The Abundance versus the Scarcity Mentality in Professional Development and
Growth

A speech delivered by Eric Kimani to the Kenya Institute of Bankers,
Mombasa Chapter on 1st December 2006.

When the Kenya Institute of Bankers, Coast chapter invited me to come and
speak to you they gave me ample notice. One would therefore imagine that it
is very easy to have chosen what to speak about- It is not!, I thought for
weeks what it is that I can speak to you that would add value both ways
away from the usual advise you might find in the newspaper.  But I
continually drew a blank.  Then I thought to myself why not be
controversial and speak about something as basic as how our mentality
affects our professional careers. I decided to talk about how our attitudes
and mentality affect our career growth or stagnation- The Abundance versus
Scarcity mentality.

Let us start with some long winded definitions;

What is an abundance mentality- this is a deep belief that there is enough
for all- enough work, enough jobs enough resources. It is living with a
favor-minded attitude. One can define it also as optimism. Seeing the glass
half full rather than half empty. Thinking big and expecting big. I will
draw very many examples which I seek your indulgence if they sound like
self-praise- they are only meant to help clarify the message. I recently
led a group of some passionate Kenyans in a charity fundraising. Some of
them thought I was out of my mind to suggest that we can ask Kenyans to
donate Ksh. 7m. This initiative realized close to 12m! The barriers are in
our minds and we will not go beyond the barriers in our minds.

By contrast the scarcity mentality is a belief that your success will imply
someone else’s failure; that there are scarce resources and if you get them
you must deny someone else; that there is scarcity of jobs; that the cake
is not enough and I must grab my share. The scarcity mentality is one of
our biggest problems in this country today with politicians believing that
they have gone to parliament to ensure get the largest share of the
national cake for “their people/electorate”. This was also epitomized
lately by a senior executive friend of mine whom I approached in September
to donate money to the national charity cause I referred to above that
incidentally helps more people from his village than anywhere else in
Kenya. He responded that he could not help because they have a similar
initiative to help his village. His scarcity mentality- that there is not
enough for his village and the national initiative blinded him in seeing
that he could achieve what he is doing for the village in a more
far-reaching manner.

So much for the definitions.
I hope to show you by the end of my talk that the difference between
successful people and the less successful is largely their mentality of
abundance or of scarcity.

-  People with an abundance mentality have an internal security based on a
principled centered living. Their value system is self-anchored. They are
not too worried of saying/doing the wrong thing because they ordinarily
talk from a point of truth. This frees their mind to bigger/better thoughts
because they have nothing to cover. What they said yesterday is what they
will repeat today without contradiction. This internal security enhances
their humility. It allows them to enjoy professional freedom. They can
choose what they want to do. By contrast people with a scarcity mentality
seek their validation from groups. They will rarely want to take action on
their own. The group must validate what they do.

To draw an example from my own career, I have left employment 3 times in
the last decade and at no time have I ever felt that there would be
scarcity of opportunities. I believe strongly that there is something
better out there awaiting you to discover. I have always relied on my sense
of internal security to anchor myself. Do not owe your employment to your
boss’s favor or anyone for that matter. Believe you are the best there is
and you will work towards it and become it!

People with an abundance mentality seek solitude and enjoy nature. By
taking time out in solitude and nature, you allow yourself to access your
deepest thoughts and hence your human spirit with which we are all equally
endowed. Most successful people I know will take time out to reflect. I try
to take a solitary one or two night retreat away from family and work once
every year and try and access my human spirit. You have to experience it to
believe it. It re-energizes you.

People with an abundance mentality keep their mind and body tuned through
wide reading and exercise. It is a pity that most of us stop reading on
graduating. Most successful people read voraciously- they are in sync with
what is going on around them. They are current. They do not spend an hour
reading newspapers or watching TV but will spend hours reading the latest
management thoughts for example. I try to read as many books in year as I
can. I have tried to keep fit for over 10 years and my wife who is my
jogging and walking  partner can attest to that- we call exercise our
lifeline! Without the mental and physical fitness we would not have
survived the vagaries of disease and the challenges of everyday life!

