Alan and Linda always dreamed of living "the good life." Both from poor working-class families, they married young and set out to fulfill their mutual goal of becoming wealthy. They both worked very hard for years, amassing a small fortune, so they could move from their two-bedroom home to a palatial seven-bedroom home in the most upscale neighborhood. They focused their energies on accumulating all the things they believed signified abundance: membership in the local exclusive country club, luxury cars, designer clothing, and high-class society friends. No matter how much they accumulated, however, it never seemed to be enough. They were unable to erase the deep fear of scarcity both had acquired in childhood. They needed to learn the lesson of abundance. Then the stock market crashed in 1987, and Alan and Linda lost a considerable amount of money. A bizarre but costly lawsuit depleted another huge portion of their savings. One thing led to another, and they found themselves in a financial disaster. Assets needed to be sold, and eventually they lost the country club membership, the cars, and the house. It took several years and much hard work for Alan and Linda to land on their feet, and though they now live a life far from extravagant, they have taken stock of their lives and feel quite blessed. Only now, as they assess what they have left -- a solid, loving marriage, their health, a dependable income, and good friends -- do they realize that true abundance comes not from amassing, but rather from appreciating.

艾倫和琳達都來自貧苦的工人家庭，都一直夢想著過上"好日子"。他們早早地成了家，然后就開始為他們共同的致富目標奮斗。他們拼命工作了好幾年，終于積攢了一筆錢，從兩居室搬到了一套坐落在最高檔街區的富麗堂皇的七居室大房子。此后，他們費盡心思去積聚那些他們認為是代表富足的東西：當地惟一的一家鄉村俱樂部的會員資格、豪華汽車、名牌服裝，以及上流社會的朋友。但是，不論他們積聚了多少，似乎永遠難以滿足。他們倆誰都無法消除小時侯對貧窮的刻骨銘心的恐懼。其實，他們就需要學會知足常樂這一課。1987年，股市遭受重創，艾倫和琳達損失慘重。禍不單行，一場莫名其妙的昂貴的官司又耗盡了他們的一大筆積蓄，這一切使他們陷入了經濟困境。他們不得不變賣家產，最后他們丟掉了鄉村俱樂部的會員資格，失去了汽車和房子。艾倫和琳達努力奮斗了好幾年才從困境中走出來。現在他們的生活毫不奢華，但是他們是自己生活的主宰，幸福而又知足。只有在這時，他們才掂量著那些尚未失去的東西，如穩固相愛的婚姻、健康的身體、可靠的收入、真正的朋友等等，他們終于認識到，真正的富足不是來自財富的積聚，而是來自對所擁有的一切的珍視。

Scarcity consciousness arises as a result of the "hole-in-the-soul syndrome." This is when we attempt to fill the gaps in our inner lives with things from the outside world. But like puzzle pieces, you can't fit something in where it does not naturally belong. No amount of external objects, affection, love, or attention can ever fill an inner void. We already have enough, so we should revel in our own interior abundance.

貧窮感可以歸因于"精神空虛綜合癥"，即我們試圖用身外之物來填補內心的空缺。但是，就像拼圖游戲一樣，你不能把本來不屬于那個地方的東西硬塞進去。任何身外之物、情感、關愛和關注都無法填補內心的空虛。我們擁有的已經足夠，因此我們應該滿足于內心世界的豐富與充實。