It is New Year’s Day, a time to evaluate and purge all that is no longer serving you.  This can be ideas, beliefs, habits… people… things.

Letting go of the things that no longer serve us.  As I was considering my own purging endeavors for the New Year (i.e. a basement full of clutter) I was surprised to find this resistance building up within me.  I found myself not being able to part with items… old items… broken items… never use again items.

Having the following thoughts, maybe you can relate:

“I have to hang on to this because I might need it again.”

“This is too good to part with, I know someone else will benefit from it.”

“This is still in good condition, I can’t pitch it, that would be wasteful”

It dawned on me that all of these thoughts and the inability to part with things is a scarcity mindset.  What I am really saying to myself is, “I need to hang onto my stuff because I might not get any more.”  And there in lies the root of the problem, my belief that I will never have more, especially when I need it. 

I am not talking about careless disregard or desire for MORE AND MORE.  What I am talking about is a deep seeded belief of lack; that there is not enough.

And I am led to believe that if I have this thought over the broken, unused items in my basement, then I must be carrying this belief into other parts of my life too.

Did I eat more of the sweat treats I made for the holiday, because I don’t want to waste and there will NEVER be another cupcake to enter my home?

Is it a LOVE of things?  Do I feel safer having these old useless things around?

Is it SENTIMENT?  Do I have fond memories of all those old receipts and bills from 2001?

No. I think at the root it is the fear that if I give away, throw away or discard I will some how not have what I NEED, when I need it…. And this is actually a scarcity mindset that keeps me trapped in old ways of doing things. 

Honestly, it might not be serving me very well any longer.

I was partly reared by my grandmother, who lived through the great depression and she found a way to repurpose EVERYTHING.  The woman remarkably made a trash can out of old rolled up magazines.  Talk about resourceful.  Is that in my blood???  Am I somehow letting the memory of her down by not making a trashcan out of old magazines?

But is this mindset serving me or keeping me trapped?

And beyond physical clutter, where is this showing up in other areas of my life?

Scarcity…

Ever had these types of thoughts?

“There is never enough time in the day to get it all done.”

“I am not good enough.”

“That is too expensive.”

All have elements of not ever being enough.

At its core it really is saying to God, “I don’t think YOU are BIG enough to provide.”

OUCH!  Not where I want to be.  How about you?

As we start the new year, I encourage you to step into Abundance.

Step into life giving thoughts like:

“If I throw this away, if I need it down the road, the Lord will provide.”

“There is plenty of time to get done everything that is important to me.”

“I am worth it.”

“I am more than good enough.  I am chosen.  I am enough.”

Notice the shift? 

With practice you can leave the scarcity mindset behind. 

Coaching yourself daily is the best place to start.

Please let me know if you have questions or want to look at coaching for the new year.