Photos by Magenta School of Magick
There’s something deeply unsettling about watching brilliant people sabotage their own success. We’ve witnessed countless individuals who possess remarkable talents, yet somehow remain trapped in patterns of thinking that keep abundance at arm’s length. This isn’t just about money (though that’s certainly part of it), it’s about a fundamental belief system that whispers “there’s never enough” in every area of life.
You might recognise this pattern in yourself when you find yourself hoarding opportunities, competing fiercely for what feels like limited resources, or making decisions rooted in self preservation rather than growth. Perhaps you catch yourself dismissing possibilities before they’ve even had a chance to unfold or, like us, feeling guilty when good things happen to you. These responses don’t emerge in a vacuum, they’re the hallmarks of what is called a poverty mindset.
The contrast with an abundance mindset is striking. When you operate from this expanded perspective, stress naturally diminishes, creativity flourishes, relationships deepen, and life becomes considerably more enjoyable. We believe that learning how to shift away from scarcity thinking requires confronting beliefs about limitations that may have been handed down through the generations. A sort of inherited “scarcity trauma” that operates below conscious awareness.
What fascinates us is how this shift extends far beyond financial improvement. The journey from scarcity to abundance represents a mindset shift in how you experience the world and your place within it. Through practical spiritual approaches, you can begin to notice how gratitude practises genuinely improve life satisfaction, discover methods for reframing those persistent negative thoughts, and develop strategies for surrounding yourself with the kind of positivity that actually sticks. How to get out of a poverty mindset begins when you recognise the abundance that’s already flowing through your life.
Understanding the Poverty Mindset
The grip of scarcity runs considerably deeper than just your bank balance. Studies reveal that living in poverty fundamentally alters how your brain operates and that children raised in poverty tend to develop different brain structures. This suggests that poverty affects everything from cognitive function to the decisions you make daily and a poverty mindset represents a psychological orientation centred around scarcity rather than possibility. It’s characterised by the persistent belief that you’ll never have enough resources, opportunities, or success. This mindset develops either from direct experience with financial hardship or from being raised in an environment where scarcity thinking, or blaming wealthier people (or money itself) for personal hardships, was normalised.
The poverty mindset also creates distinctive behavioural patterns that actually reinforce financial struggle. Most significantly, it eradicates future thinking when survival feels uncertain, planning beyond immediate needs becomes nearly impossible. This explains why those experiencing financial hardship often make decisions that appear counterproductive to long term financial health. The mindset also affects relationships, often manifesting as difficulty trusting others or feeling compelled to please everyone for acceptance. It creates emotional burdens including persistent fear of failure and deep anxiety about resource depletion.
To be clear, understanding how to get out of a poverty mindset requires first recognising these deeply ingrained patterns. The mind’s tendency to create negative thought cycles is remarkably powerful, especially when triggered by the primal need to survive.
The Spiritual Roots of Abundance
There’s a dimension beyond the material world where abundance exists as the natural order of things. We’ve found that spiritual traditions throughout history understood something that modern psychology is only beginning to grasp: abundance isn’t something you create or achieve, it’s something you remember. This perspective can genuinely transform your relationship with prosperity, though it requires a willingness to question some deeply held assumptions about how the world works.
Think of abundance as operating like gravity or magnetism, it’s always present whether you acknowledge it or not. This spiritual principle suggests there’s an infinite source available to each person, not just material wealth but all forms of prosperity. To put it another way, the universe contains unlimited resources rather than fixed supplies that must be fought over.
What we find fascinating about this spiritual law is how it suggests that what you focus on expands. When you entertain thoughts of lack, you create what might be described as an energetic barrier that prevents resources from flowing into your life. Focus on abundance consciousness, and you open yourself to receiving more of what you desire. Your beliefs about abundance fundamentally shape your experience of it.
Core Shifts to Break Free from Limiting Beliefs
The hardest part about how to get out of a poverty mindset isn’t learning new techniques, it’s unlearning the deeply ingrained beliefs about money mentioned earlier, that feel like they’re keeping you safe. These fundamental shifts require more than intellectual understanding; they demand that you question beliefs about money, about what you deserve and what’s actually possible for someone like you.
Start by letting go of fear and control. Fear operates as the gatekeeper between you and abundance, though it rarely announces itself so directly. When you’re trapped in scarcity thinking, you likely operate from what psychologists call “The Lone Ranger mentality”. This is the exhausting belief that you must handle everything yourself because relying on others feels too risky. We’ve noticed this pattern in our own work. The need for control emerges as a defence mechanism against uncertainty, yet paradoxically, trying to control everything actually reinforces the very scarcity you’re trying to escape.
Then take a look at how guilty you feel around receiving, and releasing that. Many people remain stuck in poverty consciousness because they feel genuinely guilty when good things come their way. This guilt runs deeper than you might expect, it stems from societal programming that equates giving with virtue and receiving with selfishness. You might not even recognise this pattern operating in your life initially, but owners of Mind Body Spirit businesses might have experienced the judgement at charging for services that some believe should be free.
Spiritual Practises to Cultivate Abundance
The gap between understanding abundance principles and actually experiencing them lies in daily practise. We’ve found that implementing specific spiritual disciplines creates the foundation necessary for prosperity to flow naturally. These aren’t merely philosophical concepts floating around in spiritual circles, they’re practical tools that genuinely rewire your consciousness away from lack and toward possibility.
