Most of the time we come from a mindset of scarcity when looking at where we are with our lives. We fixate on what we have not done, not studied, not completed, accumulated, or ticked off.
I struggled in this mindset for many years, if not decades, and now I see it pop up with most of my clients. They often have a lot of frustration because they don’t see their life proceeding through the stages or phases at the time it should.
The beliefs around this show up as “I should” statements. Most “should” statements about being here or there are about cultural expectations and are too tidy for the real world or based on wishful thinking. The result of that thinking is that if we don’t follow the template and instead experience a detour or a setback then there is something wrong with us and that leads us to feel dissatisfied.
Most of my client base consists of millennials—a generation that has had to navigate more life transitions than any previous generation. Their reality is not going to be one job, one relationship, one home, or one identity for life. Yet many millennials still hold an unconscious expectation of a linear life with a one-way street to success.
One of the ways I see gratitude as a high-performance strategy play out for my clients is by applying it to themselves when thoughts around scarcity pop up. If we recognize progress and not perfection then we can acknowledge that you are successful right now in a multitude of ways. Why not open yourself up to feeling grateful, proud, and passionate for where you are and what you have in your life right now? You are way further ahead than what you give yourself credit for.
Why not try out a gratitude-oriented mindset where you bask in your progress this week?
– Coach Liane
