I woke up this morning long before my alarm and thinking about yesterday. That's a solid indicator that I'm carrying something with me, and I think I know what that something is: Scarcity. Scarcity is usually used in reference to economics, but it simply means not enough of something. Not enough to go around. More demand than resources. But in line with my how I do anything is how I do everything theory, if I experience scarcity in one area of my life I will likely find it hiding in other places too.
I've had this thought for awhile now in relationship to my challenge with the long run workout--I think it's a scarcity issue. I can't put my finger on why I think that or if it's even accurate, but it's worth exploring. I saw this quote: "If you cannot solve the proposed problem, try to solve first some related problem." (George Polya). It's good advice, so I think it's time to bring this scarcity issue front and center.
There is a fantastic word that I had forgotten about and came across when I was looking up scarcity, and it's the word paucity. Paucity is closely related and it means the presence of something but in only small or insufficient quantities or amounts. It's clear to me that the opposite of scarcity and paucity is abundance, but how in the world do you get there? What's the cause of scarcity and paucity, and what's the solution?
I was thinking about my difficult day yesterday, and I realized that fear and insecurity were likely at the heart of it. And fear and insecurity breed scarcity and paucity. If you tap in to scarcity and paucity it will leak into all areas of life. And honestly I think we've tapped into it collectively and it's leaked into our culture-- i.e. if you get some then I don't, and if I get some then you don't. And frankly, that's horse s**t. There is enough for you and there is enough for me. We all know this intellectually, I think, but scarcity doesn't live in our intellect, it lives in our cells. At least that's how I picture it for myself. I can know intellectually that the idea that there isn't enough is not accurate, but somewhere deeper in me the belief has settled in.
So what's the answer to this? Well for me the antidote is love and joy. Love and joy create abundance, and I'm not talking bunches of money or likes on Instagram. I'm talking about that feeling of belief in yourself when you feel all your possibility, and that genuine excitement for what's also possible for other people. I think life will take care of itself when you go forth in love and joy. Love and joy will get you a good night's sleep. Scarcity will wake you up early thinking about yesterday.
There's one more bit of good news on this front:
According to researchers, the body replaces itself with a largely new set of cells every seven years to 10 years, and some of our most important parts are revamped even more rapidly [sources: Stanford University, Northrup]. (from howstuffworks.com)
So in my estimation if I continue to stay awake, and switch from fear and insecurity (when it rises up) to love and joy , I just may be able to wash scarcity out of my system. In seven to ten years, I could be running down that road on my long run, running on abundance that's fueled by love and joy, and scarcely able to remember what life was like when I wrote this post : )
It's definitely worth a shot.