Transitions, Transformations and a Little Photography
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Scarcity Mindset
The strict definition of scarcity is when demand for something outstrips supply or the basic premise that there is a finite amount of human and non human resources, so at some point there will be a shortage. This term has come to be associated increasingly with our mental condition and is often referred to as the scarcity mindset which is a belief that resources we rely on to live and survive (e.g., money, time, love or opportunities) are limited and less than is required to satisfy our needs. This results in a focus on what is lacking - much like the gap in the term the gap versus the gain which I wrote about in this post- the focus is on what I don’t have (whether it is real or significant) rather than what I do have. I like to think of this as the opposite of the gratitude mindset which is when I am grateful for the abundance of the wonderful things in my life rather than focusing on what is missing.
Boundaries
There are a lot of different ways to define/explain boundaries such as something showing where one thing ends and another begins, or another perspective is the limits and rules we set for ourselves within relationships. One simple one that I like is from Brene Brown - define what is ok and not ok. Regardless of how you define the word boundary, it is something that I am not great at navigating or setting up/sticking to. I’m a people pleaser by nature which lends itself to flexible/nebulous/nonexistent boundaries - leading to me often feeling less than comfortable in some situations.
I’ve been working on trying to be more intentional about identifying boundaries and acknowledging when I don’t stick to them - for example, a few months ago I wanted to go for a photography shoot at Frank Lake which meant getting up early to get there before sunrise. Kory wanted to do work on his studio and needed my help - you can already imagine the conflict going on inside of me.
Funks, Negative Thoughts and Some Ways Out
There is a seductive nature to negative thoughts and energy. As humans we are naturally drawn to remember negative stimuli whether that’s events, words or actions. This is called the negativity bias which is our tendency to not only register negative stimuli more readily, but also to dwell on these thoughts. It makes sense when you look at it from an evolutionary perspective when we were motivated by survival to be attuned to negative/dangerous/life threatening things.