Apply the abundance mindset to your creativity

What is the abundance mindset?

The term “abundance mindset” came about in Steven Covey’s book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”. It means “to believe that the world is full of enough resources and time for you to accomplish your goals“.

An abundance of flowers! We just got back to the country of Georgia and this photo reminded me some of the older Georgian women I see selling flowers here. This photo was not taken by me though. It’s by Sami TÜRK.

How did I discover the “abundance mindset” myself?

Well, if there’s anything I’ve learnt from our travels it’s that we are extremely privileged to be Canadian. And I don’t think the average Canadian or American realizes how privileged they are. We’ve been places where the homeless man in North America would look like he lives a luxurious lifestyle. I’m not writing about this to make those of us from North America feel guilty – we cannot control where we are born.

But learning to see what we actually have instead of focusing on what we DON’T have is the first step of practicing a life full of gratitude, leading to adapting the “abundance mindset”.

I used to have this mindset that I was poor because friends at university would have parents who paid for their schooling, their living accommodations and everything. My parents couldn’t afford to pay for mine.

But even though I graduated with $40, 000 in debt, I STILL had more than the child who sleeps in the slums and gets food from garbage dumps in central america. Because I had an education, I had opportunities, I had SO much.

Even though I earn less than minimum wage now because I choose to work for a nonprofit, I have SO much. When my mindset switched from thinking I was poor, to realizing how much I had, my whole attitude changed.

I stopped sulking.

At one point, I did feel guilty, and I let that guilt get in the way of my work.

But once I released the guilt to God and decided that I could not choose where I was born or what I had, I began to use what I had to work harder and to help others.

Now that I’ve seen how abundant and overflowing my life is, I have leveraged my deep sense of gratitude to push me forward. I want to help others, which is why I started working for Worldview Summit, the ministry that my husband (Peter) and I do together.

Me introducing Peter and our ministry at The Crossing (church in Hayward, California). Photo taken by Pastor Joshua Lee.

Don’t get me wrong – I still get thoughts that tempt me to give in to sulking. It can be a real battle sometimes to fight the scarcity mindset. But I start naming the incredible things God’s done in my life, and it helps.

All of this got me thinking…What if we applied this “abundance mindset” to our creativity too?

What if instead of thinking, “I’ve ran out of creative ideas, I’m poor in creative ideas,” we thought, “we have more creative ideas than ever before!”

What if instead of comparing our creative abilities and talents with one another, we helped each other grow?

So how do we apply this mindset to creativity?

The fact of the matter is that you DO have more creative ideas than you think. You might think that they have run out, but they have not. I believe it was in Elizabeth Gilbert’s book, “Big Magic”, that I first learned that this is a common phenomenon. Our ideas feel like they come and go, but really they are burried deep within us, waiting for the right moment to present themselves.

This book was actualy lended to me by the pastor’s wife here in Tbilisi, who is an amazing creative that I look up to. Thanks Michelle!

When you look around, try to name just 3 things you have created in your whole life. It could be a poem, a painting, a photograph, a lifestyle. YOU created that, and there is so much more in you where that came from.

“But Anna,” you might ask. “How am I supposed to believe that is true?”

Well, I can’t make you believe anything. But I can present to you some evidence that might convince you. The first piece of evidence we have already conducted: name three things that you have already created.

Use those three things to inspire you for the next step: name one thing that you want to create. Just ONE. It doesn’t have to be something you create now, it can be something you want to try in the future.

For example, I eventually want to write a book. I’m not sure if it will be fiction, poetry, or non-fiction. I’m not sure what or who the main character or theme will be. I’m not sure about any of that, but I know I want to write a book. I want to write several books.

Now, I want you to practice thankfulness for that desire, that thing you want to create. That is something that the Lord has probably put on your heart to create and He will lead you in the steps to create that.

I also want you to thank God and yourself for creating the three things you named earlier. Thank the Lord that He gave you the gift to practice this form of creativity. Give to Him your writer’s/ artist’s block and watch Him transform it. I have a prayer posted on my IG account that you can specifically use as a guideline to surrender your creative block.

Practice thankfulness. Photo by **Alan Retratos**.

I’m not saying that by doing this you will magically conjure up creative ideas, thoughts and plans. This is simply a practice of letting go and learning to accept the abundance you have in your life. I pray it blesses you as you go.

I would love to hear about your life of abundance with Jesus and how He has transformed you and your creativity! Follow me on Instagram at @empowering.creativity or on my Facebook page and shoot me a DM!