Nurturing Abundance When It Feels Out of Reach
How rethinking scarcity transformed my relationship with money, nature, and myself
I recall days when my bank account was just as miserable as my surroundings—a gaping hole where every cent felt like a drop in a bucket without a bottom. I’d scrape every bit together to try and make ends meet, while my desires—food, shelter and other basic necessities—seemed infinite compared to my material resources.
I’d watch nature thrive in unexpected corners—the trees stretching skyward after a heavy rain, the wildflowers blooming in abandoned lots—and wonder: if nature can always find a way to flourish, why can’t I?
The good news is that I managed to turn this around. Not because I’ve suddenly discovered a magic formula to make money rain from the heavens (though I wish I could say that sometimes), but because I learned that embracing abundance starts from within.
This is not to say that limitations and inequalities do not exist. But regardless of your situation, an abundance mindset can make a huge difference and increase your material and other satisfaction beyond your imagination. This is not some spiritual woo-woo (at least not entirely): There’s both philosophical wisdom and solid empirical research to back this up.
Scarcity = Misery
For most of my life, I saw resources—money, energy, even time—as strictly finite. It was as if I were handed a cracked glass with holes in the bottom, where every effort to fill it felt doomed to leakage. Whatever I earned would be consumed. Whatever I needed would run low at some point.
As a result, I built my decisions and my whole world view on the belief that scarcity was the natural order, almost like an eternal winter. But nature, as I eventually started to consider, operates on a cycle of loss and replenishment. Rivers run dry only to burst forth again in the spring; trees shed leaves to regrow stronger branches.
It was after I’d finished all my academic degrees (I have a few) and the money from my entrepreneurial pursuits was still not coming in the way I’d hoped it would. I’d been putting off earning big money until after I’d finished my degrees. But I was trapped in my eternal winter and my mindset of scarcity. This prevented me from seeing opportunities that were right in front of me.
I got frustrated with that reality. I began questioning my deeply ingrained ideas:
Is money, a human construct, really as unforgiving as nature sometimes seems?
Do our resources have to be hoarded or endlessly chased, or can they be nurtured into abundance?
I had read ancient philosophy early on in my academic studies. Many ancient scholars debated the nature of wealth and virtue, and concluded our internal narrative plays a decisive role in shaping our external reality.
Aristotle, for example, spoke of eudaimonia—flourishing achieved through the virtuous use of one’s resources. By aligning our values with actions that promote growth and sharing, we not only elevate our own lives but also contribute to a more abundant world.
Philosophical Support of an Abundance Mindset
Stoicism and the Acceptance of Flow
The Stoics taught that while we cannot control external events, we can control our response to them. Marcus Aurelius once wrote, “You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.”
An abundance mindset embraces that idea: by releasing our grip on the illusion of scarcity, we allow life’s natural flow to nurture us. In doing so, we reduce stress and improve mental resilience—qualities that modern research shows can lead to better health outcomes.
Existential Reflections: Heidegger and Bateson
Martin Heidegger’s reflections on being remind us that our existence is intertwined with the world around us. His emphasis on “dwelling” and being present echoes the principle of living in tune with natural cycles—an idea mirrored in how an abundance mindset treats money and resources.
Similarly, Gregory Bateson’s work on systems theory highlights the interconnectedness of all things. When we view money not as a solitary target but as part of a broader exchange of energy, we align ourselves with the regenerative cycles of nature.
Eastern Wisdom and the Art of Letting Go
Ancient Eastern philosophies, too, speak to abundance. The Taoist concept of wu wei—effortless action—suggests that by aligning ourselves with the natural order rather than fighting against it, we can achieve a state of harmony.
This philosophy reinforces the idea that abundance is not about hoarding or forcefully accumulating; it’s about trusting the flow of life and contributing back to the world.
Empirical Evidence For Abundance
Modern research in psychology and health reinforces these philosophical insights. Here are some key findings:
Optimism, Health, and Longevity
A robust body of research indicates that an optimistic—or abundance—mindset is linked to better health outcomes. For instance:
A meta-analysis on PubMed shows that the mindset is incredibly powerful when it comes to health outcomes. A positive mindset focused on abundance can literally transform lives.
On the flip side, a scarcity mindset can power altered consumption habits. By “altered,” the PNAS study means slightly dysfunctional—overly focusing on constrained resources instead of embracing what’s already abundant, making short-termist choices, and so on.
