Time Scarcity versus Time Abundance

Changing the way you think and giving yourself the power of time.

The concept of an abundance mindset versus a scarcity mindset is fairly well known.  Perhaps it was first popularized by Steven Covey.  In the 7-Habits book he said most people have an attitude of scarcity.  They think in terms of there is only so much pie to go around.  If someone else gets a piece of pie that means there’s less for you, less for everyone.

He went on to teach that one should cultivate an attitude of abundance.  Meaning that by sharing, the pie gets bigger for everyone.

This attitude of scarcity bleeds into everything we do.  I see it in negotiations every day.  I see it in politics.  I see it in social interactions.  I see it in finance.  I see it in business.  The dangerous assumption is that somehow when someone else gets something into their lives somehow it negatively impacts you.

It makes us stingy and mean in our view of the world.  It makes us dangerous and cadged in our interactions.  It turns us in on ourselves as we try to hoard imaginary shortages of things.  An attitude of scarcity creates a cage.  It is a self-reinforcing thought process that creates the very condition that you fear.

I thought I had figured this out.  I try to view everything as positive and abundant.  What I realized was that there was one crucial area where I had retained an attitude of scarcity.

Time… 

I observed my language and was surprised to see just how deeply rooted my own, and our culture’s, scarcity attitude towards time is.  Do you recognize any of the following phrases?  How many times do you say them in a day?  Pay attention and see if you can observer yourself and your own time scarcity programming.

“I don’t have time for that.”

“There just isn’t enough time.”

“This is such a waste of time.”

“I don’t think that is worth my time.”

“It’s not a time-priority.”

“I need to find the time for that.”

Do you recognize your own voice?  I sure did.

Once you recognize that time scarcity attitude you begin to see manifestations of it everywhere.  The marketers certainly know about it. That’s why every sale has a deadline and time is always running out and there are only 3 left at this price!  It’s that scarcity button that they are pushing.  Time scarcity is used to manipulate us.

It affects us emotionally too.  We feel the scarcity as emotional stress.  A feeling of wanting, of never having enough.  It can create sadness for all the things we don’t have time for, for opportunities lost.  It can create jealousy; why do those jerks get the time to take their family on a cruise?

It impacts the way we work, the way we make decisions and the way we deal with the world.  An attitude of time scarcity leads us to make decisions that are weighted to the short term.  Why save money for the future?  Why pass up that donut now?  Why not just give them the discount so we can get the deal?

It makes no sense.  It’s like a farmer digging up their seeds because they have no time to grow crops.

By observing myself I was able to quickly see how time-scarcity plays out in my day to day conversations.  You can too.  Just observe your thoughts and the words you use when it comes to time.  See if you have a case of time scarcity.

It becomes even more important as we grow older.  Now on top of the daily time scarcity sound track we lay on top the “Oh my gosh, I’m getting old and time is really running out!” voice over.

“I don’t have much time left.”

“I only get some many more at bats.”

“I’ve wasted my life and missed so many opportunities.”

These are the time scarcity routines of the baby-boomer mind!

Paradoxically you are in a better position as you get older to make use of time.  Time is actually more abundant because you have gathered a lifetime worth of raw material to draw from.  You are in reality much better equipped to make a big impact.

Now that I’ve got you thinking, now that I’ve got you observing how you think about time, what can you do to change that tune?  How can you switch to an attitude of time abundance?

Reality check.  You have plenty of time.  Time is abundant.

The first thing you can do is to call B.S. on some of your time scarcity self-talk.  Do a reality check.  Time may be finite, but whether or not it is scarce is up to you.  You have 24 hours in a day.  If you sleep 8 and work 8 you still get 8 for yourself.  That’s 40 hours plus another 32 on the weekends for 72 hours a week that is all yours, free and clear.  That’s a lot of time.

What can I do in 72 hours?  Well I could run about 300 miles.  I could read 1440 pages.  I could write about 150 pages.  That’s a book.  I could cook some great meals.  I could hold some excellent conversations.  And, I could give 12,960 20 second hugs.

That’s your reality check.  You have an abundance of time.

Change your self-talk, change your attitude.

As you get better at observing yourself you’ll get a mental red flag every time your brain cycles through your ToDo list and a little voice says “I just don’t have enough time”.  When you notice this happening immediately take a deep breath, focus your positive energy and instead say “I have an abundance of time.”

That is the simplest and most powerful thing you can do.  Repeat after me.  “I have an abundance of time.”  See? Simple.

Appreciate what you have – practice gratitude.

The main symptom of time scarcity attitudes is a feeling of lack. “They got what I wanted.”  “I missed out.”  Those are all manifestations of scarcity.

If you want to directly counter those thoughts practice gratitude. Dwell on what you have.  Consider what you have accomplished.  Your life is full of abundance.  Then project that abundance out into the future.

Consider everything you have on your ToDo list as a gift, an opportunity for abundance.  Each one of those things is going to lead to people and experiences that are capable of bringing you growth and self-awareness.

Share freely.

When you get to the ninja level of an abundant attitude you will find that the more you share your time and energy the more abundance it creates.  This flips the time scarcity assumption totally on its head and kicks it in the ass.  If you don’t believe me look at the people who seem to have abundance in their lives.  (But don’t compare yourself to others because that is a scarcity attitude).

The more you share the more abundance will come back to you.  Every time you share you create a bigger pie and you get to partake in that bigger pie.  Which is much better than hiding in the corner trying to protect a crust.

You have an abundance of time. 

Yesterday is the past.  Tomorrow is the future.  Today is a gift – that’s why it’s called ‘the present’.

Cheers!