Cultivating Abundance: Aligning Worthiness with Nervous System Regulation

Photo by Anne Nygård on Unsplash

By Michelle Velan, Wondersource Founder

Abundance goes far beyond material wealth—it's a state of mind, an energy, a way of life and a belief that we are ultimately safe, life holds endless opportunities and there are enough resources and success for everyone to win. When we trust that life is abundant and we will always be provided for, we create space for growth and possibilities. On the other hand, a scarcity mindset is rooted in the belief that something is always missing, never good enough or that what we have is never enough. This can manifest as feeling inadequate, lacking time, money, love, skills, or clients—ultimately reinforcing a cycle of dissatisfaction and stress.

A scarcity mindset is inherently stressful and counterproductive, leading to worse outcomes. Imagine a salesperson who believes the world is scarce and sees every missed sale as a personal failure. This mindset would create anxiety and pressure in every meeting. In contrast, a salesperson with an abundance mindset trusts there are plenty of opportunities and approaches each conversation with confidence, knowing that if one client doesn’t close, they’re not the right fit and a better more aligned one will come along.

The mindset of abundance not only feels much better, it creates space for better results, while scarcity fuels stress and self-limitation.

There are a lot of things that go into cultivating an abundance mindset, but before we can embark on the journey of cultivating one in a meaningful way, we need to acknowledge two fundamental aspects: our sense of worthiness and good enoughness and the state of our nervous system.

Worthiness and Good Enough: The Foundation of Abundance

At the core of abundance lies a belief that we are worthy of receiving. If you believe that you're unworthy of success, love, or wealth, your mind will continually seek out situations to affirm that belief. Often, these feelings of unworthiness or not being good enough are rooted in limiting stories we tell ourselves—beliefs formed in childhood, past experiences, or societal conditioning. But we are all good enough and inherently worthy of all of our desires exactly as we are. We still have to show up and take aligned action to get to where we want, but at our core we are worthy and good enough to have what we want.

Consider the aspiring actress who knows she is worthy. She shows up to every audition, giving it her all, no matter how many rejections come her way. She doesn’t let setbacks define her because, deep down, she believes she’s worthy of her dreams, and she trusts that the right opportunity will come.

Now, contrast that with the actress who doubts her worth. She shows up playing small, expecting rejection, and each rejection only reinforces her belief that she’s not good enough or worthy. This mindset holds her back from fully embracing the chances in front of her, preventing her from truly giving herself a shot at success.

Shifting from a scarcity mindset to an abundance mindset requires us to examine these beliefs, which are often subconscious, and actively rewire them. Worthiness isn't something we earn once we "achieve" enough; it's something we embody. The same goes for being good enough. We need to decide and embody that we are worthy and good enough. It comes from within, and the moment we decide we are worthy and good enough, we open ourselves to receiving all that life has to offer. Some of these beliefs will be deep rooted and we may need to work at them for a while, but choosing and deciding that you are worthy and will do the work to truly embody this is a powerful first step.

Because without feeling worthy, we’ll constantly feel our desires are over there and just out of reach. Unworthiness will also make us believe: As soon as we heal that one thing, as soon we get that one certification, as soon as we’re in the relationship, as soon as we make that amount of income, then we will be truly worthy and good enough. But we’re 100% worthy and good enough for all of our goals and desires right now exactly as we are. Nothing is too good to be true and nothing is off limits for you and anything telling you otherwise is a lie that needs to be looked at and lovingly challenged.

A note on sham: Shame is something that we all experience to some extent although unjustly some more than others. However shame is a lie and holding on to it is not actually serving you or anyone else. You can learn more about shame here but I want to mention it because if we hold a lot of shame, it may be creating a sense of worthlessness and low self-esteem that we will may have to clear before we can truly embody that deep sense of worthiness.

Rewiring the Brain for Abundance

Neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to rewire itself, plays a significant role in cultivating an abundance mindset. Every thought, experience, and emotion creates neural pathways in our brain. Repeated negative thoughts and worry about scarcity reinforce these pathways, making it easier for our brain to default to these beliefs. But here's the good news—just as we can create negative pathways, we can also create positive ones.

When we intentionally focus on thoughts of abundance—whether that's through hypnosis, tapping, journaling, gratitude, or visualization and feeling into being someone with the new belief—we are helping our brain to create new neural pathways. Over time, these pathways become stronger, and we naturally start to view the world through the lens of abundance. By visualising and practicing feeling abundant, and making small shifts in our thinking and becoming more aware of our limiting beliefs, we can reprogram our brain to support a more abundant and fulfilling life. Personally I love tapping and I find it to be an incredibly effective way to rewire limiting beliefs. However, there are lots of methods so choose what feels right for you. The trick is to stick with it, check in and make sure you’re noticing a difference and do it daily until you feel your new belief is locked in.

The Nervous System and Abundance

However, changing our sense of self-worth alone isn’t enough. Our nervous system, which governs our body’s response to stress, also plays a crucial role. When we’re in a constant state of fight-or-flight—whether from financial stress, work pressure, or unresolved trauma—our body perceives the world as unsafe. This stress response makes it difficult to trust, let go, receive, and experience abundance.

