Is Your Conversation About Scarcity or Abundance?

You need to decide now, because your results depend on the answer.

I have a problem with scarcity mindset - it's myopic, unnecessarily restrictive, and in fact destructive for you and your organization. Scarcity presupposes that you're the center of the universe, that the work box is the only box available for packing a life, and it doesn't have a good ending. It's a very lonely ending.

Yesterday we talked about the difference between getting recognition for its own sake and getting the idea done. The latter is in the abundance camp. Which incidentally is the same place or context where weak ties become awesome connections that carry a message across the ripples of resonance and feedback. 

Dave Winer wrote a lovely post two days ago about letting the world change you. In the lost art of letter writing, we reviewed why the words you use are so important.

Language is one of the most sophisticated cognitive skills we possess as humans. It expresses and shapes thought. It contains an implicit classification of experience and is designed to change the neural pathways to the brain, thus changing minds. The changing patterns occur through the use of sounds and symbols. Think about metaphors. A metaphor finds connections between things in the mind and new connections enable the mind to see the world differently.

Thus communication may seem like a miracle. And believe me, many times I have marveled at that. Two or more beings engaged in changing each other's brains. It would be nice if we entered conversations open to changing our mind. 

There are many neurolinguistics studies conducted on how the mind creates language. Few follow the opposite direction - figuring out how language changes minds. By language I intend the deliberate and considerate use of terminology and phraseology to communicate intent, share vision, engage in thought, and inspire action.

Think how important this is. Let's deconstruct in favor of abundance:

1. communicate intent
2. share vision
3. engage in thought
4. inspire action

Do you think you can do that without falling into the scarcity trap?

© 2006-2009 Valeria Maltoni. All rights reserved.

Comments

[Paul McConaughy]

Leaders need to be talking about abundance. There is NO way to cut your way to success. Leaders will always find a way to attract the resources they need for success.

[Gerald Rhead]

Paul -- agreed. Let's pull our heads out of spreadsheets (scarcity mindset) and lets inspire thought and action (abundance mindset). Let's leverage what we have and can create -- not spend all out time determining what to get rid of.

[Tanveer Naseer]

Valeria,

This is a very thought-provoking post.

Lately, there has been much discussion - and agreement - that there needs to be a greater level of communication and listening going on between companies and their clients.

Certainly, the mainstream usage of social media sites is facilitating those conversations. However, what's notably lacking is a discussion on what we should be saying in those conversations, of the impact the approach we take can have on those interactions.

Dave Winer is right about the power of language to change our perceptions and understandings. The key is for us to recognize that potential and implement it for beneficial change.

[Darlene Lee]

Great post on making visible and conscious something most people don't notice, yet it shapes everything that is seen. Thank you!

[Valeria Maltoni]

@Paul - cutting without replacing or extending is a certain way to a death spiral. Growth presupposes activity and it's got to go beyond optimization of existing resources to experimentation and expansion.

@Gerald - also, you can tell a lie with a spreadsheet, too if you measure or report on the wrong things. Ask my friend the accounting forensics expert.

@Tanveer - add to that among people inside the same organization. You have no idea how very little listening the "what's in it for me/my goals oriented" folks do. Indeed attitude and approach are essential to consider. Being a linguist and having learned neurological brain development, I know there is a direct correlation between stimulus and kind of stimulus and response. I was actually amazed when I reread that earlier post I wrote about letter writing and found that quite profound statement on language.

@Darlene - thank you for stopping by.

[Teresa Basich]

This is a great post, Valeria, and one I think I needed to read as a bit of a lesson. The words we think and say frame our actions and intent, thus framing what we can or can't achieve.

I, personally, am learning a lot about this specific topic in my own life (as I think you've read) and have just in the past few days tried to approach my conversations and problem solving from a place of abundance. What I've learned in that short time is that approaching things with positive words creates a snowball effect that leads to better outcomes that lead to even better thoughts and words, and so on.

Words shape thoughts, actions and outcomes. This is a great reminder of how important it is to remember that truth. Thank you. :)

[Christian]

So many just let their thoughts fly...and while I'm a fan of being honest and transparent, it's pretty essential to have a goal or a purpose with regards to the content you share with others. there is a difference between sharing and drivel.

[Valeria Maltoni]

@Teresa - I went back to read your post and found lots of magic in the comments there. I'm thinking that energy is a good starting point for and action plan. You told your story with emotion and we responded in kind - emotion leads to action. I'm personally very grateful to have you in my life and would love to help in any way I can.

@Christian - it was a conversation with a dear friend a few years ago that illuminated for me something really important: information can be a burden. We should take care of honoring the peace and context of the other. That is why I think about conversation as negotiation. Good thoughts, thank you.

[System7]

This was an awesome post. People don't always stop to think about the miracle behind language. It's absolutely fascinating.

[peter]

Our "choice" of words is a reflection of the conversation that takes place within ourselves (over a lifetime) and not with the other (over minutes).

I have faith in the notion that the more we negotiate meaning with our selves the more appropriate our speech becomes with others - abundance is a word we give to describe this long and difficult journey.

By the way, your friend is wise.

Peter