A is for Abundance

I am intrigued by the concept of abundance. I believe a great many less than effective behaviors are driven by a mindset of scarcity. This past weekend, my brother (Futurist and author, Jack Uldrich,) pointed out a critical point about abundance. He said it’s not just about money. Although a lot of people (I included) often associate it with financial gain. Abundance, instead, is a mindset that can consist of a vast array of other things–like time, joy, ease, love, friends, faith, to name a few. Money often gets added to the list because there is a perception that when money comes in, all the other worries go away. But ask any wealthy person and they will tell you financial gain doesn’t necessarily eradicate a mindset of fear or scarcity. 

In the past four days, I have had five on-site coaching programs canceled due to the outbreak of COVID-19. When I share this with people, the responses have been quite varied. Some people react with a deep concern for me, the mindest being I will lack money coming in. Others have responded with thoughts on how nice it will be to have me home in my community. How I will now have time to do other things than my coaching work. It seems these people are coming from very different mindsets the roots of which stem out of either scarcity or abundance. 

I believe, in part, abundance comes from the concept of having enough. I currently have enough money in savings to see us through a rough spell. There have been times in my life when that would not have been the case, and hence writing on this would be a hell of a lot harder because I’d be in a scarce mindset. 

Currently, I have an abundance of faith. I have enough hope to see me through this particular time. I have enough faith that time, tides, and technology will right this ship in terms of the world’s physical and economic health. I have an abundance of friends and ways to connect with people during these turbulent times. I would like to add here too–I am grateful for this feeling of abundance in the face of a possible lack of work or income soon. It’s creating a whole new way for me to approach my work and life in general.

So what does this have to do with executive presence coaching? I am observing, keenly observing, what is happening in my physical body and in terms of my mindset, how fear and anxiety show up. What I have noticed is when I read an article on the impending healthcare and start to consider how my family will be impacted by it, I begin to hold my breath. When I start talking about the financial crisis that is looming, my breath gets very shallow or highly erratic. 

To alleviate anxious feelings, I refuel with a mindful, smooth, and deeper breathing pattern. Oxygen is a great elixir, and if we think of it as such, perhaps we can take more of it in. I personally need to relish air more. By making the involuntary process of breath voluntary, I quickly become present. My focus shifts to here and now. Not the then and, or there–the what-ifs. A deliberate breath also helps because then I become aware of larger muscle groups–in particular my shoulders, which tend to rise up toward my ears when I am tense. If I release them downwards and pair that with the breath, the immediate relief I feel is significant. My mind relaxes too. Any sort of agitated gestures also release. I feel a greater sense of ease. 

After fifteen years of coaching, I can say the same is true for my clients. They experience the exact same physical reactions when they feel a scarcity of time, a lack of support form their audience, or plenty of negative thoughts from their inner critic bombard them just before or as they are presenting ideas.

The work I do and teach takes awareness and practice. The trick is that our contexts are always shifting. When I have an abundance of work, breathing and muscular release comes more naturally. During times of stress, duress, and scarcity, we must heighten awareness around our thoughts and our physical patterns.

The question for me as a coach becomes, is it more beneficial to approach breath first–and make the approach more kinesthetic (physical) in nature or to address someone’s mindset?

And that leads me to my next article, which will be on asking better questions. As a coach, I need to discover–How do you learn best, and how will that, in turn, create more abundance and openings in your life? 

If you are interested in these thoughts and want to follow up with some online coaching, please feel free to contact me. The work of presence can be addressed in a virtual setting, and indeed in the coming months and years, chances are it will become an even more common work platform. And…If things are feeling scarce for you, please feel free to ask me about a sliding scale fee. 

I wish you an abundance of breath and easy thinking in the coming months.