
Don’t Wait to Wear it (Whatever IT is!)
Picture the scene and tell me if it’s familiar: You head out on a shopping trip. You’ve got a few things in mind you need to pick up to replace or complete your staple wardrobe when you discover The One. Dress, jeans, pants, or shoes; whatever it is, it’s perfect! The perfect fit, timeless style, fills a gap in your wardrobe - whatever boxes you’ve got, it’s ticking all of them! It’s a little out of your budget, but it’s the dream piece so you make an exception, purchase, and take it home.
And there it sits in your wardrobe waiting. Because the perfect piece needs the perfect moment to be worn, right?
Why Do We Do This?
I recently did a wardrobe clearout. I wanted to reassess everything I have and create a collection of pieces that spoke to who I am now. I also wanted to reduce my daily decision-making - and that required some skimming down.
Through this process, I realized I have a significant number of pieces in my wardrobe that I’ve either only worn once or haven’t worn at all. It wasn’t that these pieces didn't fit or were no longer my aesthetic. In truth, they were perfect items, and I’d had plenty of chances to wear them, but I hadn’t. I kept reaching for the same five or six pieces of clothing I wear day in day out.
I realized that subconsciously I wanted to ‘save’ these other items. That if I wore them every day or even regularly, they would somehow ‘wear out’ or become less special, and then I wouldn’t want to wear them at all.
This way of thinking about our wardrobes or any aspect of our lives is known as the Scarcity Mindset.
What is Scarcity Mindset & How Does it Apply to Our Wardrobes?
Stephen Covey initially coined the terms scarcity mindset and abundance mindset in his best-selling book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
A scarcity mindset is when we see life and everything we have within it as being finite or, in some ways, scarce. This can lead us to fear losing what we already have as we may not replace or repair it.
An abundance mindset is, as you may have guessed, the opposite of this. It refers to a perspective that assumes there is enough available for everyone, and everything can be replaced if needed.
These terms have been heavily applied across the world of business, careers, and leadership, but on a more macro level in our daily lives, they can also be applied to how we view our wardrobes and even the contents of our bathroom cabinet. I’m entirely guilty of saving my expensive lotions, creams, and perfumes for the ‘right’ occasion, not wanting to use them up and be left without (all the while knowing I can easily replace them if needed!).
Getting Over Scarcity Mindset
It might seem like no big deal to have items in your wardrobe that you want to hold onto or keep ‘safe’ for special occasions, but if this stems from a scarcity mindset, it can have broader implications.
Eldar Shaffir, a psychologist and researcher who works out of Princeton, has been studying the impact of scarcity mindset for some time. He’s found that we’re generally less efficient when we’re always acting from a place of lack, even when it’s subconscious. It can also perpetuate feelings of lack and “reinforce self-defeating actions'', according to Shaffir.
Our wardrobes could be the perfect place from which to tackle a scarcity mindset. By adopting abundance mindset qualities when selecting what to wear, we can tackle this mentality.
Deciding to wear that brand new jumper or boots the day after you purchase them, or that dress you’ve been waiting for the right moment to don, can help you identify where a scarcity mindset might be creeping in. If you find yourself consumed with thoughts like scuff marks, creases, or stains, you can acknowledge these thoughts as coming from a place of lack.
We should be wearing what we want because it makes us feel good. Wearing these items helps to switch out the lacking thoughts and replaces them with feel-good ones instead. The more we do this, the more we realize how much we can enjoy the things we have in life rather than squirreling them away.
The truth is you have the power to wear whatever you want, and it’ll never result in lacking. And once you get started on this mindset through your wardrobe, it’ll trickle down into other aspects of your life too.
Don’t Wait to Wear ‘It’
I’ve definitely been hung up on thoughts of ‘what if I ruin it?’ when finally getting my hands on a coveted perfect piece. I hadn’t realized until recently how much this had dripped into my life. Since I began working remotely, I rarely wear anything other than yoga pants and baggy jumpers, not wanting to ‘waste’ my good clothes around the house.
When I corrected and began making more effort to think about what I wanted to wear and planning outfits for my days at home, I found a renewed sense of confidence. My mood and productivity lifted. I also hadn’t realized how guilty I was starting to feel about all these clothes I had just sitting around. It may sound silly, but after months curating my ideal wardrobe, my lack mindset had morphed into seeing this as a waste of time.
I still have plenty of yoga pants days, but instead of an old jumper, I’m wearing that oversized vintage shirt over them instead, with that silk scarf I bought in India that was ‘too good’ for every day.
If you find your days are plagued by ‘what if ..’ questions, you could also be acting from a scarcity mentality. Instead, switch it up with some abundance by asking, ‘why not?’
- Elaine Mead