Prosperity Consciousness

Thursday 21 December, 2006

by Steven and Chutisa Bowman

Creating wealth and resources for your organisation.

• What would it take for our organisation to attract an abundance of resources, including money?
  
• What would it look like if we had resources and money sources that were sustainable and more than we could currently imagine?
  
• Why do we spend an inordinate amount of time and resources trying to attract even more resources and money that are never enough?

These are questions that constantly arise in the strategic thinking of leaders of organisations. This article seeks to provide a paradigm for the creation of a prosperity consciousness within the leaders of these organisations, and the subsequent manifestation of resources and money that accompanies such a consciousness.
It explores prosperity consciousness in the context of leadership, discusses the scarcity paradigm and its effect on organisations, highlights some of the most common belief systems about money and resources, and suggests ways that prosperity consciousness can be developed.

Prosperity consciousness and the organisation leader

The two greatest factors that either create or limit prosperity and abundance in an organisation are the levels of consciousness that the CEO, Board and staff bring to the organisation, and the belief systems that they have about money, resources and revenue sources.
Many setbacks and dilemmas can crop up in an organisation when these people choose to operate from a scarcity paradigm. They feel that there is not enough to go around, or too little of everything: opportunities, prospects, support, resources, time and money.
Because of these scarcity belief systems (which we term the Scarcity Paradigm) which emanate from the leaders, the organisation operates from a basis of lack (lack of money, lack of resources, lack of staff, lack of respect, lack of influence etc), and the leaders and staff act within their self developed and self imposed scarcity paradigm.
For example, it is generally acknowledged that many recessions and economic downturns are caused or exaggerated and intensified, not by the monetary realities of the country's economy, but rather by the people's perceptions, attitudes, fear of scarcity and level of faith and confidence in the economy or their country at the time.
The scarcity attitude, outlooks and emotions of the general public create the negative economic culture and climate for the country, rather than the climate creating their point of view and emotions.
Once the scarcity climate is set, it tends to solidify and justify these thoughts and emotions. Here, the people's thoughts and emotions are the cause of the scarcity conditions, not the effect.
The implications for organisations is huge: if a scarcity outlook is predominant within the organisation, this will create and embed scarcity. The financial circumstances of organisations is a direct expression and indication of the leaders and employee's attitude and emotions regarding prosperity and scarcity, wealth and lack.
We have discovered, over decades of experience with many organisations, that these belief systems, more than anything else, hold back many organisations from being prosperous and successful. The lack of prosperity in most organisations is because THE LEADERS HAVE CHOSEN THIS.
It is ultimately the leader's consciousness, beliefs and points of view that make the greatest difference in organisational culture, as the leader has the greatest influence on the rest of the staff.
Leaders that have chosen to operate from a scarcity paradigm often create a distrustful, cynical, apathetic, and pessimistic culture. They tend to focus on lack and blame their state on poor market conditions, natural disasters, changes in government legislation, and changes in interest rates or other external dilemmas.
These leaders and their organisations tend to be drawn toward the comfortable habit of worrying and tormenting about things outside their control, on what they can't do and waiting on tenterhooks for the market and other conditions beyond their control to improve.
It knocks the enthusiasm and innovative spirit out of their people, mostly unconsciously and unintentionally.
Prosperity consciousness within organisations is critical for future and sustained business growth. It is therefore vital to explore what leaders and organisations must do to ensure that leadership fosters a conscious prosperity attitude, approach and behaviour.
If the leaders embrace a prosperity consciousness instead of a scarcity paradigm, their business will come with ease and joy.

Prosperity consciousness versus scarcity paradigm 

Every individual has the capacity to choose whether to function in a prosperity consciousness or scarcity paradigm. Consciousness exists on a continuum, and it is only choice as to where on that continuum they want to be.
However, if the organisation is to thrive, provide real value and achieve its vision, leaders need to be operating from a prosperity consciousness and must also have attention on consciousness in all aspects of the organisation. (This is explained in greater depth in the article "The Conscious CEO - The New Face Of Leadership"). 
Some people can experience abundance with whatever they have in their life, right here, right now. Some feel a scarcity even when they have millions of dollars. The feeling of abundance is a state of mind and an awareness which we call prosperity consciousness. The sense of lack is also a state of mind which we call the scarcity paradigm.

