Africa and the Scarcity Mentality

What is a Scarcity mentality?
The scarcity mentality is the belief that if others have more you will have less. It is a belief about limitation.
Such a mindset is driven by fear and it demonstrates your lack of confidence and faith in God’s power to supply all your needs according to his purpose and abundance of resources. And according to” Dorothy Smith, “It is based on the faulty assumption that if someone else has something, you can’t have it because there’s only one pie available and every slice that someone else gets, means less is available for you.
I personally believe it is Completely false!...
Why there’s a Scarcity Mentality in Africa.
A scarcity mentality in some of our communities is rooted in the fact that people are reluctant to share ideas because they are worried about their share of the pie being reduced, as though there wasn’t enough to go around. If someone stole your idea, at least they steal your brain. If you conceived one idea, you can conceive many more, one of which will that financial independence you are seeking...
Always fix your mind on the fact that there’s plenty to go around.
Because by nourishing a scarcity mentality your own financial independence is constrained by the fact that you refrain from trying something because you think there are too many people doing it already, even though the character or the idea of your project can well be completely different from that of the person next door.

The African scarcity mentality has a Nasty Side which is that;

Some people in our communities would rather not promote each other for fear that one person is going to get all the business or money, or they’ll become too love, or they take all the communities’ loyalty and prominence.

So when I was in Douala, Cameroon I often bought fruits from an amazing lady at Rond Poulin Makepe on my way home from work. She was always so nice; I couldn’t bring myself to buy fruits from anyone else, though there were many others who sold the same fruits as her. I noticed cars would queue to buy from her, rather than buy from some of the others. One day a friend told me that she heard a rumour that the lady was using witchcraft to attract the clients to her so that she will have the entire pie.. ahahaha it just made me laugh!!!

First off, I didn’t think I was under a spell. I deliberately bought from this woman because she was very polite, sweet, kind, fast service and her kids were always there helping her after school, and above all she had fresh fruits at good prices... I don’t see what witchcraft has got to do with that.

If someone’s business is a success, some people are more inclined to sabotage it in the erroneous belief that they would get a bigger share of “the pie” as a consequence.

Also, there’s a Common scenario of ignoring a friend’s request to like, share or promote their business on social media. And the only explanation I could come up with is that, people who do this have a scarcity mentality or are outright envious. If it does not cost you money to do it, why won’t you?

If you seek financial independence, the first thing is to ensure that you are not a victim of the scarcity mentality.
I’ll use two examples to validate the theory of abundance..
The first example is e is the music industry. Think about how many songs are released yearly, yet you still have people dancing and listening to old songs and new songs alike.
I remember when the famous Cameroonian song “koler la petite” was released. So many people embraced its beats and danced to it joyfully. Malox the artist would not have blessed his listeners with his art, if he allowed his inner critic or scarcity mentality to dominate his thoughts, we would never have had that song, and he sure would not have been the success that he is today.

The second example is that of the Pop Star Roby Fenty, commonly known as Rihanna.
Rihanna , launched her line of 40 different foundation shades in 2017, something which had never been done before.
The aim of the line was to appeal to "every type of woman”. In just one year, the line had a total sale of over $550 million in annual revenue.

Despite thousands of beauty and lingerie brands on the market, she simply identified her niche and decided to go all in.. She clearly didn’t go into that industry with a dearth mind or to play the fainthearted.
If Rihanna bought into that scarcity mentality story, she would never have become a billionaire or the second richest woman in the world.
One key thing to mention about this story is that Rihanna had the vision but might not have had all the resources so she found someone to partner with. Which underslines the importance of sharing ideas and forging partnerships. You can do the same.. Don’t be scared that your idea will be stolen… and if it ever was, don’t give up. Always remember, there’s plenty to go around..

Let me tell you four impacts of the Scarcity Mindset on your Success.
1.You remain stuck in your comfort zone for fear that striving for more might cost you the little you already have.

2. Your success level is capped by your belief. You can’t really take the risk to expand your business because you believe there aren’t enough customers to buy from your completion and you as well.

3.Makes you a bad team player. You don’t want to share valid information or give your colleague that review that will get him a promotion because you believe you deserve it more and there won’t be enough promotions to go round.

4.You focus on the insufficiency and miss out on the unlimited opportunities.

Now that you know what it does to you, this is how you overcome
1-Rebrand your self
2-Stick to a niche
3-Focus on your talent and not your inner critic or external influences
4- Remind yourself of God’s promise in 2 Corinthians 9;8 “ And God if able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times ...YOUR MIND & IMAGINATION = ABUNDANCE OR LACK!.

To conclude;
If you are a victim of the scarcity mentality in your professional life, business, relationships or any other area, please consider the 3rd Law of motion(for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction). When you stand in the way of someone’s success, success cannot come to you.

Thank you all so much for listening.
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