Change your perspective, change your world
Fun Fact: There are seven mindsets, frames of reference, that we all approach the world with.
These mindsets are shaped by our perceptions which are our personal views of the world that we live in. They shape how we see the world impacting us, and how we see ourselves impacting the world. They shape our success, they shape our stress, and they shape every thought, emotion, action or reaction in a situation.
Like a stock in the stock market, our perceptions can shift up and down depending how we perceive and respond to what’s happening in our life, and at work. Our mindset can go from being positive and seeing opportunities in all things to instantly being protective and starting to assess our flight or fight response.
Our mindset can be influenced by several factors including our spirituality, emotions, mental state, social life, physical environment, and physical well-being – which I’ll talk about in next week’s post, but for now, just understand that many things can influence our mindset – and it is up to us to identify what our normal tendencies are so that we can start to control our brain and emotions before they controls us.
So, why is all of this important? Most people just go through the motions in life; and are mostly disengaged from true passion and fulfillment. When they become more conscious and engaged, judgment lessens, stress lessens, and productivity, pleasure, and the feeling of purpose and fulfillment increase. As they become more conscious, they become capable of making choices that better serve them, and those around them, and access higher levels of energy to inspire and empower others.
The Mindsets
So, what are the seven mindsets? They are the Victim, the Fighter, the Rationalizer, the Caregiver, the Opportunist, the Visionary, and the Creator. These roles and related descriptions align with Bruce D Schneider's Energetic Self Perception Chart, which outlines the seven energetic frames of reference. Getting a better understanding of how these mindsets, or energy levels, manifest in various areas of your life will help you navigate both “normal” situations and “stressful” situations.
Mindset #1: The Victim
The Victim mindset tends to have a frame of reference of “I lose.”
Individuals who frequently live with this mindset tend to carry the weight of the world on their shoulders, operating in crisis mode and dealing with problems. They tend to be numb to feeling or showing emotions and operate with little to no passion or engagement in life or at work.
Communication tends to be nonexistent, and the willingness to try is often lacking as they don’t see the point in trying assuming that any efforts will result in failure. Individuals with this mindset often feel as though they have a lack of choice or options, and therefore avoid situations or making difficult decisions.
An advantage of the Victim mindset is that it allows people to protect themselves from harm. They can receive attention and sympathy from others, and don’t have to assume responsibility for negative life events.
A disadvantage of the Victim mindset is that it is draining. It saps our energy leads to people having great difficulty effecting change and improving life circumstances and may avoid certain situations or may avoid making difficult decisions. They also lack the ability to lead themselves and others as they typically have a feeling of helplessness when it comes to making difference in a given situation.
Mindset #2: The Fighter
The Fighter mindset tends to have a frame of reference of “I win, but only if you lose.”
This mindset is most common not only in the workplace but in life in general. Individuals who frequently live with this mindset tend to believe that their life is not where they’d like it to be, however, in comparison to the Victim, people with this energy are very willing to do something about that.
As one can imagine, the Fighter’s mindset and life is often characterized by conflict, with the core emotion being anger. There is a strong desire to be “right”, and often manage and operate by force, control, or coercion. Fighters often feel as if they must be very protective over their own success and earnings and fight to get what they want because they don’t trust that others will help them, and easily get frustrated when they see other people being given opportunities that they think they deserve.
Some advantages of having a Fighter mindset is that these individuals can get a lot done by themselves and can also motivate others, temporarily.
Some disadvantages of the Fighter mindset are that while initial results may look successful, the effort expended to live and act with in constant conflict will drain their energy and the energy of those around them resulting in dissatisfied and unproductive results. Fighters typically have higher levels of stress, lower levels of fulfillment, and strained relationships at work and at home.
Mindset #3: The Rationalizer
The Rationalizer mindset tends to have a frame of reference of “I win, (but if you win too, that’s great.)”
This mindset is a “transitional” mindset where people can start releasing the protective and draining energy associated with the Victim and the Fighter. With this mindset, people start to take responsibility for their thoughts, emotions, and actions. This is where people start to understand that what they think and feel is up to them, not others. As the name would suggest, these folks are masters at rationalization, and therefore don’t spend a lot of time worrying. They are accepting of others and will motivate themselves and others by finding ways to cope, tolerate and compromise in order to encourage cooperation and productivity.
Advantages of the Rationalizer are that they can start taking control of their life and don’t allow other people to stand in the way of what they want. They are also able to release the negativity of others; they’re also able to engage people easily.
Disadvantages associated with the Rationalizer are that they could be unintentionally manipulative and self-concerning; as hopes and promises are given from the head rather than the heart. Furthermore, it’s easy to get stuck in this mindset because they’re not concerned if things don’t work out because they “did their best,” and therefore have rationalized why they’re “OK” with how things are today and have stopped looking or given up on trying to find ways to make it better.