People with an abundance mentality serve others. Like one writer put it and
I quote “Service is the only rent to pay for the privilege of living in
this world” Are you paying or are you robbing the landlord? Service
enhances internal security and fuels the abundance mentality- at the
beginning of this year I pledged to donate ksh. 2m to a cause….I chair the
Disciplinary committee of the Accountants; I chair Help Age Kenya, I chair
The Palmhouse Foundation among many others. Nothing gives me greater joy!
People ask me where I get the time- some of my friends have asserted that I
have a 25-hour day! I tell people you have time for what you value. An
abundance mentality gives you time and opportunity to serve others.

People with an abundance mentality let those below them grow and hence give
themselves the opportunity to grow even faster and higher. I keep saying to
people that if you are good at what you do, the only place those who want
your job can push you is upwards. They work with the best minds. They seek
out those who are better than them! A scarcity mentality tells you it is
dangerous to let your junior became as good or better than you- nothing
could be further from the reality! My career success would not be what it
is without those who worked under me. People with an abundance mentality
know when to get out before they get stale. I have left some of my previous
jobs as soon as I realized that my best was no longer good enough. Some of
us stay too long on jobs we do not enjoy hoping that our boss will get out
of the way sooner! My advise to professionals who do not enjoy what they do
is – for heavens sake move on elsewhere! At one time I left a job that was
so well paying at the time that my wife thought I was crazy- You cannot
excel where you do not enjoy!

People with an abundance mentality have a long term view of life and hence
are visionaries- they are able to see what many cannot discern. They create
uncharted territories. This is because they already believe everything is
possible- How many times have you wondered how come that many times that
successful guy/lady is ultimately right? Many say he/she knew what they
were doing. The truth is that such people operate from a paradigm of
abundance.


People with an abundance mentality are problem solvers and are hence
popular with their superiors. They provide unusual solution to problems.
They are  able to separate people from the problems. They attract others
into the team with their sincerity. I lead many volunteer teams in very
successful initiatives. I love looking for the third alternative to
problems and hence my popularity with employers. The scarcity mentality on
the other tells us we should not stick our necks out and should remain as
passive followers.

People with an abundance mentality are courageous. One must however
remember that courage is not to absence of fear but more the mastery of
fear. I have experienced fear in my life- I cannot for example remember
anything as fearful as changing jobs. A friend of mine told me recently
that a herd of sheep led by a lion will defeat a pack of lions led by a
sheep! The courage to take action is one of the greatest attributes of
great leaders. Courage is a consequence of the abundance mentality.

People with an abundance mentality understand and respect the law of the
Farm or the law of the harvest. They know how/when to forego immediate
gratification in favor of delayed and long term satisfaction. They
appreciate that you will reap what you planted! They understand the need to
prepare the ground, plant, weed, water and tend before you can harvest.
They are not moved by peer pressure. I still marvel at some of my friends
who I grew up with who tried to violate the law of the harvest – they are
or have already paid dearly for this. Imagine if at the age of 18 you have
your own chauffeur driven Mercedes? What would you be working for at 50?
Does it surprise us that many of our kids are on drugs? We have not exposed
them to the law of the farm! Those who do not know me for example may not
know the painstaking effort I have put in my career, like many of you,  to
get where I am today- seven years ago I was still studying! I still take
time today to learn new technology and read widely to keep myself relevant.
An abundance mentality reinforces the law of the harvest. The scarcity
mentality fools us that we can cheat the law of the harvest and
short-circuit it- it never works!

People with an abundance mentality are passionate about everything they
take up- They live their short lives in greater harmony than mediocre
people. They are ordinarily positive about much in life and this seem to
produce a self-fulfilling prophecy of success. When they see a  mountain
they think of how best to climb it and not about the dangers of climbing.
They see opportunity where others see no hope. An instructive story is told
of two shoe salesmen sent to Africa to see what opportunities there were.
One came back saying he was disappointed that there was no market for shoes
because the natives do not wear shoes. They other came back and saying
there was a huge opportunity because the natives do not have shoes!

