More isn't always better: Why scarcity and abundance can create the same result
Lately we've been thinking about a concept we come back to often in coaching: sufficiency.
It's the sweet spot between abundance and scarcity.
We tend to think abundance is always the goal.
More time. More flexibility. More options. More resources.
But abundance has a sneaky downside.
When we believe we have all the time in the world, it's easy to put things off. We'll exercise when life settles down. We'll take the trip someday. We'll have the conversation next month. Future You starts carrying a pretty heavy workload.
Scarcity isn't much fun either.
Scarcity tells us we're behind. That there isn't enough time. That we missed our chance. That everyone else figured it out sooner.
And when scarcity takes over, we often stop moving entirely.
Why start now? What's the point?
What strikes us is that these two mindsets, while feeling completely different, often create the same result.
Abundance says, "There's always later."
Scarcity says, "It's too late."
Either way, nothing happens.
The sweet spot lives somewhere in between.
There is enough time. And this moment matters.
Not in a panic-inducing way. Not in a "you should be accomplishing more" way. More in a gentle reminder kind of way.
You don't need to believe there's endless time ahead of you.
You also don't need to believe you're running out of it.
Sufficiency looks like trusting yourself enough to take the next step, having the patience to let things unfold, and remembering that today counts too.
Not abundance.
Not scarcity.
Sufficiency.