Nurses that embarked on a peer support program guided by an abundance mindset fared better than their peers during COVID-19. Such a mindset was not leading them to earn more money; it did, however, help nurses “advance evidence and advocacy to decrease stigmas and fear associated with mental illnesses, injuries, and trauma,” as the corresponding study states.
Financial Success and Psychological Well-Being
The field of positive psychology, championed by researchers like Martin Seligman, has demonstrated that a growth mindset—closely related to the concept of abundance—correlates with higher achievement and better financial decision-making.
Carol Dweck’s seminal work on the growth mindset shows that when people believe their abilities can be developed, they are more likely to embrace challenges, learn from criticism, and ultimately succeed. In the realm of finance, this translates to better investment decisions, increased creativity in problem-solving, and a willingness to take calculated risks that can lead to greater wealth.
Social Connections and Prosperity
A wealth of evidence also points to the importance of social relationships. An abundance mindset encourages generosity and open exchange—traits that foster deeper, more supportive social networks.
Studies have shown that strong social connections not only contribute to mental and emotional well-being but also have tangible economic benefits. Collaborative environments often lead to innovative solutions and more robust financial outcomes.
Questioning Scarcity
Money, in many ways, is just another form of energy. When I finally allowed myself to see money as something that flows—much like the water in a lively stream rather than a stagnant pond—I started making decisions that aligned with growth and replenishment.
Think of it this way:
Nature doesn’t ask if you “deserve” the sun or the rain. It simply provides, and we adapt to receive.
Money won’t vanish if you welcome it as a partner rather than a foe.
Relationships and creativity flourish when we give generously, not when we cling out of fear.
I started investing in myself, not by chasing every opportunity with a sense of urgency, but by inviting the right opportunities into my life—opportunities that made sense both financially and spiritually. As a result, not only my finances have increased first slow and then quite hugely, but so has my general well-being.
Practical Steps to Cultivate Abundance
Reframe Your Mental Narrative:
Replace “I’ll never have enough” with “There is always more than enough to share.” Your thoughts have a way of opening your eyes to a different reality. Once I stopped living in scarcity mode, I noticed new possibilities that I’d previously blindly ignored.Invest in What Replenishes You:
Don’t drain your energy chasing every dollar. There are enough dollars out there just waiting to get into your pockets. Take the time to direct your efforts toward activities and investments that energize you and multiply your returns—be it in relationships, self-education, or sustainable ventures that give back to the community and the planet. The dollars will then find you.Practice Mindful Exchange:
Just as bees exchange nectar for pollination, view every financial transaction as an opportunity to exchange value. Whether you’re spending, saving, or investing, do so with gratitude and a sense of mutual benefit.Adopt a Circular Mindset:
Embrace the idea that abundance is cyclical. What you give out eventually circles back, often multiplied in ways you would not expect. Old contacts get back to you with opportunities, old friends write you a card; heck, a random check appears in your mail for a reimbursement you’d completely forgotten about. It sounds a bit naïve, but in reality, circularity is the same principle that makes nature so resilient.
The Bottom Line: It Happens Slowly, Then Suddenly
I’m not suggesting that the path to abundance is free from challenges. Structural inequalities, unforeseen setbacks, and personal limitations are real. And when I first started out reading everything I could about it, for about a year nothing changed at all.
And then, all of a sudden, it did.
Both philosophy and science tell us that when we free ourselves from the chains of scarcity, we open up to a life of resilience, growth, and joy. My personal journey confirms that.
When we stop fighting against the natural flow of energy—be it money, nature, or human connections—and start playing with it, we begin to grasp just how much possibility has already been around us without us noticing. By freeing ourselves from the prisons we create in our minds, and by embracing an abundance mindset, we can feel better in the long run. And we can then show up as the best version of ourselves to all the people around us.
One Smart Question
Vote now—the correct answer will be revealed in next Tuesday’s edition!
Answer of last week’s One Smart Question: The value of money is determined by the trust people place in it. Its value does not come from the gold reserves backing it, the energy it carries, or the government printing it.
Wangari’s Curated Reads
- gives a good roundup on the different schools of thought in sustainability and economics. On Abundance highlights growthers and de-growthers, and weak- versus strong-form abundance. As is pointedly put, growth considerations become irrelevant when thinking about strong-form abundance. And it’s this latter mindset that is needed to channel the right kind of innovation and solve the world’s biggest problems right now.
- has a lovely short roundup of what Abundance is for her. I’ve been reflecting on this topic and found her words to resonate deeply.
- has an excellent piece on Transformative Mindset Shifts & How to Cultivate Them. It’s a small piece but I believe it can change lives if applied correctly.