Culture of Scarcity

Recently I read a quote in Brene Brown’s book Daring Greatly and it stopped me in my tracks.

“For me, and for many of us, our first waking thought of the day is “I didnt get enough sleep.” The next one is “I don’t have enough time.” Whether true or not, that thought of not enough occurs to us automatically before we even think to question or examine it. We spend most of the hours and the days of our lives hearing, explaining, complaining, or worrying about what we don’t have enough of… Before we even sit up in bed, before our feet touch the floor, we’re already inadequate, already behind, already losing, already lacking something. And by the time we go to bed at night, our minds are racing with a litany of what we didn’t get, or didn’t get done, that day. We go to sleep burdened by those thoughts and wake up to that reverie of lack… This internal condition of scarcity, this mind-set of scarcity, lives at the very heart of our jealousies, our greed, our prejudice, and our arguments with life”

Lynne Twist

I realise as a Mum of a toddler, as a creative inspiration addict, I live in a constant state of needing and wanting more.

How can we constantly create more, when we believe that we don’t have enough?

Being 28 weeks pregnant I could wear this T-shirt with my PJ pants and Ugg boots all day long and be a happy little camper.

 

The question I have been contemplating though, is when will enough be enough?

When will I have enough sleep?

When will I have enough time?

When will I have a big enough house?

As I contemplate those who are thriving around me, they are the ones who are content with their enough today and are enjoying the moments presented to them.

How do we dream with courage, but be satisfied with the beauty in our today?

As Lynne explains in the quote above we need to question our motives and our complaints. It is easy to say I am so tired, when we have actually had a decent amount of sleep.

It is easy to say ‘I don’t have anything to wear.’, when we have a whole cupboard full of clothes.

It is easy to say ‘I am bored!’, when we are one radical thought away from changing the world.

It is easy to say ‘I am alone, I have no friends.’, when you could take that courageous act and just ring someone for a chat.

We live in a culture of scarcity, that is constantly scrambling to keep up with the neighbours, keep up with our thoughts, keep up with our expectations.

Today I am going to revel in my now and be satisfied with the health of my family and the amazing provisions that I have been given.

I am truly blessed.

I have a healthy family, a loving environment, a safe house, food in my fridge and encouragement on my heart.

Today I have more than enough.

How about you?

Speak tomorrow

Amanda