Abundance is powerful. When we see it, we can feel grateful and find courage to do more. We can have faith in the support and resources around us. I am choosing to feel abundant regardless of the amount of money I have. You can do this too. It’s a well known mindset shift that empowers us to see opportunities instead of limitations. It helps us to do the impossible.

Nearby communities

I deeply believe in the power of community. Your local community can be a supportive circle of real connections. People can be there when family are busy or geographically distant. New friendships can be formed. Many belief systems teach us to be generous to then (maybe in a karmic way) receive abundance in return. However you can in this era, find ways to serve the communities around you. It could lead to possibilities beyond what you imagined.

Although I have a flexible progressive perception of religion now, I continue to appreciate inclusive religious organisations and their efforts to connect with people. These localised groups offered practical and emotional support when I had a broken leg, when I was at home in the suburbs with my newborn and when I was with my child in the back of a car that broke down. In all of those moments, someone was around to sit with me and see if I was ok. There was no agenda. It was a simple real desire to help.

I was also very involved in a public speaking community in my twenties. I am returning to that world, one small step at a time, now that I have some balanced freedom in my current stage of parenting. It was about more than presenting speeches. People saw each other on a regular basis and connected as fellow human beings. They told relatable stories to uplift and inform everyone in the room. The closest friends were there for each other in life’s most meaningful moments. They visited members who became ill. They were present for each other after beloved members passed away. They celebrated lives and supported each other into the future. That is what community does. It empowers us to take our steps into new chapters of life.

I urge you to experience the abundance of community. Approach it with empathy and an open mind. Anything is possible with the abundant support of people.

Information

The world has an abundance of information! We can be grateful to live in an era of online resources. When you need to learn how to do something, find low-cost services or hear open minded opinions… we are blessed to have this intangible asset at our fingertips. Sign up to free trials of platforms that offer informative podcasts, audiobooks, ebooks, webinars, online courses and more. You can even create a web site with a free trial to share what you know. This is a way to give back and see where it leads. Or use a basic Wordpress platform to continue without costs in the long term. Have you tried drop shipping? Some providers offer reusable products as a relatively sustainable choice. Ideally choose local distributors when possible. I learned an important lesson. I prioritised traditional paths in recent months and it didn’t lead to much. But I feel great hope in the possibilities of online abundance. I just have to be vulnerable and brave enough to put myself out there and create. The tools exist. We just have to use the opportunities in front of us. That is abundance.

Food

Learn to prepare affordable healthy food and then it will feel abundant. Money is such a number. Small numbers can feel small when we have that mentality. But miracles can happen when we learn how to make plenty of delicious food. People think the cost of food is difficult. This may be the reality in individual circumstances. I’m not here to judge. But there are ways to utilise the great affordability of simple whole plants.

Here is a simple example of what I did with a butternut pumpkin and a few other ingredients. I roasted half of the pumpkin with some rosemary that I picked from a public garden (it’s encouraged), along with a sprinkle of salt and a hint of olive oil. This nourishing roasted veg became a filling in sandwiches and wraps. Just add one or two more fillings for balance. I later used the other half of the butternut squash pumpkin in a soup - with an onion, a clove of garlic, seasoning, water and an eyeballed amount of red lentils. Although organics are ideal, I will say the regular whole butternut pumpkins are currently $5.20 at a major supermarket. Red lentils can be available for as little as $3 for a kilo. I made an abundant batch of soup with less than $4 worth of food. Trust me - I wanted nothing else during cold winter days. My bowls of soup tasted even more wonderful than I expected. After that simple meal prep, I knew I would be fed in lunch times for a week.

You can find more edible abundance in the various efforts to prevent food waste. Grow, receive or buy food. Keep an eye out for deals at the Doorstep Organics bulk buys and specials. and Supermarkets and other stores heavily discount products on clearance near expiry dates. Some people give away food on Facebook Marketplace if they are simply not needing it anymore. You can responsibly receive food from community gardens or from neighbours who give permission to receive backyard plants. You can even grow your own herbs, veggies or fruits. I am regrowing a base of celery and beautiful leaves are emerging. Experience the possibilities of food to then nourish yourself and others too.

See? There are ways to provide what is needed. Where there’s a will there’s a way. I passionately believe in the potential energy from natural whole plants. Have a look at other RDL articles about food to further explore this form of abundance.

Clothing

Do you ever think clothes are so expensive? Do you worry about the cost of sustainable clothing? I personally like to budget for new well-priced eco basics like underwear. You could find what you need from these discounts and basics at Biome. And I found a way to splurge on a pair of vegan boots that I wear all the time. But for the rest of an outfit, the most sustainable clothes and accessories may cost just spare change or nothing at all. How? Second hand. There is a definite abundance of garments in the world. Op shops regularly receive more clothes than they can sell or re-home. Individuals list their outfits online at minimal prices because when de-cluttering their wardrobes. I recently logged into DePop for the first time in a while to realise multiple sellers offered discounts for items I was interested in. They must have felt keen to get rid of those pretty pieces. Sometimes clothes are even more accessible and abundant than that. I live near a church (but don’t attend) that essentially hosts clothing giveaways. They welcome families to fill up a bag of children’s clothes for a seemingly optional nominal gold coin donation. It’s basically free. I sometimes see free clothes on Facebook Marketplace too. It makes sense when the top priority is to just send the things anywhere whether the process makes money or not. Any rehoming of pieces can be a sustainable abundant act. So really, whether you feel wealthy or not, open your eyes to the abundant opportunity of existing fashion.

Reusables

I love the abundant availability of reusable products because it means I will not run out of things I need for a long time. Refill a reusable water bottle and then you won’t have to go looking for bottled water in the stores (it also reduces waste too). I feel genuine gratitude for reusable menstrual products because they solve a problem. Women run out of period supplies for all sorts of reasons - budget, location, shopping time and so on. There is a great opportunity to produce more washable cloth pads. The world doesn’t have a shortage of fabric! Meanwhile, my safety razor will be serving a need for years. I should have to buy new razors at all. We can seriously have gratitude and perceive abundance as we are nurtured by reusable things.

Nature

Wherever you live, there will be some natural forces that are actually abundant. Step outside, wherever you are, and mindfully focus on breathing. This air is a gift. It is here for all of us, regardless of how successful we are by worldly standards. On a raining overcast day, feel the refreshing moisture of that air. On a hot sunny day, take in that vitamin D. You might live near a simple park that has a few trees. Take a moment to feel a tree - the texture, the age, the connection with the earth. You can either shrug that off as ‘woo woo’ or appreciate the plants that contribute to our livelihood. For those who are lucky enough to live near wonderful land and ocean, visit the freely available public natural spaces! I recently heard that a sense of awe is emotionally and spiritually beneficial. Stop and look at the vast expanse of trees. Or waves. Experience something greater than yourself. Nature is abundant. Again, just like with people, we can gain even more when we nurture the nature around us.

Attitude

In my personal experience, an abundant mindset requires a learning curve and changing behaviour. It can happen. Our attitudes are something nobody can take away. Depression is serious - and that’s a separate issue. I currently realise I will only find the energy to persevere if I acknowledge gratitude for what I have, connect with people from a distance (and in person when physically able) and continuously learn to evolve. I can choose faith. I can trust in God, the universe or humanity. Whatever gets you through the day. Find ways to hold onto faith and you will have it in any season. That is an abundance because it is with you.