1. Daily gratitude rituals
Spend time each morning writing down everything you appreciate in life to prime yourself for abundance. This regular ritual makes you naturally more attractive to positive people who can help you achieve your goals. Throughout the day, consciously appreciate at least three people to create a ripple effect of positivity. For maximum impact, play the “appreciation game” during your commute, deliberately notice and feel grateful for everything from the road you walk on to the rain nourishing plants.
We’ve noticed that people often dismiss gratitude as too simple or “fluffy” to create real change. Yet the research consistently shows that this practise fundamentally alters your neural pathways. The key is consistency rather than intensity.
2. Visualisation and affirmations
Visualisation harnesses your mind’s power to align with abundance frequency. During visualisation sessions, repeat powerful affirmations like “I am a money magnet” or “Money flows to me and through me with ease”. Commit to this practise daily for two weeks to shift your energy field. For enhanced results, visualize connecting to a golden cloud of universal abundance energy flowing through your body.
To be honest, many people struggle with affirmations because they feel inauthentic at first. Start with statements you can actually believe, even if they’re smaller than your ultimate goals.
3. Giving and generosity as spiritual tools
Generosity accelerates the free flow of everything positive in your life. Unlike the cultural message that accumulating brings happiness, generosity creates an expansive energy field that attracts prosperity. When you give freely, you signal to the universe your belief in advancing others and affirm there’s enough abundance for everyone. This establishes you as a conduit for wealth to flow through, not just a stopping point.
We believe the magick happens when you give without attachment to how it returns to you. The universe has a fascinating way of circulating abundance through unexpected channels.
Living Abundantly in Everyday Life
Abundance has this sneaky way of showing up in places you might not expect. The challenge is that most of us have been conditioned to scan for problems, threats, and what’s missing rather than what’s already flowing. We encourage you to start identifying prosperity’s subtle signs such as moments of unexpected kindness from others, having enough food, shelter, and basic necessities, small financial wins or resources appearing when needed and opportunities to share with others.
True abundance means having all the love you need, always. You don’t find yourself anxiously scanning for signs that someone might withdraw their affection, or desperately trying to control how others respond to you. This kind of abundance emerges when you show up authentically, without the exhausting performance of trying to be what you think others want.
Getting out of a poverty mindset requires taking what we call inspired action. These are steps forward from a place of alignment and flow rather than force. Inspired action feels different in your body. It’s accompanied by ease and curiosity rather than that grinding, effortful energy that leaves you drained.
When you consistently align with your authentic self and what genuinely matters to you, resources and opportunities naturally begin to appear. Many people unnecessarily limit themselves with the belief that they cannot achieve financial abundance doing what they love. We’ve seen this pattern countless times, and it’s heartbreaking because it’s simply not true.
Consider examining your spending patterns with fresh eyes. Are you investing in things that align with your values, or are you making financial choices that don’t serve your highest good? Even small, aligned financial decisions signal your self-worth and open pathways to greater abundance. Sometimes the shift starts with investing in that course you’ve been putting off.
How To Get Out of a Poverty Mindset
We want to be honest with you, shifting from a poverty mindset isn’t a quick fix and it involves deep introspection that some people won’t be ready for, yet. But what strikes us as particularly fascinating is how abundance operates as a universal principle rather than something you need to chase down. We believe that when you truly shift your perception from lack to possibility, opportunities begin appearing without the exhausting struggle most people associate with success. The true secret of success starts when you know how to get out of a poverty mindset.
Your beliefs about resources create your experience of them. The daily spiritual practises we’ve discussed in gratitude rituals, meditation, visualisation and generosity work to shift the mindset because they rewire neural pathways away from scarcity-based thinking. These aren’t just feel good exercises; they’re practical tools for recognising the abundance that’s already present in your life.
The path toward an abundance mindset requires patience with yourself. Small shifts in perspective accumulate over time, eventually transforming your entire relationship with prosperity. Challenges will arise because they always do, but each represents an opportunity to practise your new abundance oriented responses rather than defaulting to old scarcity reactions.
We don’t have all the answers, but we do know this: abundance remains your natural state. Not something to manufacture through effort, but something to enjoy. This understanding can liberate you from the exhausting cycle of ‘never enough’ thinking, turning your journey toward prosperity into something far more sustainable begins with recognising the wealth that’s already flowing through your life.
References
Credit where credit is due, we aim to cite our sources because we value truthful content. 2 sources were referenced during research to write this, but you are encouraged to follow our other links as well.
- Mani A, Mullainathan S, Shafir E, Zhao J. Poverty impedes cognitive function. Science. 2013 Aug 30;341(6149):976-80. doi: 10.1126/science.1238041. PMID: 23990553.
- Hair NL, Hanson JL, Wolfe BL, Pollak SD. Association of Child Poverty, Brain Development, and Academic Achievement. JAMA Pediatr. 2015 Sep;169(9):822-9. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2015.1475. Erratum in: JAMA Pediatr. 2015 Sep;169(9):878. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2015.2726. PMID: 26192216; PMCID: PMC4687959.
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