The psychologist, Daniel Kahneman used to remember the following anecdote in his lectures. In 1942 he was an eight-year-old boy living in Nazi-occupied Paris. One afternoon, playing at a friend’s house, he was late returning to his house and had to do so during curfew, which put him at risk because, as his last name suggests, he was Jewish. He, remembering his mother’s warnings, turned his sweater inside out to hide the Star of David that he was forced to sew on his clothes and, in this way, tried to pass upside down, but on the way he crossed paths with a soldier from the SS, knowing what that implied. When The soldier stood at his height, suddenly picked him up in his arms and hugged him excitedly.while he opened his wallet to show her a photo of a child, surely his son. The person who would win the Nobel Prize said that trying to understand the mind of that soldier, and that of many others who escape the preconceived, led him to graduate in psychology. “People have a tendency to interpret their own beliefs as if they were reality,” argued one of the most brilliant thinkers of recent years, eager to explain human behavior clearly and pedagogically.
People have a tendency to interpret their own beliefs as if they were reality.
I have remembered this story when I recognized my saturation of bad news and the boredom of so many catastrophic forecasts around me. Are there real reasons to feel in a state of continuous alert? No. There is uncertainty or what is the same… the contingency of life itself. That our brain is evolutionarily programmed to prioritize threats, focusing on the negative, does not mean that at this point we continue to bow down to that bias because we can train the mind.
Kahneman explained that one of the limitations why we do not think with an abundance mentality are the cognitive shortcuts that simplify the decision-making process and that we use every time we have to interpret what is happening. However, science reminds us that, If we cultivate an abundance mentality, we improve our mental health and, with it, our well-being. One of the pillars to develop it is curiosity. The habit of looking for the positive begins by discovering the “messages of abundance” that life offers us, from technological advances (today Google has presented a quantum chip more advanced than any supercomputer), to small acts of kindness that we see in our work or stories of improvement that inspire.
The limitations why we do not think with an abundance mentality are cognitive shortcuts
My friend Silvia sent me a photo from Germany with an American couple. We met the couple a year ago during a cruise on the Danube and we connected immediately; upon returning to Miami, to her She was diagnosed with cancer and during this time Silvia has been exchanging messages, encouraging her in her recovery. A year later, and having overcome it, the couple wanted to meet Silvia by surprise to thank a stranger for the affection. We never know the mark we leave on others if our approach is born from genuine curiosity, from a human interest lacking judgment.
Our approach is born from genuine curiosity, from a human interest lacking judgment.
If instead of focusing on the problems we explore, for example, the technologies that connect us and allow previously incurable diseases to be successfully treated, or that more and more countries, companies and people are committing to sustainable practices. From the reduction of plastics to the use of clean energy, what social movements promote inclusion, equity and solidarity… if we focus on everything that reminds us, that united we overcome the greatest challenges. Maintaining an abundance mentality does not mean that we wear rose-colored glasses, but rather that we commit to curiosity so that it identifies the best of what there is, facilitating small changes in our lives. That’s why I propose to you Four actions for you to adopt abundance in your daily life:
- Practice gratitude: Every morning, or every nightwrite on a piece of paper 3 things for which you feel especially grateful. Do it by hand and in a notebook that allows you to reread what you write down daily. It is a simple act that trains your mind towards the positive.
- Look for inspiring stories. Make your curiosity explore news or projects that are usually relegated in the media that talk about scientific advances or great human achievements. Or simple personal stories that deserve to be replicated.
- Surround yourself with positive people because positive energy is contagious. Stay away from the doomsayers and the ashes; Your time is valuable, choose who to share it with. Look for people who also seek the best in the world.
- Question the negativity in you. Every time you are faced with a negative or lacking thought, ask yourself if there is another way to look at the situation, if you could look at it from a more positive angle.
By adopting a mindset of abundance and curiosity, you not only transform your view of the world, you also You inspire those around you.
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