Guide

Abundance mindset vs scarcity mindset

The phrases get used loosely. Underneath them is a real, well-studied idea about how a feeling of "not enough" narrows thinking, and what you can do about it.

Illustration of interlocking gears representing shifting a pattern

Updated 28 August 2026.

Where the terms come from

In self-help, "abundance mindset" (popularised by Stephen Covey) means believing there is enough, opportunity, success, recognition, to go around, so another person's win is not automatically your loss. "Scarcity mindset" is the opposite reflex: treating life as zero-sum and resources as always about to run out.

There is also a research strand, most visibly Mullainathan and Shafir's work on scarcity, showing that when people feel acutely short of money or time, their attention narrows to the immediate shortfall. That tunnelling can improve focus on the urgent thing while degrading planning, working memory and self-control, a "bandwidth tax." This is about the situation of scarcity, not a character flaw.

What actually shifts it

Two levers matter. The first is reducing genuine scarcity where you can, a small buffer fund, more slack in the calendar, because that frees up bandwidth directly. The second is managing the reflex so it does not run your decisions when the pressure is only moderate.

Name the tunnel. Noticing "I'm in scarcity mode right now" restores a little distance and choice.
Widen the frame on purpose. List resources you do have, skills, relationships, past solutions. This is closer to gratitude practice, which has modest but real support for wellbeing.
Separate urgent from important weekly. Scarcity makes everything feel urgent; a planning ritual pushes back.
Practise non-zero-sum thinking. When you catch "if they get it, I don't," check whether that is actually true.
Use a short daily calm practice. Lower baseline stress makes the tunnel less sticky. See the seven-minute routine.

What it isn't

An abundance mindset does not mean pretending shortages aren't real, spending as if money is unlimited, or believing that a positive attitude will refill your account. If money is genuinely tight, practical steps, income, expenses, advice, come first. Mindset work supports those steps; it doesn't replace them.

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How this connects to The Last Wish

Products in this niche, The Last Wish included, are essentially selling a daily "abundance framing" habit: a few minutes spent deliberately widening your view away from lack. That is a reasonable thing to practise. The disagreement is only with the claim that the audio itself changes outcomes. See the review and money affirmations.

A packaged daily version

The Last Wish is a seven-minute audio built around exactly this kind of framing habit. Read the review, or check the current offer.

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Reference resources

Entry points to the research and background behind this page: database searches and pages from PubMed, PubMed Central, Google Scholar, government health bodies and universities. These are starting points for the literature, not evidence that any single study proves The Last Wish works. Always read the primary source and check its methods and limitations.