What is prosperity consciousness?

‘Prosperity', much misinterpreted, misidentified and misapplied in our society, can be a medium for personal, organisational and social transformation. Yet, it is rarely seen from this perspective. 
Prosperity consciousness is not just about possessions and money; it is about joyful expression of life, a sense of expansiveness, a joy of being and abundance in all things.
The person who embraces prosperity consciousness makes an energetic choice to trust and envision that prosperity is theirs, right now. They live without trepidation and unease about money - either not having enough or concerned about losing it or desiring more. This state of consciousness also calls for an acceptance of our worthiness to receive wealth and abundance.

What is a scarcity paradigm?

A scarcity paradigm can be basically defined as - "a belief in lack". It is a set of attitudes, beliefs, feelings and values associated with lack, or fear of lack. For scarcity to show up in your life you need to think it, believe it, and allow it. Scarcity paradigms consist of a belief in limitations, and almost always include implanted fears that have been inherited (from parents usually) or created through external influences such as media and social mores.
Leaders of organisations that have chosen to function from a ‘scarcity paradigm' will often be heard to say:

• We have no money
  
• We are too small
  
• We have to operate on the smell of the oily rag
  
• We are always doing more with less
  
• We can't afford xyz....
  
• We don't have control
  
• It's all about luck

Belief systems and money

People who embrace a scarcity paradigm often misidentify money as their main problem.
One of the common beliefs around money is that we don't have enough of it, that we always want more. Our belief systems about money have developed over many years, and are the result of aligning and agreeing with certain fixed points of view that are primarily about scarcity.
These belief systems have an enormous influence over how we are able to attract money and resources, both personally and on behalf of our organisation. These belief systems we actually bring to our work, and embed into the practices of our organisation.
Some of the most common self imposed limiting belief systems that we have come across include:

• You have to work hard at it
  
• There is never enough
  
• Everyone gets money but me
  
• Money doesn't grow on trees
  
• Count the cents, and the dollars will look after themselves

Other types of belief systems that are common have to do with the so called morality of money, such as:

• Money is evil
  
• Money can't buy you love
  
• Money makes the world go round
  
• Poverty is noble
  
• Money corrupts
  
• You can't be community minded and also have money
  
• Materialism is bad

A scarcity paradigm is not directly related to the amount of money one has. Rather, it is the relationship to that money or to material possessions. People who operate based on a scarcity paradigm don't just think things are scarce; they are actually living and existing from a condition of scarcity. It's not just that they consider things are in short supply or insufficient, they have a fixed point of view or a frame of reference that no matter what is happening, there is not enough.
Consider the following:

• If you fret about not having enough money, you are functioning in a scarcity paradigm.
  
• If you believe there is not enough to go around for everyone in the world, you operate from a scarcity paradigm.
  
• If you are into hoarding and taking, or if you are desperately seeking to get as much as you can for yourself and hold onto it for dear life, you are being mesmerized by a scarcity paradigm.
  
• If you are persistently afraid of losing, or constantly trying to beat others and anxiously defending yourself against the perceived threat of being taken advantage of, you are functioning in a scarcity paradigm.

The three embedded beliefs that create a scarcity paradigm

As we develop our life experiences, we are constantly being exposed to three beliefs that underpin the creation of the scarcity paradigm. We in turn take these beliefs and embed them into our psyche, unexamined and invisible.

Belief 1. There is not enough

Most people have a fear that there will not be enough, and they function from the certainty that there will not be enough and someone has to miss out. This is often an unexpressed point of view, it is what you cannot look at, that traps you into that point of view.
The messages of advertising and marketing constantly focus on this belief. "If you do not have (fill in the blank), then there is something wrong with you". This then develops, at a very early age, into "I don't have enough anxiety".