Professionals with an abundance mentality treat whatever they take on as a
project. A project to be executed so well that it guarantees extension or
another project. I like reminding people that like Tom Peters, the great
management guru keeps telling us – the life of indentured servitude is
over! You must treat your job as a project to be executed meticulously and
create a brand name for yourself in the banking industry and believe me
before long people will be looking for you to do other lucrative projects.
From Tom Peters masterpiece “the Circle of Innovation) in 1998, I
discovered this ground breaking truth that convinced me to leave my job
then and never to be employed again! Every work I do is a project. I
endeavor to complete my projects successfully. I will endeavor to finish my
Sameer/Yana project as successfully as possible. I will give it my best.
Some projects will take longer than others but this does change the fact
that they are projects. I appeal to all of us present to stop considering
ourselves as permanent employees- the 21st century has no place for this!
Only successful team players working on deliverable and measurable projects
will survive the white collar revolution! If you are under 40 and hoping to
retire in your current job, then something is wrong with your project!
Seriously re-examine your options. If there is one industry that has been
the victim of change and technology, it is banking! More retrenchment has
been seen in this sector that any other I know- and in my view we have not
scratched the surface!! Learn how to be a project contractor – there is no
longer room for employees in the 21st century!

I would like to conclude my talk with a favorite quotation often wrongly
attributed to Nelson Mandela but is actually by Marriane Williamson and I
quote;

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that
we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light not our darkness that most
frightens us. We ask ourselves who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous,
talented, fabulous? Actually who are you not to be? You are a child of
God.Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing
enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around
you. We are all meant to shine as children do. We were born to make
manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us;
it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give
other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own
fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” Marianne Williamson

I hope you have enjoyed my talk. Thank you and God bless you.

Eric

Honesty......

A BAGGAGE HANDLER removing the luggage from the Sao Paulo-Rio flight picked up a passenger's pet carrier -- and saw the dog was dead...

He quickly called his superior, who, recognizing the situation was ripe for a legal suit, paged his supervisor. He thought for a moment and told his subordinate, "There's a pet shop near the airport. Go and get a dog like this one." "But when she gets home she'll know it's not her pet!" he objected. "Once she gets out of the airport, it will be her problem. And she'll not look closely in the bustle of claiming her luggage and getting away," replied the chief. So while the subordinate found a similar animal at the pet shop, the chief stalled the dog's owner.

Finally, the pet carrier appeared with a live animal. The owner took one look at the dog and exclaimed, "This is not my dog!" The supervisor went to bat. "Ma'am, with the difference in pressure and temperature during flight, and considering the stress the pet feels, the animals often act strangely until they get in familiar surroundings. "

"Well, this flight certainly changed my dog," she declared, "because when I put him on the plane, he was dead. I decided to bring him back to Rio and bury him close to me, since I loved him so much."

THOUGHT: How often do we try to fix a situation or improve a bad moment, only to make things worse? Somehow, we think our dishonest schemes can put things right. When things go wrong, however, there is no substitute for honesty, confession, and transparency. Problems and situations are to be not managed, but faced squarely. Character determines whether we will work around a problem, or deal openly with it. (J. Randal Matheny)

"The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the
treacherous destroys them" (Proverbs 11:3, ESV; cf. 2 Cor. 4:2).

THE 90/10 PRINCIPLE

Discover the 90/10 Principle. It will change your life (at least the way
you react to situations). What is this principle?

10% of life is made up of what happens to you. 90% of life is decided by
how you react. What does this mean?

We really have no control over 10% of what happens to us. We cannot stop the car from breaking down. The plane will be late arriving, which throws our whole schedule off. A driver may cut us off in traffic. We have no control over this 10%. The other 90% is different. You determine the other 90%.

How? By your reaction.

You cannot control a red light., but you can control your reaction. Don't
let people fool you; YOU can control how you react. Let's use an example.

You are eating breakfast with your family. Your daughter knocks over a cup of coffee onto your business shirt. You have no control over what just happened. What happens next will be determined by how you react. You curse.

You harshly scold your daughter for knocking the cup over. She breaks down in tears. After scolding her, you turn to your spouse and criticize her for placing the cup too close to the edge of the table. A short verbal battle follows. You storm upstairs and change your shirt. Back downstairs, you find your daughter has been too busy crying to finish breakfast and get ready for school. She misses the bus. Your spouse must leave immediately for work.

You rush to the car and drive your daughter to school. Because you are
late, you drive 40 miles an hour in a 30 mph speed limit. After a 15-minute
delay and throwing $60 traffic fine away, you arrive at school. Your
daughter runs into the building without saying goodbye. After arriving at the office 20 minutes late, you find you forgot your briefcase.Your day has started terrible. As it continues, it seems to get worse and worse. You look forward to coming home, When you arrive home, you find small wedge in your relationship with your spouse and daughter.

