What does abundance mean to you? Material success? Or maybe it means the freedom of choice, or possibly the flow of opportunities? Perhaps it means to you that you have enough of everything, whether that be food, nice clothes, money, happiness or a fantastic family life?
Abundance can mean many things to different people.
Covey, in his book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People coined the term Abundance Mentality. The Abundance Mentality, he stated, comes out of a profound inner sense of security and personal worth (Covey 2004). In other words, abundance is all about how you think. The late Wayne Dyer stated that abundance is not something you acquire, but it is something that you tune into.
So, effectively, abundance is a state of mind. We can put up resistance to abundance when we enter into a negative statement. We’ve all been there, making statements such as “I haven’t got enough”, “I don’t have enough money to….”, “there’s not enough to go around”, “I don’t know how I’m going to pay for….”.
Covey called it the Scarcity Mentality.
Abundance comes in many forms, not just money. An abundance of opportunities, time, energy, love, fulfilling relationships, joy, happiness, meaningful experiences, can all be expressed abundantly.
By being in a natural state of allowing and keeping our inner dialogue positive we can truly attract all the abundance we ever need.
The universe is in a constant state of supplying but we need to align our thoughts in such a way that we tap into this universal supply and be ready and open to receive. We need to see the abundance flowing into our lives. By allowing thoughts of scarcity or shortage it will impede the flow of abundance and allow it to be replaced by a state of lack.
This is how the Law of Attraction works. By allowing your state of mind to tune into the abundant universe you get what you put out there; in other words what you give out to the universe you get back.
Dyer advocated the practise of allowing and establishing a path of least resistance. By doing this one allows abundance to flow through you and flow to you, unimpeded by resistant thoughts.
One should be careful, Dyer suggested, not to hoard or cling tightly to material things that manifest in one’s life. It must be free-flowing; not stagnant. This is the nature of energy, staying in a constant free-flowing state of allowing and non-resistance, like water flows constantly in a river.
These are ten steps to abundance taken from Dyer’s book The Power of Intention (reference below). I have summarised them here:
- See the world as an abundant place, full of possibilities and above all as a friendly, not hostile, place.
- Affirm to yourself that you attract abundance and success because that is who you are.
- Stay in a state of allowing, do not put up resistance and remain in a state of harmony. Get rid of any thoughts of doubt or negativity.
- Make a choice to stay in the moment; in the now. When you dwell on the past or think too much of the future, you may put up resistant or negative thoughts. Focus on this current moment; the now.
- Act on feelings of abundance; act as if abundance is already here. Act with a passion and with confidence.
- Remember that abundance and prosperity that comes your way will help others. The more you have, the more you have to share with those around you.
- Continually feel inspired. When you are inspired, you are in tune with the universe; feel the high energy of positive emotions. Don’t dip into low level energy emotions of anger, despair, anxiety and so on.
- Don’t impede the flow of energy by hoarding or clinging on to what you receive. Practise detachment to material things.
- Meditate To tune into the universe as the source of your abundance and success.
- Cultivate an attitude of gratitude. Be thankful for what you have and what you will receive. Look upon the worst time of your life with gratitude, for they make you the person you are today.
References and further reading:
- Covey, S.R., (2004), The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People; Powerful Lessons in Personal Change, Simon and Schuster, London.
A highly recommended book that covers everything from management skills to personal relationships. A thick book, there is a useful section to look up for specific issues.
- Dyer, W., Dr, (2010) The Power of Intention, Hay House, USA
A personal favourite of Dyer’s many books.
- Photo by Suzy Hazelwood from Pexels
Angel Reis 