Unlearning scarcity: How to grow by letting go of limitations

Christian Muntean June 5, 2024

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At the time of writing this, I'm on vacation in Hawaii with my family and parents. A few days ago, we were having lunch at a favorite poke stand. My dad noticed a grapefruit tree. It was loaded with fruit and starting to drop them on the ground. This reminded me of something that I've noticed many times in nature: It wants to be abundant. It produces too much. It goes overboard.

I know the scientific explanations about how each grapefruit is squirreled away by a grapefruit squirrel to spread seeds all over. But the grapefruit squirrels aren't thinking about the future or cleaning things up. They leave a lot behind. Much, possibly most, of the fruit will fall and rot.

This isn't a waste. The tree will just grow more fruit.

We have raspberry bushes in our backyard. They produce more raspberries than we can keep up with. If they aren't picked in time, the ground is littered with berries. In fact, I have to chop the bushes back because they want to go crazy and grow everywhere.

This is true for raspberries in the woods as well. It's nice to think about the birds and the bears eating everything. But… they don't.

My neighbor has a crab apple tree in her front yard. Moose love that tree and visit it all year. But they don't get all the apples either.

I could go on. But you get my point.

Nature produces more than we can keep up with.

Here's the funny thing: Our worries trend toward scarcity. But nature – or life – wants to be abundant.

What you see largely determines what you get.

If you don't see abundance, you won't be able to appreciate it. If you don't know how to engage with it, it'll slip past you. If you resent or feel envious about the abundance of others, you throttle back your ability to enjoy, let alone grow, what you have.

It may help you to know that for most of my childhood, my family was 'working class poor.' I've spent a large portion of my career and volunteer activities working in and around poverty and homelessness.

I have a deep and personal understanding of scarcity. My upbringing and early career experiences taught me: There wasn't enough. There might be for others – but not for me.

I am grateful I was raised to not be envious and to be generous. Those two things have protected me from wandering into some dark places. But even so – a scarcity perspective held me back. I didn't realize the degree to which my perspective excluded me from accessing what was around me.

My life, and career, didn't take off until I realized I was stuck in a scarcity belief set and worked to change it. I'm not talking about the idea that if we just see it and believe it the universe will conspire to bring things to us. That's silly. But, if I don't believe and see possibility and opportunity, I can't decide and act in ways that turn those into reality. That's the truth.

How scarcity impacts leaders

Many of my clients wrestle with a scarcity belief set as well. For some, it defines how they operate. For others, it pops up during times of stress. Either way, it's a limiting perspective.

Here's how it might look:

• "If they win that contract, we won't have enough work this year."
• "You can't find good people."
• "If someone makes a mistake, it'll cost us money and we can't afford that."
• "If I'm not here working, everything will stop."

But now, think about these statements:

• "There's plenty of work for everyone. If we don't win this contract, we'll learn and submit a better one next time."
• "Great people are looking for a great employer – we just need to let them know we're here."
• "We can learn and grow from mistakes. Mistakes might be some of our best investments."
• "My team wants to grow and expand. They may get more done if I'm not here!"

Which set of statements feels constricting? Which one feels expansive?

Over the last 20 years, I've had clients with both sets of perspectives. Only one produces the kind of growth that feels exciting, and enjoyable and creates more time and freedom for those leading it. Can you guess which one that is?

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Christian Muntean is a seasoned expert in fostering business growth and profitability. With a Master's degree in Organizational Leadership and certifications as a Master Coach, Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA), and International Mergers & Acquisitions Expert (IM&A), he guides entrepreneurial leaders through growth, succession planning, and exit strategies. He is an accomplished author of three books, including Train to Lead. Christian resides in Anchorage, Alaska, with his family.  Learn More »

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