Surprisingly, your nervous system may not feel safe receiving the things you desire because it associates them with potential threats. Your subconscious’ main goal is to keep you “safe” and it perceives anything that’s unfamiliar or a change as a treat. For example, even though you may want to be more successful, it might perceive more success as stressful because: you’ll be more visible, take on greater responsibility, and may feel unable to relax. While your conscious mind wants success, your subconscious will resist it until you rewrite the narrative. You can teach your subconscious that it’s possible to relax while being successful, that you’re fully capable of handling challenges, and that the journey can be enjoyable by visualising yourself being successful and relaxing and enjoying yourself and feeling into it.

Nervous system regulation is so important in cultivating abundance. Practices like breathwork, tapping, meditation and spending time in nature help regulate the nervous system, allowing the body to shift from a state of survival into one of safety and receptivity. It’s not enough to tell our mind that we’re safe, we need to show our body that we’re safe. When we feel safe in our body, our mind is more open to possibility and creativity, making us more attuned to opportunities for growth and abundance.

Creating Abundance

Now that you understand the importance of cultivating self-worth and regulating your nervous system, here are some other steps you can take to cultivate abundance into your life.

1. Tend to Your Needs and Practice Self-Care
   To feel abundant, we first need to feel good. Prioritize restful sleep, nourish yourself with wholesome food and supplements, and be present for yourself. Acknowledge your emotions as they arise without judgment, and validate them with compassion.

2. Develop Self Love, Self Respect and Self Acceptance

   The more we love, accept and respect ourselves, the more successful we’ll be. Work on developing all of these. Recognise that all parts of you even the wounded parts that you want to keep hidden, are worthy of your love and acceptance. We all have embarrassing moments, flaws, things we’re ashamed about and as you accept all of these aspects of yourself with love, you become more whole and abundant.

3. Be a Good Receiver
   Welcome compliments and help when they come your way by simply saying “thank you”. Some of us are good givers but don’t feel comfortable receiving, while others are good receivers. Open yourself up to the flow of life and being both a good giver and receiver and to the possibility that things could turn out even better than you expect.

4. Shift from Lack to Abundance and Need to Contentment
   Be mindful when you find yourself in a state of lack or need and bring your attention back to the present. For example, if you're job hunting and receive a rejection, you might think, "There are no jobs, I’m just not good enough." When you catch these thoughts, choose a more empowering belief: "That obviously didn’t work out for a reason. I trust that the world is abundant, and the right job is just around the corner for me." Or when you find yourself thinking “I need this job or this relationship or this money” catch yourself and recognise that in this moment you are safe, you are whole and complete. It would be wonderful to have the thing you desire, but you don’t need it.

5. Do More of What Makes You Happy
   One of the best ways to attract abundance is to enjoy your life. Dance to your favorite music, spend time with friends, read a great book, take a long walk, or try a new recipe. Embrace what brings you joy and make time for it regularly.

6. Visualize and Journal
   Spend time visualizing and scripting the abundant version of yourself. What do they do? What emotions do they feel? What makes them happy? Who do they spend time with? What beliefs shape their life?

7. Empower Your Self-Talk and Beliefs
   Speak to yourself lovingly and encouragingly every day. Believe in yourself completely. Take disempowering words out like “I hope” “I need” “I can’t” and “I have to” and replace them with more empowering statements like “I know I’m worthy of creating this wealth and doing it in a joyful way” or “the world is abundant and there are endless opportunities for me to succeed” or “why not me? If not me then who?” Hype yourself up daily like, "I am amazing, I’m incredible at what I do, I can do this, I trust myself, and actually this is fun!"

Merging Worthiness, Neuroplasticity, and Nervous System Regulation

True abundance comes from a holistic approach—one that addresses both the mind and body. It’s about connecting to your inherent worth, rewiring your brain to align with abundance, and ensuring your nervous system is regulated enough to feel safe in receiving all that life has to offer.

At the heart of this journey is trust—trust in yourself, your worth, the universe and the belief that there’s more than enough for everyone. Trust can be a hard one for many of us, but it’s the antidote to fear and anxiety and so important for achieving the things we want and we build trust by showing up for ourselves, tending to our needs, loving and respecting ourselves and doing what we say we’ll do

Final Thoughts

Living abundantly requires a shift in perspective, but it's also about cultivating a sense of inner peace and worthiness. When we allow ourselves to feel our emotions without judgement, practice challenging our limiting thoughts and stories to ones of possibility, empowerment and joy, regulate our nervous system, and continue to ground ourselves in the story that we are 100% worthy of receiving right now exactly as we are, we begin to experience the flow of abundance in all areas of our life.

We will also need to take aligned action towards our dreams and goals, often a lot of big messy action, but the type of action we’ll take will be completely different when we are coming from a rooted place of self-love, self-respect and self-worth.

Embrace the process, and remember—you're deserving of all that you desire. Even if you don’t feel it yet, commit to returning to this truth by telling yourself, tapping on worthiness, journaling about it and gently challenging anything telling you otherwise.

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At Wondersource, our mission is to empower every employee and business professional to live mentally and physically healthy lives, unlock their potential, live with more joy and ease and thrive. Our Signature Mind, Body, Work program helps individuals break free from limiting beliefs and embrace their unique power. We even cover abundance mindset! By fostering mental fitness, holistic health and soft skills development we empower people to lead healthier, more successful lives—both inside and outside the workplace.

If you're ready to amplify your own growth or your team's potential and health and foster a culture of holistic growth, reach out to us at hello@wondersource.co or book in a call to learn more. We offer 1-1 coaching services, and team classes, workshops and more to empower employees to thrive! Let's embark on a journey towards thriving together.

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