Do You Have a Scarcity Mindset?

The phrase “less is more” was coined by German architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. His modern buildings are characterized by minimalism with “few architectural elements to avoid clutter.” Everyone has their own definition of minimalism.

Capturing the bare minimum of a person (perhaps one’s hand) is the Quasi sculpture produced by New Zealand multimedia artist Ronnie van Hout. He used his own face for his minimal man, naming his controversial art for Quasimodo, a tragic hero who was the bellringer in Victor Hugo’s 1831 novel, The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. The prefix quasi- comes from the Latin quasi, meaning “as if, as though.”

When I saw Quasi, I was intrigued. Most people like it or hate it with few in-between opinions. Some find the looming 16-foot sculpture (standing on two fingers on a rooftop) downright disturbing. After five years of controversy among New Zealanders, Quasi was taken down for a second time! Quasi’s first “home” was atop an art gallery in Christchurch and his second airy launch was the roof of City Gallery in Wellington. After receiving flak, Ronnie van Hout responded, “Perhaps the monster just wants to be loved?”

How might wanting-to-be-loved relate to minimalism?

Devin VonderHarr, interior designer and founder of The Modern Minimalist, a weekly newsletter, might respond that one needs to make a list of loved items you want to keep, then review your list, gift new homes the rest, and savor the abundance in your life. She offers “therapy” for your relationship to your home!

VonderHarr believes that a minimal home interior leaves an opening for “an intentional life… aligning soul + space healing.” She defines a scarcity mindset: “…a fear-based mentality that typically is passed down generationally, is learned from parents, or [from] traumatic events that make us see the world as an unsafe place. It can manifest in a variety of ways, but in the home, we see it as the fear of letting go.”

An abundance mindset is freeing according to VonderHarr: “…believing there is always enough. This can apply to food, money, clothes, friends…in the home, it looks like being able to let go of things without emotional resistance.” 

Here are her possible precursors of scarcity mindsets:

• You experienced poverty or the loss of your home or belongings due to natural disaster traumas or theft.
• You worry about having enough food, clothing, people in your life, or time.
• You fear that you may “run out” of money, no matter how much you make or save.
• You frequently feel like you are “running behind” on your to-do list or in your finances.
• You have trouble saying no to things because you wonder if another similar opportunity could happen for you.

Minimalist art forms leave one with multiple possibilities for their own interpretations. Whether minimalism in your home leads to more abundance is open for discussion.

Pearls of Peace (PoP) Quiz

359. Do you identify with a scarcity mindset or an abundance mindset?

360. What do you think leads to an intentional life?