Greed (Scarcity Drive)

Greed, as a demon, is not ambition or drive. It is the compulsive need to accumulate more — money, users, headcount, funding, status — not because of abundance, but because of fear.

At the heart of greed lies a scarcity wound: a belief that no matter how much exists, it will never be enough. The nervous system operates as though survival is always at stake — even when resources are plentiful.

Greed becomes a demon when it overrides judgment, damages relationships, and traps the founder in a loop where success never satisfies.

• Financial instability in childhood
• Trauma around loss or deprivation
• Identity linked to net worth or metrics
• Survival pressure during early business phases
• Social comparison with wealthier or faster-growing peers
• Immigrant or refugee backgrounds with generational scarcity narratives

The nervous system learns: "I must have more, or I will be unsafe."

Emotional survival through accumulation.

Its implicit logic: "If I have enough, I will finally feel safe, worthy, or free." But the target keeps moving — no amount ever fulfills the underlying wound.

"Give me enough to stop being afraid."

• Hoarding resources instead of deploying them strategically
• Underpaying employees or squeezing vendors
• Taking exploitative deals "because it's money"
• Overworking without satisfaction
• Ignoring ethics if gains are on the table
• Fear-based fundraising ("What if I can't raise again?")
• Difficulty delegating (resources = security)
• Celebrating acquisition over creation

Greed blocks clarity by replacing strategic thinking with fearful accumulation.

Psychologically:

• Constant alertness to opportunity (hypervigilance)
• Inability to feel "done" or satisfied
• Metric obsession
• Justification of ethically gray actions

Somatically:

• Tight stomach or jaw
• Holding breath
• Leaning forward (as if reaching for something)
• Restlessness when not acquiring
• Agitation during downtime

These sensations are signals of survival-level urgency where none exists.

Abundance Stability

The felt sense of having enough — emotionally, relationally, materially. It is not passivity. It is the ability to pursue growth from security, not fear.

• Strategic patience
• Generosity without loss
• Satisfaction without complacency
• Clear distinction between ambition and anxiety

Abundance Stability turns greed into purposeful growth.

1. Define "enough"
   Write down: "At what point would I feel safe?" — and notice if the answer keeps moving.
2. Track the fear underneath
   When you feel the pull to acquire, ask: "What am I actually afraid of?"
3. Separate identity from net worth
   Reconnect to intrinsic value. You are not your metrics.
4. Practice generosity
   Give strategically. Generosity signals abundance to the nervous system.
5. Celebrate what exists
   Regularly name what you have. Gratitude interrupts the scarcity loop.

• Taking funding beyond need
• Squeezing people on fair compensation
• Difficulty spending even when wise
• Measuring self-worth through revenue or valuation
• Anxiety despite hitting targets
• Obsession with financial runway
• Sacrificing relationships for deals

• Scarcity Builder — core shadow expression
• Operator Grinder — workaholism from fear of loss
• Ego Maverick — wealth as status proof

Greed is a clarity-killing demon because it disconnects the founder from purpose and traps them in fear-based accumulation.