Belief 2. It is hard

We are constantly being reminded that all good things do not just happen, they are a result of hard work. The common limitations that we create include beliefs such as: "If it was easy, then everyone would do it/have it", and "nothing worthwhile is ever easy". We often hear within organisations that "raising funding is so hard", "getting material is getting more difficult", "it is harder to get people to really put in time".

Belief 3. This is just the way things are

This is probably one of the most powerful beliefs, as it makes us not question the first two. This is the most invisible and pervasive of the beliefs, and takes away from us the ability to truly choose. This has the power to turn us into victims or to blame all on predetermined destiny, rather than being individuals who have the power to choose.

Creating prosperity consciousness 

Leaders of organisations should consider consciously embracing prosperity consciousness instead of unconsciously operating in a scarcity paradigm. Leaders can also cultivate a prosperity conscious culture within their organisation that harnesses the benefits of the quantum physics law that states everything is connected and there are infinite possibilities.
Leaders create their reality and their organisation's reality exactly as their belief systems and thought patterns are. These leaders can unwittingly create various barriers that keep them and their organisations from having abundance. This is the law of quantum physics that states "like energy attracts like energy".
At the heart of quantum mechanics is the idea that things exist through their relationships. Everything is connected. Every component of a system has the potential to affect all the other components. Our beliefs and our thoughts are part of that energy which is underlying our visible world. Quantum physicists call this reality the quantum field.
The practical application of this basic law of physics is that ‘We have the choice to put our mind towards prosperity or scarcity'. If you cultivate a belief system of scarcity and lack, then you will always have difficulty attracting resources and money. If you cultivate a belief system of abundance and prosperity, then you will greatly enhance your ability to attract resources and money.
Creating prosperity consciousness within a business context requires both a new paradigm and the courage to break new ground and go beyond limitations and boundaries. The leader must be a creative and prosperity-focused innovator who, acting on intuition and inner knowing, seeks and optimises opportunity, with a vision for infinite possibilities, is able to take the required risk, and ardently progresses it to a valuable and sustainable conclusion.
Creating prosperity consciousness in the organisational culture involves examining and exploring the habits, thoughts and feelings of the leaders and the team members about money and resources.
Here are some simple tools that can assist in creating a prosperity consciousness within yourself and throughout the organisation.

1. Formally acknowledge that you act, at times, from a scarcity paradigm, and recognise your behaviours, thoughts and feelings that are indicative of being in a scarcity paradigm.
   
2. Identify, clarify and write down what prosperity means to you. List all the characteristics of what you believe prosperity to be, in you and in others. Now, choose to give all these beliefs up, and agree to place no significance on any of these. If you believe in what you have defined as prosperity, then you automatically limit what you might receive and all that might be possible. In the end, prosperity means infinite possibilities.
   
3. Identify and write down your own belief systems regarding money and resources, and write down the answer to the following question - ‘What is holding me back from attracting more abundance into my life'?
   
4. Identify and write down the belief systems of your staff, Board, other leaders in your organisation, and the culture of your organisation, and clarify what might be holding your organisation back from further prosperity.
   
5. Choose to change the scarcity paradigm belief system to one that is in keeping with prosperity consciousness. You can do this by reframing 180 degrees each of the three scarcity paradigm beliefs ie - There is not enough, becomes "There is an abundance" - It is hard, becomes "It has never been easier" - This is just the way things are, becomes "What are the infinite possibilities".
   
6. Celebrate what you currently have and what is right about what you already have. Move away from a focus on what is not right about your current situation, and embrace what is right. Ask yourself the question "What is right about this I am not getting yet".

These tools are a start to creating a prosperity consciousness.
Once you have recognised and consciously chosen your belief system regarding prosperity or scarcity, then there are a number of powerful techniques specifically developed to expand revenue streams and resources for your organisation.
These techniques include visioning, versioning, benchmarking, ranking and consolidating tools that all facilitate strategic possibilities and enhance strategic thinking to assist in creating revenue streams and resources and to consciously unlock the infinite possibilities of attracting resources to your organisation.

Source:ceoonline.com