Abandoning Scarcity.
Earlier today, I shared my observations on the scarcity mindset that I’ve long observed among South Asian women. It’s something I’ve struggled with for my entire adulthood, coming from a household where I was taught that community wellness was paramount, and that was not limited to your family well-being or specific to any caste, geographic origin, religion, or skin tone. You can read that article here.
After I wrote that article, I spoke with a woman who is now part of the Rising Leaders Program April cohort and she reminded me of a saying we used a lot in Virginia that describes scarcity mindset - crabs in a barrel.
When crabs are in a barrel and try to escape, you don’t need to worry about it. That’s because the other crabs will keep pulling the crabs trying to escape back down. In underrepresented groups, this is a metaphor used to describe the scarcity mindset. People are of different minds when it comes to who is to blame—the barrel (environmental factors) or the crabs (the community)—for perpetuating the scarcity mindset in marginalized communities.
I suspect the answer is somewhere in the grey space between the two.
The blame is of much less concern to me than understanding the why behind the behavior and the impact this behavior has on one another. Within communities of South Asian women, I see it manifest in tribalism, suspicion of one another, lack of trust, and the inability to form strong connections across an incredibly diverse and expansive diaspora. That is worth recognizing and addressing, as we lose out on the opportunity to form true solidarity among us that can be a force for incredible societal change if we allow it to.
So how do we address this scarcity that plagues our communities? I don’t think the answer lies with any one person, but I’m bringing a few ideas to the table:
Abandon the zero-sum game: The belief that if one of us gains a position, opportunity, resources, etc. is not a loss to another person. It is a collective win for all of us.
Embrace an attitude of gratitude: This is not a call to pretend everything is perfect in life; far from it. Rather, practicing appreciation for small and simple things in your life that add to the joy of every day helps cultivate an intentional, regular practice of gratitude. Over time, this can shift our thinking from one of scarcity to one of abundance.
Stop chasing status: Particularly within the South Asian community, I find this to be a toxic behavior often practiced. Inherently, status is rooted in a scarcity mindset because status can’t exist without hierarchy. For hierarchy to exist, some people have to be ranked higher and lower, which implies those who have scarcity and are less influential vs. those who are of higher status and therefore more influential. I've lost track of the number of times other South Asian women have avoided me due to my perceived social status. It bothered me when I was younger, and less so as I’ve matured. This is a particularly entrenched scarcity belief within South Asian culture that I would love to see done away with, so we can get down to the business of connecting.
Pursue wealth instead: Hear me out! Wealth is not limited to perceived social status. Nor does wealth depend on anyone else’s approval, unlike status. Wealth, for this article, is defined as having enough resources like money, health, and time to live the life you want to live. It isn’t necessarily about driving the nicest cars, having a big house, or taking a fancy vacation. More importantly, wealth is a collective resource; you can choose to share your wealth, especially your time or money.
Celebrate other people’s wins: I love this practice the most. Have you ever heard the saying, “A rising tide lifts all boats?” Celebrating another person’s wins in no way diminishes our own. It leads to greater success for our collective community. Whenever there is an opportunity to celebrate another person’s accomplishments, seize it. You might be surprised at how that comes back around in the best possible way.
Above all, abandon the pursuit of perfection.
I believe perfectionism to be a tool of oppression and white supremacy. It hides in plain sight and impacts many of us. But it’s also one rooted deeply in a scarcity mindset. For us to begin shifting away from a scarcity mindset, we must be willing to embrace the idea that an imperfect world with our imperfect selves is acceptable. Sometimes, this is the tallest and hardest mountain to overcome.
I believe that we’re capable of overcoming the scarcity mindset together, with conscious effort, commitment to community, and moving away from the zero-sum mindset. Then, we can finally have space to explore a more abundant future.
Thanks for exploring these thoughts with me. See you next week.
Always,
Jaya
