How To Swap Scarcity Thoughts For An Abundance Mindset
- Jan 16, 2023
- 4 min read
Updated: Jan 17, 2023
Written by: Joshua Peters, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Do beliefs about money get in the way of your success?
Your money mindset controls your thoughts and behaviors around finances, and it influences whether you take opportunities to grow.
You'll lag behind people with a healthy wealth mindset if you don't appreciate that financial success is possible.
Here's how to shut down your negative views about money to increase prosperity and business success.
This simple NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) practice can help you accomplish your goals fast, but first, here's what it entails.
NLP Swish method
The Swish technique switches one impression for another. It teaches your mind a different way to think, literally reprogramming the neurons, and helps you ditch unwanted beliefs and habits that hold you back.
For an abundance mindset, you swap scarcity thoughts with abundance thoughts, and the Swish method releases you from poverty thinking.
The technique is named Swish because the swap is fast. You create pictures in your mind as fast as possible as you practice the exercise.
The Abundant Swish
1. First, find a moment in your life that triggers the unwanted thoughts. Think of the last time you struggled with money, or felt frustrated about financial success. Become aware of your location and who else is there. Notice what you see in front of you. Perhaps looking at your bills or checking your bank account is the trigger for your thoughts. Maybe it’s ordering the inexpensive lunch off the menu or visiting with your friend who has lots of success. It doesn’t matter what it is, just become aware of it. Make the image of the trigger moment clear in your mind, sharpen the details. Make it like a photograph.
2. Now that you’ve identified the trigger for the unwanted idea, count backward from 10, sing happy birthday, or do something else for a moment before moving on (we are breaking state here).
3. Now imagine yourself from the future with an abundant mindset. How will you feel? More confident? At ease? Inspired? Notice what that is for you. What is the look on your face? What is your posture? How do you breathe? What are you wearing? What do you do with your abundance? How will these changes improve your life? Make all the images, sounds, and feelings big and bright and bold. When you're immersed in how terrific it feels to be wealthy, shrink the picture down to the size of a postage stamp and place it in the bottom corner of the negative image.
4, Break your mental state again. Wipe the images from your mind and jump up and down, or think about what you will have for dinner tomorrow.
5. Now bring up the negative image, with the tiny little positive image down in the corner. 1, 2, 3, Swish! Let the positive image EXPLODE out, filling and covering up the negative image. Let the feelings and the sounds and the images get big and bright and loud, flowing over and through you. Then sweep the screen of your mind clean fast, so only whiteness remains. Repeat the Swish, picturing the negative image with the small positive image down in the corner. 1, 2, 3, Swish! Notice the positive image EXPLODE out, getting bigger and brighter and bolder, feel the feelings, hear the sounds, see the sights. Carry out the exercise nine more times in quick succession, breaking your state between each Swish.
Test the trigger
Think of the event that usually triggers the scarcity thoughts and notice what’s different. As the technique works, it becomes hard to remember how you used to feel. If, however, you still feel negative, repeat the exercise, taking your time.
The Swish technique is very effective when practiced, but it's not always easy. Don't worry if you aren't successful at first. Also, feel free to play with your imagination. People are different, so what works for one individual may not for another.
Rather than see the future you replace the trigger moment, you can imagine another scenario. Some people imagine the idea they want to get rid of turns into a ball they throw in the distance. They then see the positive replacement image bounce back and grow until it fills their mental screen. Whatever works for you is best.
You may have a poverty mindset right now, but you can change it with the Swish technique. Read these instructions several times until you learn them by heart, speak them into a recorder and play them back, or get a friend to read them for you. If the exercise works straight away, terrific. If not, repeat it and change the imagery to work for you.
You'll know when you've got it right because your ideas about money will begin to change. Rather than a scarcity mindset you’ll enjoy thoughts and feelings of abundance that help you act in ways that increase your wealth.
Joshua Peters, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Joshua Peters is a high performance coach and hypnotist. He helps his clients go from anxiety to action using a blend of neuroscience and evidence-based hypnosis. After spending years learning techniques to remake his own life he dedicated himself to bringing those same strategies to his clients. Joshua believes that everyone can take back control of their life and is the founder of X-Factor Hypnosis, based out of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
