--- content_date: 2020-03-20 feed: "DANIEL_ON_SLOPE" codex_section: "S01" codex_candidate: true source: Scotomaville source_file: 01.04-abundant-scarcity.pdf chapter: 01.04-abundant-scarcity total_pdf_pages: 8 volume: v1 title: Abundant Scarcity monomyth_stage: "01 - Ordinary World" category: - awareness - identity tags: - scarcity-mindset - abundance-mindset - emotional-triggers - hoarding-behavior - childhood-scarcity - worldview-formation - perspective-shift - personal-development - scotoma-awareness - attitude-choice summary: I share how my childhood experiences with scarcity resurfaced during the early COVID toilet paper shortages, triggering old emotional patterns and a sense of settling for less. By recognizing this as a scotoma and choosing an abundant mindset instead, I show how mimicking examples like Robin Williams can shift us from being immobilized by fear to motivated by perspective. This chapter is about the discipline of framing situations differently so we stop hoarding and start living with more. qr_links: - https://youtu.be/CsoMw7DyaiQ - https://youtu.be/B9MqXtveinw --- # 01.04-abundant-scarcity ## Spread 001 [p1–p2] **type:** image_heavy | **img coverage:** L=45% R=14% **heading:** Leaving SCOTOMAVILLE ### Visual description The left page features a large, realistic photograph of a close-up hand with the index finger extended forward, set against a blurred background of a metal grate or vent, possibly inside a vehicle. The word "hoarding" is overlaid in large, semi-transparent white lettering across the center of the image. A dark gray banner at the bottom contains the chapter's opening text about being triggered and choosing one's attitude. The page header shows "ABUNDANT SCARCITY .04" with "01 AWARENESS" running vertically along the left margin. The right page is dominated by a dark gray upper section containing a large color photograph of an older man with white hair and a black zip-up jacket, his face contorted in an open-mouthed laugh or shout. Next to it is a small inset still of Robin Williams in character from *Good Morning, Vietnam!*, paired with the quote “Good-morning Vietnam!” and text referencing COVID-era toilet paper hoarding. The lower portion includes a "WHAT TO LEARN" box and additional body text about shifting from a scarcity to an abundant mindset. The left image feels metaphorical, using the pointing hand and "hoarding" overlay as visual commentary on scarcity thinking. The right side combines documentary photography (likely of Daniel) with humorous juxtaposition to illustrate the chapter's theme of attitude choice. ### Left page Leaving SCOTOMAVILLE 44 ABUNDANT SCARCITY .04 It’s easy to be triggered when other people choose for you. Fortunately, no one else can chose your attitude but you. 01 AWARENESS hoarding ### Right page Leaving SCOTOMAVILLE 45 “Good-morning Vietnam!” Mimicking is a teriffic way TO shift from a scarcity mindset toward abundance! Robin Williams continuously demonstrated memorable ways we can change our attitude while in a lousy situation. I’ve attempted to buy toilet paper for over 10 days - with no luck thanks to the abundant scarcity mindset of those hording the isles clean. I think I’ll have to look for a Sear’s Catalog soon. I was laughing this morning thinking of Robin Williams... “Gooooood Moorrrnniiiin Viiieeetnaam !!!” Yeah, we miss him, don’t we? He was a great comedian! You might remember from a previous lesson that Bill Sharman says - ‘Life is what hap pens BETWEEN your plans.’ It’s mid-March 2020. People are hoarding with panic. All across America, people sound like Robin - ‘AAAAHHH !!’. An abundant mindset is a discipline of choice. It’s a habit of framing situations from a perspective that motivates rather than immobilizes. Mimicking someone with an abundance mindset is a great starting place. WHAT TO LEARN ## Spread 002 [p3–p4] **type:** image_heavy | **img coverage:** L=51% R=0% **heading:** Leaving SCOTOMAVILLE ### Visual description The left page is dominated by a large, realistic photograph of two identical clear glass goblets with water, placed side-by-side on a gray metal table outdoors. Both glasses appear filled to roughly the same level (about half), with visible reflections of trees and sky on their surfaces, set against a softly blurred garden background of grass, rocks, and foliage. A black banner is overlaid across the bottom third of the photo, containing the white text: “Half-full or half-empty is a mindset. The scotoma is that your choice is the correct one.” On the right page, a gray rectangular sidebar box features a bold quote in white text: “People are hording toilet paper. What?” followed by explanatory body text about emotional triggers and hoarding behavior. A second black banner near the top of the right page states in white text: “Scarcity is a mindset you can change.” The photograph is documentary in style (a real outdoor scene) but functions as a clear visual metaphor for the chapter’s central theme of scarcity versus abundance mindsets, directly illustrating the classic “glass half full or empty” analogy referenced in the surrounding text. ### Left page Leaving SCOTOMAVILLE 46 Stories of scarcity grab our attention. Our emotions get triggered simply by an association with long-forgotten events of our childhood - with fears we’re not consciously aware of - demanding we capture all the toilet paper we can because everyone else is doing the same. Our brain finds patterns. It matches things up ‘that’s like this!’... ’Oh that snake - it bit me! Ooh, that rock - it tripped me! Ooh, that branch - it grabbed me! Ooh, that person - they betrayed me!’ Our brain likes to associate. When you walk into a grocery store and the stuff isn’t there, but people are reselling it (hand sanitiz er) in the grocery parking lot, you’re likely to have emotional triggers. Food was scarce when I grew up. So I watched the Galloping Gourmet for ideas on how to turn a few ingredients into celebrations. I was the oldest and was assigned child care duty as my parents worked. My stepdad worked graveyard as a law enforcement officer. My mom worked in an office and didn’t get home until just before dinner. Do you know those box meals where the helper (hamburger) serves four? There were five mouths around the table in our blended family. As I remember it, my step-dad would come home for dinner with the patrol car. He’d get the first serving. Mom would be second. My step-brother was third. My step-sister and I would split the fourth serving. I interpreted the shortage personally as “settle for less”. Scarcity stained my world- view for decades. Half-full or half-empty is a mindset. The scotoma is that your choice is the correct one. ### Right page Leaving SCOTOMAVILLE 47 I could hardly believe what I was seeing. For weeks on end the toilet paper isle was cleaned out. You can’t eat it, but it became scarce. When we ran out I got up at dawn and stood in line to be certain I was allocated a few rolls. America is full of emotionally rich hoarders? “People are hording toilet paper. What?” In my mid-30s that I read ‘Your Erroneous Zones’ by Wayne Dyer. I still recall sitting on the hot sandy bank, in Sun Lakes State Park in Wash ington where Wayne pointed out the difference between scarcity and abundance. Both scarcity and abundance are a mindset. Scarcity is a point of view. Scarcity is not valid. It’s an opinion. It’s a vicious loop that goes round and round like toilet paper. Today people are hoarding toilet paper, soaps, you know-all the disinfectants, all the tissues, all the napkins, all that stuff. Scarcity is a mindset you can change. People have put a limit on certain things. For example, you can only have one carton of eggs, only one gallon of water, only one tissue box. Where did they all go? My scarcity mindset was molded by what my parents believed. It produced my worldview. I felt that if I didn’t have the luck to be near the front of the line, I wouldn’t get what was due me. But, unfortunately, a lot of people got the wrong message as I did. Standing in line at a Walmart... All of the emotions of scarcity and childhood come flooding back. It’s amazing how easy it is to trigger that stuff. And it’s incredible how long it takes to leave Scotomaville! ## Spread 003 [p5–p6] **type:** text_only | **img coverage:** L=0% R=19% **heading:** Leaving SCOTOMAVILLE ### Left page Leaving SCOTOMAVILLE 48 Abundance is a matter of perspective - like the use of this white space - or the Beverly Hillbillies truck. Abundance can work for or against you. It can focus your attention or constrict your world view. ### Right page Leaving SCOTOMAVILLE 49 Unpacking the Past: Remember the Beverly Hillbillies’ truck, filled to the brim with belongings they couldn’t discard? That im age serves as a metaphor for our minds, laden with thoughts and beliefs that we cling to, sometimes without knowing why. Over the coming weeks, months, and years, I aim to guide you in unpacking your mental load, re-examining where your thoughts, beliefs, and behavior originate. With the knowledge of mod ern brain plasticity, you can reshape your perspectives and rewire your thinking. I grew up amid scarcity but came to understand it was a choice—a mindset. I owe my parents credit for shaping my thoughts. But my re-shaping, my transformation began when I sought the abun dant wisdom of others. The Era of Prosperity: As Peter Diamandis observed, we live in the most prosperous era in human history. Albert Einstein, who believed in the power of imagination and curiosity, might add that this age of abundance extends not only to material wealth but to knowledge and opportunities for self-discovery. The Dangerous Side of Abundance: Yuval Harari warns of the perils of abundance, stating that our personal choices are more dangerous than external threats. “Sugar is more dan gerous than gunpowder. More people die from diabetes than from war or terrorism combined.” Pathway to an Abundance Mindset: Embracing an abundance mindset begins with awareness of emotional triggers. Curiosity fuels the question: Why Do I Do What I Do? For now, game yourself like a child. Give yourself a time-out when your emotions get triggered. Go for a walk. Take the trash out. Commit time to explore the root of the overwhelming emotions. Towards Abundance: Moving towards abundance involves managing emotions tied to scarcity. Be abundant in your self- worth, allowing yourself time to reflect and heal early wounds from an adult perspective. Consider the wisdom of Jim Rohn, who said, “If you really want to do something, you’ll find a way. If you don’t, you’ll find an excuse.” ## Spread 004 [p7–p8] **type:** text_only | **img coverage:** L=14% R=15% **heading:** CsoMw7DyaiQ **urls:** `https://youtu.be/` `https://youtu.be/` ### Left page YOURT https://youtu.be/CsoMw7DyaiQ Personal Development is akin to an umbrella, with Awareness as the canopy, Understanding as the shank, and Discipline as the handle. When we grasp the handle and unfold the canopy, we slow down the process of getting soaked in life’s challenges. As Viktor Frankl wisely said, “Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response.” However, an umbrella stashed in your coat closet at home is as useful as a tool left untouched. Climbing your Personal Everest requires a combination of tools, not just an umbrella. It’s about shifting toward an abundance mindset, where obstacles transform into opportunities, leading you to pivot from constrained thinking to empowering insights. Reflect on the lessons from the three prior episodes. What blind-spots or patterns of thinking have emerged regarding your dealings with scarcity? How can you turn those insights into steps toward abundance? WATCH REFLECT https://youtu.be/B9MqXtveinw ### Right page RTURN The pandemic offered numerous challenges which undoubtedly triggered strong emotions and core behaviors. You didn’t go through it alone. Everyone participated. Share an insight, lesson or ask a question. Scan the code to discuss scarcity with other readers and the author. DISCUSS