From Scarcity to Abundance

A Personal and Systemic Journey

Throughout my professional life, I've frequently experienced deep misalignment—a persistent sense of feeling misaligned or restricted. For a long time, I attributed this to bad luck or circumstances beyond my control. Perhaps my efforts inadvertently made my bosses look good, unintentionally limiting my advancement.

Yet recently, through introspection, I've recognized subtler and more influential factors at play—particularly the concept of scarcity.

Roots of Scarcity

Scarcity took root early in my life. One vivid memory from high school football stands out starkly. While some teammates arrived on the field with sleek, new gear—low-profile cleats, Under Armour apparel, sticky gloves enhancing their grip—I wore my cousin’s hand-me-down cleats, a full size too large, stuffed with paper towels to fit snugly. That quiet embarrassment planted a subtle message within me: resources, opportunities, even personal potential, were limited.

Studying economics further entrenched this mindset, emphasizing the optimization of scarce resources as central to my worldview. Entering a decade-long career in institutional investment management—a fiercely competitive, zero-sum environment driven by substantial financial incentives—only intensified these feelings. Presenting investment ideas to committees, coupled with the annual bonus cycles, amplified my internal narrative of pressure and competition.

Manifestations in the Corporate World

Corporate structures and cultures reinforced these narratives. As a credit analyst, after tirelessly researching a deal at the expense of precious moments with my newborn son, I faced a harsh reality check. Just moments before presenting to the investment committee, an IC member casually informed me, "Just so you know, we were never going to do this deal." Frustration, loss, and exhaustion surged through me as I snapped back, feeling my career and identity unravel.

Later, at the healthier but still structured environment of personal financial planning firm, scarcity persisted subtly. Despite strong reviews, I was twice overlooked for a leadership role, described warmly yet restrictively as a “utility player”—valuable but limited. This label felt like a weight holding me down, restricting my growth and amplifying frustration. Conversations with other potential employers and industry headhunters further exacerbated this, repeatedly highlighting my lack of formal management experience as a barrier to the roles I deeply desired. Their words echoed sharply: If my own employer hadn't entrusted me with these responsibilities, why should they?

Breaking Free: Shifting from Scarcity to Abundance

A turning point arrived as organizational changes loomed at the personal financial planning firm, prompting deep reflection. As the firm prepared for acquisition, I adopted an observer’s perspective, clearly noticing colleagues trapped in their anxiety-driven scarcity spirals.

After the acquisition, I transitioned fully into a pre-revenue startup I had previously advised and joined as a partner. Quickly, my scarcity mindset began dissolving, replaced by genuine hope, optimism, and renewed creativity.

One memorable day, an unexpected surge of creative energy led me to spontaneously write a full first draft of an allegorical short story. This profound experience dismantled my longstanding belief that I wasn't creative or capable of such writing, revealing a deeper reservoir of untapped potential and abundance within me.

Reflecting further, I now clearly see how corporate structures often unintentionally reinforce scarcity through competition, rigid roles, and hierarchical power dynamics. Even at a highly values-based organization (e.g. the financial planning firm), where I genuinely appreciated and respected my colleagues, these subtle dynamics persistently shaped and constrained my experience.

Invitation to Reflect and Transform

Today, I recognize how hidden narratives of limitation deeply influenced my journey. This entrenched mindset quietly undermined my high-achieving nature, causing me to operate from survival mode and fostering an unconscious sense of entitlement that weakened the foundation beneath my identity. Understanding and addressing these limiting beliefs opened a pathway toward genuine alignment and abundance, guiding me toward the mission of Synergistic Intelligence: helping individuals and organizations move beyond fear-based beliefs and behaviors, cultivating awareness, adaptability, and authentic alignment to thrive in today's fast-paced world.

Do these experiences resonate with you? Perhaps you sense how unseen mental models might constrain your own journey. If so, I warmly invite you to reflect deeply and consider how shifting from scarcity toward abundance could profoundly transform your life and work.