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“Abundance” is one of those pseudo-literary words everyone knows but few people actually use day-to-day. Merriam-Webster defines it as, “an ample quantity” or, “affluence, wealth.”
It might be easy to think of abundance as the pursuit of more: more money, more material goods, more friendships, and so on.
But if you’ve ever spent any time pursuing more of something, you’ve probably felt yourself moving farther away from who you are and what you want in life.
What does abundance mean in the context of personal growth?
Abundance is a really old concept in the context of personal growth. So old, in fact, that it’s earliest mention can be found in the Bible:
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
John 10:10
I’m not a religious person, but in a sense, the Bible is one of the world’s first self-help books.1 This verse, written from Jesus’ perspective, explains that his purpose is to provide a more abundant life for all people.
If you know anything about Jesus, you know he’s not the kind of guy to covet material possessions.2 Then what was he talking about?
The concept of abundance revolves around the appreciation for the abundance that already exists in your life. In other words, gratitude.
Especially in modern society, there will always be more. Widespread consumerism has given rise to the notion that no one can ever truly be happy with what they already have. And in that sense, we can never be truly happy.
Buddha was perhaps the first to flip the script on this when he said:
Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot at least, we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so, let us all be thankful.
Buddha
To have an abundance mindset is to live life with a deep appreciation for the abundance you already have. Thinking this way allows you to let go of the endless desire for the next shiny object or the next big promotion. Because once you get these things, you learn of something else you need.
If you never break this cycle, you’ll never find true happiness or fulfillment in life.
Abundance Affirmations
Positive affirmations are a powerful way to keep your thoughts grounded in a set of fundamental truths. Affirmations are so important that for years I have maintained a practice of starting each day by reading my most crucial affirmations that I keep in my personal manifesto.
Here are affirmations designed to keep your mindset grounded in a deep sense of abundance that you feel in life.
On Success
I am worthy of all the good that exists in my life.
- I have everything I need to be successful.
- I achieve whatever I set my mind to.
- I am worthy of all the good that exists in my life.
- I am grateful for the positive things in my life.
- I am grateful for the abundance that I have and the abundance that’s on its way.
- I am capable of achieving greatness.
- I am smart, capable, and talented.
- I am open to limitless possibilities.
On Confidence
I am ready to share my gifts with the world.
- I am ready to share my gifts with the world.
- I believe in myself.
- I am proud of the person I am and the person I’m becoming.
- I am at peace with who I am.
- I allow everything to be as it is.
- I am my best source of motivation.
- I am authentic, true, and graceful.
- I deserve love, respect, and empathy.
- I am a beautiful person, inside and out.
- I attract loving and positive people into my life.
On Money
Wealth is always flowing into my life.
- I am capable of overcoming any financial obstacle that stands in my way.
- I attract money easily and effortlessly.
- I am the master of my wealth.
- I am able to handle large sums of money.
- I am worthy of the wealth I desire.
- I constantly attract opportunities that create more money.
- Wealth is always flowing into my life.
- I release all negative energy over money.
Conclusion
I encourage you to incorporate some of these affirmations into your daily ritual. And as you develop this practice, I hope you’ll begin to see just how transformational an abundance mindset can be in your life.
Footnotes
- In the earliest days of civilization, religions gave people a shared framework for self-improvement. For better or worse, it was the first human institution to outline the specific behaviors that make someone good or bad. Similarly, you can think of modern personal development as espousing the same thing. The only exception is that now, we understand that “good” (or “happy” or “fulfilled”) looks different for each one of us, so we need less prescriptive frameworks that can help us find our own unique paths in life. ↩
- Apart from the Three Wise Men’s gifts to baby Jesus in the manger, most modern depictions would have us believe all he owned was a toga and a Shepherd’s crook. ↩