A few years ago, I was gifted a beautiful cashmere Burberry scarf, and I was grateful to receive it, as it seemed like a staple piece to own. I have a rather quirky and colorful scarf collection, and so I was excited to add a classic piece to it. It felt luxurious, and I instantly knew how I would style it in the fall season. In the fall, on every chilly day, I reached for my regular scarves and knew in the back of my mind that there would be one day soon where the weather will be just right and my outfit will be too, to wear my Burberry scarf. Fall passed by and that day never came, and I felt it was too nice of a scarf to wear in a harsh Canadian winter.
The Burberry scarf that shed light on the writer’s scarcity mindset. (Photo: NET-A-PORTER)
I figured; it is better to get more wear out of my existing scarves. Not surprisingly, when I think about that scarf now, I have only worn it maybe 3 times in total from the time I received it. I now realize that subconsciously I am afraid that if I wear out an expensive item too quickly, then I may not be able to wear it out again, at all. This is a scarcity mindset: having the perception that you have scarce or finite resources, and so you fear losing what you already have, because you may lose it forever. This thought process can be applied to nearly every aspect of our lives, whether its sparingly using an expensive face cream, or not taking a risk in your career.
Princeton psychologist Eldar Shafir, studies “how people's minds are less efficient when they feel they lack something — whether it is money, time, calories or even companionship.” Scarcity mindset takes over what he calls "mental bandwidth,” which is brainpower that would be utilized on planning and problem-solving day to day concerns. Having the scarcity mindset can perpetuate feelings of lack and “can lead to a life absorbed by preoccupations that impose ongoing cognitive deficits and reinforce self-defeating actions”, according to Shafir. In comparison, an abundance mindset is knowing that there is always more than enough for yourself and everyone around you and knowing that there will always be more to come.
In fashion, the scarcity mindset can manifest in many ways. Whether it is the fear of ‘using up’ the lustre of a new and/or expensive clothing item, or simply wanting to save it for a special day. This stops us from fully enjoying our wardrobes and perpetuates the feeling of lack and scarcity in our lives. As Shafir explained, this may result in a deficiency in our cognitive ability - our capacity to think clearly and feel positively - and counterproductive behavior in many other areas of our lives. Why are we choosing lack over lustre? Reserving favourite outfits for only certain days leaves a sense of longing for that ‘someday,’ when you have the power to make that day, today.
Adopting the abundance mindset with your wardrobe could look like wearing your brand-new sneakers as soon as you receive them. What if you crease your new sneakers too quickly? What if they get a scuff? These questions can leave you feeling anxious about your fashion decisions. Let these negative thoughts pass through your mind and acknowledge it as a lack mindset.
With an abundance mindset, despite these worries, you will wear the sneakers anyway because you really want to, and you feel good about it. This thought process creates a magical inner knowing, that the more you use and enjoy wearing what you own, the more you will manifest more of the right pieces into your life that evoke the same positive feelings. This mindset can trickle into other areas of your life and can attract abundance in ways that you may have never experienced when you were working with lack mentality. This happens by subconsciously making you act in ways that bring more opportunities to you, that then afford you the pieces you truly desire. Next time you want to wear something nice, you may be tempted to ask yourself: What if I ruin it? This is a negative thought that may never manifest. You can replace this thought with: Why not wear it today?
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