The myth of scarcity & the mini-bar

It's easy to live under the myth of scarcity. If you look around long enough, you'll find enough evidence to back up your theory that there's a finite supply of the good stuff.

It's easy to actually be grateful for what you have- and find yourself in an extremely content place... 

... until you see what someone else has that's "greater" or "more" than you. 

Their "more" or "better" could be- 

• Business success (They hit the next rank waayyy toooo fasssttttt and wayyyy toooo eassyyyyyyyy in your mind!)
• Health (Why do I struggle with __________ and they don't?)
• Relational (Why do they have all the friends, and where are mine?)

You know the drill. If you're like me, it's easy to feel great one minute only to feel lousy the next. It's almost like being a kite in an emotional hurricane. 

The classroom of abundance

The week I stopped working full time outside the home in order to work from home, Cristy and I took a week long vacation- just the two of us- to Cancun. A steward toured us around the property before taking us to our room. 

"Here's the mini bar," he said.

Then, he showed us a place where we could get all the snacks and drinks we wanted- totally free. 

"It's all inclusive," he reminded us. "You've already paid..."

Somehow, I think the myth of scarcity affects me on two levels. 

• If someone else has it, there's not enough for me- that all the "great stuff" has a limited supply of people it can get to
• That if I have it, I need to hold onto it, because I might run out

Turns out, I'm wrong on both counts. And I learned the lesson, of all places, from that mini-bar in our room. 

You see, they had enough scacks for everyone in the hotel. For months. They could have literally filled every pool on the property with liquor and candy- if they wanted to. And there would still be beer and chips to spare...

(Not that those are your things, but bear with me...)

And, I didn't need to "hold on" to what I had in my room. In fact, it's only in using it that it got replenished. As long as I kept the goods "out of use," nothing happened...

But when I reached in and began using what I had, the blessings continued to flow. 

Watch the video and see what I mean :-)