Day 4 Reflection: Abundance vs. Scarcity

Day 4 Reflection: Abundance vs. Scarcity

As we head into Day 4 of Team USA Trials, now over halfway through the tournament, I find myself reflecting on two very different mindsets that show up clearly in competition: scarcity and abundance.

I was listening to a podcast recently that talked about how we handle opportunities and how that directly affects the way we compete. That idea has stayed with me as I’ve watched these first three days unfold. I think about Bella Love, about the men and women bowling here, and about how the exact same experience can be viewed in two completely different ways.

One way is grounded and steady: I’m doing the best I can with what I have right now, and the pins will fall how they may.

The other way is heavier. Pressure begins to build, and not in a healthy way. With a scarcity mindset, bowlers start focusing on what they missed, what went wrong, how bad the conditions feel, or whether they’ll ever get another opportunity like this again. Questions pile up. Doubt creeps in. And while that mindset makes logical sense especially when opportunities feel rare it also creates tension that’s hard to compete with.

Scarcity says, I have to make the most of this moment or else.

There’s very little room for development in that space. Very little curiosity. Very little learning.

But there’s another way to look at this.

An abundance mindset doesn’t mean ignoring results. It means viewing the opportunity as an abundance of learning. It means becoming a true student of the game.

Bowling doesn’t have a finish line. There’s no final destination. And as I watch Bella roll each shot, adjust, observe, and grow, I see something powerful happening. Every ball down the lane is teaching her something. Every result favorable or not is adding to her understanding. That kind of growth compounds over time.

With abundance, there’s less stress tied to one single moment. A bad shot doesn’t define you. A low score doesn’t end the story. Even being in the minus can end up being the best teacher you didn’t know you needed. You don’t always see how things connect in the moment. Often, you only understand later how one adjustment led to another, how one lesson influenced a future decision.

That’s true in bowling, and it’s true in life.

At the start of a block, you don’t always know how a transition will affect ball choice later. You don’t know how today’s struggle might unlock tomorrow’s breakthrough. But when you’re focused on learning from the circumstances, from the people around you, from the data, and from the results, you stay present and engaged.

When opportunities show up, we all have a choice.

A bowler can throw a shot, not get the result they want, and then choose how to respond. They can process it, learn from it, and move forward. Or they can react with frustration, irritation, or anger. Scarcity says, I have to force something to happen. Abundance says, I can grow from this.

Scarcity waits for the world to give something and hopes it turns out okay. That mindset feels powerless. Abundance focuses on what can be controlled growth, learning, effort, awareness and allows influence over the external world to follow.

So today, especially as we enter Day 4, I encourage all the bowlers and especially Bella Love to choose abundance. There are learning opportunities everywhere. Even in observation. Even when you’re not the one rolling the ball. Let go of the destination. Stay present. Enjoy the journey shot by shot.

Do the best you can with what you have in this moment.

Then step up and throw the next one.

That’s the work. That’s the gift. And that’s the abundance.