The tale of two standby passengers… As one person’s name was called to the counter at the gate, the woman next to me jumped in the air and declared ”Yes!” as she hurried off. Clearly she could not have been more happy that she was able to get on the plane. Moments later another person was called. Shortly after she arrived at the counter she began to complain in a very loud voice about the “atrocious seat” she was given and “clearly you must have a more suitable one!”
As I boarded the plane I kept pondering the two different responses to being given a standby seat. One person was overjoyed with receiving something that she had hoped for but did not expect. The other appeared to not only assume that she would be given a seat but it better be one of her choosing. One was grateful for what she had received, the other demanded more.
It is all about showing up with a mindset of abundance rather than scarcity. To embrace that which comes our way with gratitude rather than being critical for not getting what we expect or assume. I can point to three things that have been helpful for me in cultivating a mindset of abundance:
- My experience with long time friend and colleague Fran McKendree. We always reminded ourselves before every ‘gig’: Show up and be present, Tell the truth in love, Have no attachment to the outcome… and be grateful. Every time we did so we found our experience to be both healthy and holy.
- My experience with using the process of Appreciative Inquiry. “A strengths-based, positive approach to leadership development and organizational change.” When you walk with folks to be open to experience the abundance that exists in their midst it creates capacity that people did not know existed.
- My grandfather-in-law Brooks Plummer Smith’s great little book titled, “Travels of a Layman”. It’s a wonderful story of his family framed in Jesus’ words “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10) that forever shaped how I wanted to live my life.
When you cultivate a mindset of abundance it transforms how you navigate the world.
“Gratitude can transform what we have into more than enough. Gratitude creates abundance.” – William Arthur Ward
BP