Ms. Grayson was reviewing an assignment she had given her students. They were to use vocabulary words in sentences. One of the words for this assignment was abundance. She had the normal sentences such as:
- She had energy in abundance.
- He had an abundance of friends.
But one of the responses was striking to her: Abundance is something you accumulate but can also lose.
She was struck by that sentence. Is abundance something you can lose? Certainly, if abundance is referring to material objects, you can lose them. That also applies to personal wealth.
What about an abundance of friends or family? They can also be lost. The same is true for your health.
The more she thought about it, the more she became perplexed. Isn’t there anything that we have in abundance that we can’t lose? What about your memories? Sadly, she thought about her grandmother who lost her memory as a result of dementia. Then she thought about respect. That, too, can be lost with one careless act.
In fact, the student’s response was very insightful. There is nothing we might have in abundance that we cannot lose. What we treasure and have in abundance needs to be constantly nourished and preserved. We cannot neglect those things that led to our abundance.
The most valuable things we have in abundance are not material objects, but things that define us as persons. Some of these might include the respect of others, memories of how we helped others, moments of truth where we did the right thing, and simply random moments in our life that we cherish.
As we go through challenging moments in our life, it’s good to think of those things we have in abundance, and how we can preserve them. It’s also a good time to add to our abundance of the things that really matter. Since so much of the more valuable things we have in abundance are personal to us and are captured in our memories, this is also a good time to share our abundance with others by mentoring, storytelling, or personal reflections.
Why do you think we fail to see the most valuable things we have in abundance? Just imagine the joy you might receive by sharing these valuable things with others. Just imagine how that will actually enhance your own abundance. Just imagine a society where we think of abundance in what we share and not what we possess.
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“An abundance mentality springs from internal security, not from external rankings, comparisons, opinions, possessions, or associations.” — Steven Covey (Author of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People)