Why? Because of how you reacted in the morning. Why did you have a bad day?

A) Did the coffee cause it?

B) Did your daughter cause it?

C) Did the policeman cause it?

D) Did you cause it?

The answer is " D".

You had no control over what happened with the coffee.How you reacted in those 5 seconds is what caused your bad day. Here is what could have and should have happened.

Coffee splashes over you. Your daughter is about to cry. You gently say, "It's ok honey, you just need, to be more careful next time". Grabbing a towel you rush upstairs. After grabbing a new shirt and your briefcase, you come back down in time to look through the window and see your child getting on the bus. She turns and waves. You arrive 5 minutes early and cheerfully greet the staff. Your boss comments on how good the day you are having.

Notice the difference?

Two different scenarios. Both started the same. Both ended different.Why?

Because of how you REACTED.

You really do not have any control over 10% of what happens. The other 90% was determined by your reaction.

Here are some ways to apply the 90/10 principle.

If someone says something negative about you, don't be a sponge. Let the attack roll off like water on glass. You don't have to let the negative
comment affect you! React properly and it will not ruin your day. A wrong reaction could result in losing a friend, being fired, getting stressed out etc.

How do you react if someone cuts you off in traffic? Do you lose your
temper? Pound on the steering wheel? A friend of mine had the steering
wheel fall off) Do you curse? Does your blood pressure skyrocket? Do you try and bump them? WHO CARES if you arrive ten seconds later at work? Why let the cars ruin your drive? Remember the 90/10 principle, and do not worry about it.

You are told you lost your job. Why lose sleep and get irritated? It will
work out. Use your worrying energy and time into finding another job. The plane is late; it is going to mangle your schedule for the day. Why take out your frustration on the flight attendant? She has no control over what is going on. Use your time to study, get to know the other passenger. Why get stressed out? It will just make things worse.

Now you know the 90-10 principle. Apply it and you will be amazed at the results. You will lose nothing if you try it. The 90-10 principle is
incredible. Very few know and apply this principle. The result? Millions of people are suffering from undeserved stress, trials, problems and
heartache. We all must understand and apply the 90/10 principle. It CAN
change your life!!!

Use Your Time Wisely!

When I was small, I have never considered the importance of time. I
would just laze around, watch TV, lie in bed, and play video games. As
I grew older, I thought about the things that I have achieved. To my
surprise, I haven't accomplished a lot.

I resolved to myself that I will do things that will contribute to the
benefit of mankind. I studied very hard and learned a lot of lessons
from my experience. I lack self-confidence before, so I want to help
other people overcome this predicament.

I became obsessed with self-improvement, so I started a newsletter. I'm
also working on an ebook about persuasion as I'm writing this. I want
to help anyone in need because it feels so good to solve other people's
problems.

I urge you now to make the most use of your time. It may be joining a
fundraising organization. You may also learn new skills or crafts.
Create a goal and go for it!

Don't be a couch potato. Don't just sit around and be contented with
the monotonous patterns of your daily activities.

Do something nice and give all your best to the fulfillment of a
worthwhile endeavor. It will give you a very deep sense of happiness
and satisfaction.

Some people complain that they don't have enough time to take action on
their goals. They have to go to their 9 to 5 job, then when they go
home they feel so tired all they can think about is watch TV, relax,
and sleep.

I'm not saying that leisure is a no-no. In fact, everyone should take
time out once in a while to recharge and revitalize their energy. The
key is to have a balanced life. Set aside a fraction of your time to
carry out your dreams and ambitions. Reserve some time to establish
healthy relationships.

Ok, I hear you. You're saying that you really just can't budget your
time?

Don't panic. Here are some time management tips.

1) If possible, do more than one thing at the same time.
Exercise while watching your favorite TV show. Listen to educational
tapes while waiting for the bus.
Be forewarned! Never do this if it puts you at risk or in danger; for
example, don't text while driving.

