We had a gorgeous early spring day here in Wisconsin on Monday.
Sunny. Nearly 70 degrees.
Which made it the perfect day for my first bike ride of the year.
So I headed out to the barn where my bike spends the winter and — no surprise — the tires were low. I grabbed the hand pump, attached the hose to the valve, and pumped some air into them.
A few minutes later, I was off for a lovely ride.
But as I was pumping up the tires, I was reminded of a metaphor I’ve shared many times. One that you might really relate to – especially if you’re experiencing some scarcity and “not enough” around money, time or energy these days.
Imagine that, when I hopped on my bike on Monday, I had only gone a half mile before the front tire was flat again.
Now imagine me walking it back to my barn and pumping it back up again — only to have the same thing happen.
In response, I get off my bike and start walking it home, thinking to myself…
I guess I still didn’t put enough air in.
I need to pump more.
Harder. Faster. Longer.
If you were watching this happen, you’d probably think I was a little crazy.
Why?
Because the first time the tire went flat, you probably suspected the tire had a leak.
And until I found and repaired that leak, no amount of pumping harder, faster or longer was going to let me go on a nice, long ride.
I’d simply be exhausting myself, wasting time and energy trying to solve the wrong problem.
This, my friend, is what happens inside The Abundance Trap, where we believe — consciously or subconsciously — that the solution for “not enough” is always MORE.
More money.
More effort.
More productivity.
More success.
It’s always about pumping more IN.
It’s true that sometimes that is exactly what is needed.
My bike tires DID need more air on Monday.
And if you only have $147 in your bank account and a $1000 mortgage payment due on Monday, you DO need more money. But WHY you don’t have the money you need might have nothing to do with how much you are “pumping IN.”
It might be because you have unrepaired “money leaks” draining away your money and causing unnecessary scarcity in your life. (The same can be true for time and energy leaks.)
Money leaks like:
- unconscious spending
- emotional or impulsive spending
- spending so we don’t feel deprived
- spending to please or impress others
- spending to look successful or to “fit in”
Just so you know, I’ve done them all. Truth be told, sometimes I still do.
Yet rather than address the leaks, my default response has always been to think…
I just need to make more.
Any chance you can relate, my friend?
In the process of trying to do so, I’ve spent — and sometimes wasted — a lot of money, time and energy.
Because more isn’t the solution we often think it is.
Here’s what I mean…
If I patch all the leaks in my bike tire, pumping lots — or “more than enough” — air in won’t make the tire perform better.
A tire only needs a certain amount of air.
Too little air makes the ride difficult and can damage the wheel.
But so, too, does too much air.
That’s why every tire has a PSI number printed on the side. It tells you the level that allows the tire to function at its best.
I’ve come to realize the same is true for us. We each have an internal PSI point as well — a point of optimal ease, freedom, joy and fulfillment.
It’s the Goldilocks moment.
Not too little…
Not too much…
Just right…
The place of sufficiency.
Despite the obviousness of this when it comes to bike tires, it flies in the face of the model for money and abundance that dominates our world.
Where MORE and LOTS is always better.
Where it’s the definition of abundance.
Where it’s the solution to scarcity.
But, as I’ve shared in other posts…
Scarcity is not a problem to solve.
It’s an invitation to — and catalyst for — healing and growth.
This past week, I’ve been reflecting on this bike tire metaphor in light of the invitation scarcity is currently offering me.
Today, I’m inviting you to do the same.
If you’re currently experiencing scarcity — around money, time or energy — I hope the following questions will help you discover the healing and growth it’s offering you.
- Is it true that I need to increase my income to reach my “just right” PSI of sufficiency?
- Do I have money leaks I haven’t yet identified and repaired… meaning no amount of working harder or making more will ever quite feel like enough?
- Could it be that I’m pumping in too much — pushing past my PSI — and creating unnecessary pressure on myself and my “money tire”?
- Do I know how to recognize and honor my unique PSI?
My friend, I’d love to hear what you realize and discover.
As for me taking another bike ride?
It’s not going to happen anytime soon.
Courtesy of Winter Storm Elsa, we’re forecasted to get 20-28 inches of snow this weekend! 😮
Which just underscores the whole point of this email…
More and lots is NOT always better.