Toni Morrison once said, “If you want to fly, you have to give up the things that weigh you down.” Yet most of us do just that — we let stress and inadequacy hold us down to the point that we absolutely cannot soar. In fact, studies show that four out of five Americans feel overwhelmed by workplace and financial stress.
So how do we break free of those mental weights that hold us down? How can we learn to fly? Well, according to Master Certified Coach Tonya Leigh, you can do all of this (and more) with a simple change in perspective called an abundance mindset.
What Is An Abundance Mindset?
According to Rumi, “What you seek is seeking you.” However, most of us don’t train our minds to look for what we want to see in this way because we lack the perspective of an abundance mindset.
In other words, an abundance mindset simply involves adopting a personal perspective in which, instead of looking for the problems or shortcomings in your life, you simply evaluate what’s already plentiful and use that to discern the endless possibilities that lie ahead. An abundance mindset simply means living in the moment and seeing those moments as “enough.”
If you visit Tonya Leigh’s website, you’ll discover how much she firmly believes an abundant mindset is necessary for living a well-lived life. This is in large part because you cannot live a full life until you see and appreciate the prosperity and adequacy in each day. Of course, abundance can take many forms, so it’s important to notice how abundant your life truly is.
How To Adopt This Perspective (And Why You Should)
According to Leigh, most of us remain bogged down by life because we get “stuck” in the place where we see ourselves as inadequate or lacking. We feed ourselves these lies about how we don’t deserve happiness or are only capable of mediocrity — but that isn’t true at all!
If you want to adopt an abundance mindset, Leigh says you must first “break up” with the parts of yourself that feed into the lies that hold you back. These parts of yourself include: the feelings of inadequacy, desire for comfort, longing for another life, need to be right, and the desire to be well-liked.
Although it may seem impossible, even the most pessimistic minds can transform if you’re willing to put in the effort. That’s not to say that it’s easy, but when we put our mind to it, anything is possible. All you need is a bit of courage and a willingness to break free from your comfort zone to try something different.
After you drop the parts of yourself that are holding you back, the next step to adopting an abundance mindset is simple, yet may seem counterproductive: It’s all about acceptance.
Many of us get stuck in this hamster wheel of “chasing happiness” that we stuff down our other emotions and wear ourselves out while trying to “live our best life.” But is our best life really constant sunshine and rainbows? Probably not.
Instead of ignoring the moments of sadness or pain, we should actually allow ourselves the space to feel our emotions and process them. In fact, Leigh says, “Feeling and understanding our emotions is the secret sauce to abundance, creativity and all of our desires.”
When we sit with our emotions, we not only learn how to feel things and connect with ourselves on a deeper level, but we can also discover patterns that keep popping up and identify beliefs that may be holding us back. What’s more, we can drop the pressure to please and simply be our true selves in any given moment — which is a truly magical thing indeed.
When we break up with the parts of ourselves that hold us back, give ourselves space to feel a wide array of emotions, and focus on abundance, our energy slowly shifts. When this happens, you’ll notice new, exciting things show up in your life: inspired ideas that generate opportunities, people who suddenly want to work with you, unexpected checks, healthy relationships, surprise invitations and so much more. This is why an abundance mindset is worth the effort.
Closing Thoughts From Tonya Leigh
Still on the fence about adopting an abundance mindset? Consider these words from the abundance mindset queen, Tonya Leigh:
“Decide what you want and then break up with any part of yourself that is holding you back from it. It will hurt and be painful. You’ll want to run back to the familiar. You’ll be convinced that you’re going to die.
But, keep walking.
The life you dream of awaits you on the other side of the pain.”
Interested in adopting an abundance mindset but unsure where to start? Visit tonyaleigh.com or contact Tonya through Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.
Previously Published on Thrive Global
Photo by Radu Florin on Unsplash