2) Don't do something later if it can be done concurrently with an
activity at present.
If you're going to the market to buy some eggs, think of the other
things that you have to purchase so that you don't have to return
again.
If you have an appointment with the dentist today and you also have to
go to the bank (which is near the dentist's clinic) at any day,
schedule the two activities on the same day.

3) Be organized in everything that you do.
Put labels on bottles. Put similar files on one folder. Make a list of
things you have to do for the day.
You can also use your mind to organize things you have to remember.
Studies have shown that you could only retain information that fit
between 5 to 9 categories at a time. This is the 7+-2 rule of
Neurolinguistic Programming.
If you have many things to do, try to group related things together.
You can combine activities such as reading books, listening to
educational tapes, and watching training videos into a category such as
"Education." Then you can group swimming, playing basketball, and
paying fees for the gym in a category called "Fitness." Get the
picture?

Time is one of our most valuable resources.
Once lost, it can never be reclaimed. We must use time wisely for our
development and advancement; so that when we are old, we can look back
and recollect the pleasant memories and deeds that we have achieved.
Time well spent is worth much more than gold.

QUOTES:
"Time well spent is worth much more than gold." Michael Lee, CPA
"We need to determine what activities best utilize our time in order to
achieve the results we desire in all areas of our life!" Catherine
Pulsifer

"Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number
of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur,
Michaelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and
Albert Einstein." H. Jackson Brown

"Never allow anyone to rain on your parade and thus cast a pall of
gloom and defeat on the entire day. Remember that no talent, no
self-denial, no brains, no character, are required to set up in the
fault-finding business. Nothing external can have any power over you
unless you permit it. Your time is too precious to be sacrificed in
wasted days combating the menial forces of hate, jealously, and envy. "
Og Mandino

"Tomorrow life is too late; live today." Martial

"God didn't have time to make a nobody, only a somebody. I believe that
each of us has God-given talents within us waiting to be brought to
fruition." Mary Kay Ash

"Don't let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something
stand in the way of your doing it. The time will pass anyway; we might
just as well put that passing time to the best possible use." Earl
Nightingale


"Don't be fooled by the calendar. There are only as many days in the
year as you make use of.
One man gets only a week's value out of a year while another man gets a
full year's value out of a week." Charles Richards

"Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and you
can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other
people spend it for you." Carl Sandburg

Setting goals has many benefits.

You are focused on what YOU want to achieve.
By setting goals, you have clearly stated what you want, not what
someone else desires.

Your self-confidence increases as you reach milestones along the way.
As you complete each action step towards your goal, your
self-confidence grows because you can see the concrete results of your
efforts.

A Little Bit Every Day
By Catherine Pulsifer

Recently I had a conversation with a person who has a long-term goal
that will take a few years to achieve. The individual seemed
overwhelmed with the size of the goal and was getting discouraged.
Their focus was on all the things they need to do to reach the goal and
their comment to me was, "I just can't do it". It reminded me of the
story of the clock that had been running and running:

This clock had sat on the mantle for years. And it ran and ran. One
day, the clock began to think about how many times it had to tick
during the year. It counted up the seconds - it would have to tick
31,536,000 times a year. The clock seemed overwhelmed - "I can't do
it, that is just too much." So the clock stopped ticking. Then
somebody reminded the clock that it didn't have to tick the 31,536,000
seconds all at one time, but rather one tick at a time. The clock then
realized this was okay and started ticking again!

When we set our goals, it is good to visualize the end results. But,
getting to our goal is doing a little bit every day; not doing it all
at once. So the next time you find yourself overwhelmed by your goal,
remember the clock and the number of ticks - do a little bit every
day and over time you will reach your goal. Believe me, reaching your
goal is worth it!



QUOTES
"Goals give you a compass in order to direct your path through life.
Goals focus your thoughts and actions on areas that have precise
purpose and meaning."
Catherine Pulsifer

"The trouble with not having a goal is that you can spend your life
running up and down the field and never score."
Bill Copeland

"If you have a goal in life that takes a lot of energy, that requires a
lot of work, that incurs a great deal of interest and that is a
challenge to you, you will always look forward to waking up to see what
the new day brings."
Susan Polis Schultz

"Choosing a goal and sticking to it changes everything."
Scott Reed

"Great minds have purposes, others have dreams."
Washington Irving

"Your goals are the road maps that guide you and show you what is
possible for your life. "
Les Brown