Jose Mujica: The world’s ‘poorest’ president
Today I woke up to this BBC article about the President of Uruguay, described as the poorest leader in the world. (Thanks to Graham Allcott for sharing it.) After reading the direct quotes from Mr. Mujica, I’d call him one of the richest politicians in the world. Here’s why:
- He always has enough for himself and his family. He lives on his wife’s small farm just outside the capital, foregoing the usual presidential mansion.
- He lacks the stress and over-responsibility that come with trying to maintain a personal empire
- He gives abundantly – 90% of his income goes to charity. This puts him on par with his constituents.
- He is in his role to give, not to get. It has been said that service is the highest form of consciousness on the planet.
If you think this is true wealth, I’ve got news for you.
So what does an abundance mindset have to do with being more productive?
Everything.
I see it show up with myself and my clients on a regular basis. When we belief that we are enough, we act from our creative spirit. When we forget and fall into the trap of lack, we act out of a desperate desire to prove our worth. This leads to over-work, over-responsibility, over-commitment. And those things lead to broken promises, failed integrity and physical exhaustion, at best.
Did you hear that?
At best you’re going to be exhausted when operating from such a fundamental misunderstanding. The mindset shift is a simple (but not always easy) one:
How to Shift Your Mindset
Misunderstanding: “I have to prove my worth to the world by working hard/making money/creating success.”
The Reframe: “I am inherently worthy and valuable no matter what I do or don’t do. Therefore I chose to do the things that bring service and value to both myself and others.”
This is the shift from trying to see what you can “get” to looking at life as an infinite choose-your-own-ending book where you explore all the ways that you can “give”. Giving of the overflow feels great and produces energy and momentum (e.g. you will get more done!). Giving from depletion produces poor quality outputs and broken-down relationships.
Giving, or getting?
You are only as productive as you are free. And you are only free when you practice self-mastery. Part of self-mastery is cultivating attitudes and beliefs that make up an abundance mindset.
True abundance is knowing your worth and acting on it. True abundance is a set of beliefs that give you the freedom to create meaning and purpose in your life.
ABUNDANCE
“Abundance is not something we acquire. It is something we tune into.” – Wayne Dyer
SELF-MASTERY
“The truly free individual is free only to the extent of his own self-mastery. While those who will not govern themselves are condemned to find masters to govern over them.” – Steven Pressfield, The War of Art
MINDSET
“I keep the telephone of my mind open to peace, harmony, health, love and abundance. Then whenever doubt, anxiety, or fear try to call me, they keep getting a busy signal and soon they’ll forget my number.” – Edith Armstrong
