with myself in keeping extras – is sometimes actually scarcity thinking.
That is really a fascinating observation Grace – I never thought of that before.
Today, I went grocery shopping, found myself in this situation – with apples instead of grapefruit – and ended up buying just a couple since I shop for produce often. I can’t tell you how many bags of apples I’ve bought only to have them hanging around for way too long, often turning into science experiments.
Thank you for pointing out that idea of scarcity thinking masquerading as abundance – I do that in other areas as well so this is great “food” for thought!
Comment from
Tracy
Time March 7, 2009 at 4:27 pm
This is something I’ve been thinking about recently. A few friends and I were trying to decide what was bothering us about the huge stockpiles that expert couponers build up. It took me quite awhile to realize that for me, putting all of that effort and energy into building up a huge stock of stuff wouldn’t make me feel satisfied for very long.
Instead there would be a constant push for more, more, more and it would never be enough. That would not be a good way for me to live.
So, I’ve been evaluating my own shopping. Of course, with small children sometimes having a little extra on hand is prudent (you never want to get down to one diaper!) but this fevered buying of 30 boxes of cereal because they are near free is not a road I’d like to go down.
Thanks for the great post!
Comment from
Char
Time March 7, 2009 at 10:02 pm
Went shopping today and- I so noticed how tempted I was to buy things that I don’t need right now but the price was right if I bought 100 of them – i.e. dental floss – when I’ve got a zillion dental flosses already at home.
Progress not perfection is what I saw with every decision. Weaning myself off my scarcity mentality masquerading as abundance is a lot of fun to notice!
This is great food for thought – I am easily amused by my own antics.
Comment from
Grace
Time March 9, 2009 at 7:15 am
Char – Yes, you’ve pointed out something else that I’ve been noticing: not just the perishable stuff, but all that other stuff that one does use, but just how much does one need?
For instance, I’ve traditionally bought large sizes of things I use over time. But how much sense does that make when, for instance, something dries up and you throw 3/4 of it out?
Tracy – Great point on the “constant push for more, more, more…never enough”! Not having the patience to deal with coupons I’d always admired those who come to the store with organized folders of them. Thank you for helping me let go of the feeling that I “should” be more like that!
Comment from Carla
Time March 5, 2009 at 9:31 am
For some strange reason, I sometimes do have a fear of not having enough (food) and I had this bad habit of buying things and not eating it for fear of running out. I somewhat solved that problem by not buying large quantities of perishable food, but that fear of not having sometimes creeps up.
I need to remember that no matter what, I will be OK.