Mindset #4: The Caregiver – “As long as you win, I win.”
The Caregiver mindset tends to have a frame of reference of “you win, so therefore I win.”
The Caregiver’s primary core thought is a concern for others, filled with caring, giving, supporting, and helping. This mindset looks and feels very selfless, since the focus of their actions is to work and achieve so others win and succeed. Caregivers would rather give than receive, feel sorry for those less fortunate, and are more concerned about how to fix others than about how others can help them. They do this out of pure joy and caring, without expectations of receiving anything in return; they care for others because they want to, not because they feel obligated to (which is closer to the Victim mindset).
Caregivers have a great deal of compassion for others and are inspired, and inspire those around them, to serve others. They often foster collaboration, teamwork, and loyalty. This is a very high level of energy, which can lead to great success.
Advantages associated with Caregivers is that they take little personally; they truly care for and help everyone to do their job the best they can.
Some disadvantages are that Caregivers can often put other’s needs before their own, they can get caught up in other people’s dramas, and their motivation may stem from being liked rather than from being productive.
Mindset #5: The Opportunist
The Opportunist mindset tends to have a frame of reference of “we both win.”
Some of the greatest leaders in all walks of life operate with this mindset. They typically have a highly conscious, wide-ranging view of situations, believe that everything happens for a reason and that there is a true purpose in life. Individuals with this mindset have many choices available to them as they navigate their lives.
Opportunists reconcile good and bad, and right and wrong, and nothing is judged one way or the other. Opportunists do not simply make “lemonade out of lemons,” but they are genuinely as excited by the things that do not go as planned as by the things that do; as they are able to learn from and find opportunities in all situations.
Opportunists are calm, powerful, entrepreneurial-minded, confident, and feel a sense of inner peace and fulfillment. They are in control of their lives and live with the belief that they can, and do, choose their life experience.
Some advantages associated with the Opportunist mindset is that these individuals are often very intelligent and find opportunities in all challenges. They take little to nothing personally and will look at “what’s right,” instead of “what’s wrong, ” and are seen as people who can fix things quickly.
Some disadvantages associated with being an Opportunist are that they can experience paralysis by analysis and can be disengaged from emotions. Sometimes, their optimism can cause them to take too many risks.
Mindset #6: The Visionary
The Visionary tends to have a frame of reference of “everyone always wins.”
Individuals who navigate life with this mindset tend to have a permanent sense of pleasure, satisfaction, and joy. With a core thought of synthesis, the ability to see the whole, in lieu of just its parts, creative geniuses, visionaries, and brilliant and conscious leaders, in all walks of life, navigate life with this mindset and use it to create new and exciting innovations and variations for everyone’s benefit.
The Visionary has a sense of connection with everyone and everything. They understand that everyone around them helps shape who they are as an individual. Visionaries don’t wait for things to happen to react to but see everything as an experience to live and learn from. Their goal is not at the end of the rainbow, but in the process, instead. They are calm and unflappable and inspire greatness in others.
Advantages of being a Visionary is that they are empathetic. Visionary’s feel and connect without judgment, and they are able to access deep levels of intuition.
Some disadvantages of navigating life as a Visionary are that they may not be grounded, they may be a high-risk taker, and others may view them as aloof.
Mindset #7: The Creator
The Creator tends to have a frame of reference of “winning and losing are just illusions.”
While this mindset can sometimes be difficult to understand, it is one that everyone can experience with practice. It is characterized by completely objective thinking, non-judgment, true passion, and fearlessness.
Individuals who navigate life with this mindset are some of the most powerful people in the world; they consciously co-create their life experiences and are participants and observers at the same time. They are filled with love, appreciation, passion, and are connected to all things.
Advantages of navigating life with the Creator mindset is that you can truly create anything you choose, whenever you choose to, as quickly as you believe possible. Creators are connected to an intelligence of the highest order, meaning that their gut and intuition become their guiding light, and there is no reason to second guess them.
Some disadvantages of navigating life with the Creator mindset is that they tend to take 30,000-foot view and nothing is therefore seen as real or significant. Because of this, they can be perceived by others as being disconnected and aloof.
Reflections
When I first received my Energy Leadership Index Assessment results, my jaw hit the floor. At first I was upset, but then, I realized that given my situation, they were completely accurate. My results showed that I was a Rationalizer on a normal day, and a Victim in stressful situations. It was a few months before I left my corporate gig and I was doing everything in my power to make it "OK" but was frequently triggered into feelings of hopelessness.
I have since left my job and continued to focus and practice shifting to an Opportunist mindset in the day-to-day, and to recognize and reduce the amount of time I reside in the Victim mindset when I am stressed.
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