Archive for July, 2009
I would have thought that High-Achievers looked at life as an abundant well of opportunity. After reading Lloyd Thomas’ article on Scarcity, I have a different perspective.
Kahil Gibran writes: “to be thirsty when your well is full is a thirst which is unquenchable.” A scarcity mentality is when, no matter how much you have, it is never enough. You remain continuously unsatisfied. High achievers feel this way when they have a gut sense that there is always something more to achieve. Therefore, you might have a belief that your accomplishments, or the recognition for what you can achieve, will never be enough.
The upside is that you are driven to accomplish great things; the downside is that you limit your celebration of what you have created so far in your life. If it’s not good enough, it’s not time to celebrate. When you come from scarcity, you tend to limit your consumption. This includes drinking in the beauty of your life.
On the darker side, you may feel resentment about others who have what you lack (grander achievements). This further serves to effectively exclude you from feeling proud of what you have accomplished so far.
To reverse the psychologically damaging effects of a scarcity belief, you must engage in paradoxical behavior. In other words, whatever you need, give it away. Give someone else recognition for something you could have done yourself. Help other people today even though they could outshine you tomorrow. Create celebrations of achievement for others so that you may reflect on your own path. Help others feel acceptance, significance, joyful and proud. What grander accomplishment can you create?
Does this sound strange? As Lloyd says, “If you don’t understand any of today’s column, simply explain it to somebody else.”
It’s time to stop and appreciate what wonders you have created to date in this life. There are many more things you can and will do. And, you truly have time to take a moment to sit back and admire who you have become.
Yesterday a blog post went out with three old postings of mine. I didn’t send it. I’m taking it as a sign. There are three possible lessons I can learn from this:
1. This is a feature I didn’t know I had on Wordpress. Now that’s telling. How many features do you have that you don’t [...]
A Strong Person vs. a Person of Strength
Author unknown (and changed to make genderless)
A strong person works out every day to keep their body in shape…but a person of strength builds relationships to keep their soul in shape.
A strong person isn’t afraid of anything…but a person of strength shows courage in the midst of their [...]
(excerpt from upcoming book for high-achievers) Often the discontent you feel from your work stems from two factors: 1) expecting your job to fulfill your need for meaning, which it may do but you aren’t sure because 2) you confuse your need for recognition with your desire to feel fulfilled. You have to identify and [...]
