Mindsets That Hinder Us

The human mind is powerful. It can determine the course of our lives. It is important to know what exactly is hindering our progress. In business, as well as other aspects of life, we are made captive by certain wrong mindsets. Here are some common mindsets that may be hindering a person from making progress in the marketplace.

1. The Jackpot Mentality

Some people want to hit it big instantly. There are varied reasons for this. They may be in a tight financial situation and they need to address it quickly by hitting a jackpot. Or, they refuse to work hard and gradually increase their income because they want to retire early. The very thing they refuse to do, which is to increase their income gradually, as they work hard and develop their business is the very thing they need to make it in business. Healthy businesses exhibit growth overtime and they grow only as much as the owner grows in understanding and competence. In my entire career as a business consultant, I have never seen a jackpot happen. I have seen people who aimed for a jackpot and then failed. But I have also seen people who are willing to take the long road and are now managing big businesses.

2. Luck Mentality

This sounds like the brother of jackpot mentality. Once, I asked a businessman what accounted for the rapid increase in his sales. He didn’t know. All he knows is that buyers keep on coming back for more. The “lucky” break gave him enough reason to relax. He never exerted any effort to find out why his customers are buying. Years later, his company closed down after a sudden decline in sales. I asked him what caused it. He didn’t know either. Things just happened. A wise businessman knows why his sales go up and why they go down. He knows his customers. He is aware of the effect of the decisions he makes. As a good steward, he knows how to manage controllable factors and leave the uncontrollable or unknown to God.

3. Money begets money

If money produces more money, there is no need for entrepreneurial ability and management. The myth sounds like the thinking of one of the stewards in the parable of the talents who did nothing and buried his talent underground. Money is just a tool. To a good manager who knows how to handle his tool, money will grow. The one who mismanages will simply waste away resources assigned to him. This is the reason why there are businessmen who made it big, starting from almost nothing. There are those who started with much but did not produce anything. Mindset dictates our action which affects our lives. That is why God gave us principles on how to live and manage what is given to us. They are all in the bible.

4. Big Time Mentality

This is a big hindrance to taking the first crucial step in business. A person sees that the potential income is too small and so decides to forego the opportunity. He waits for the next big time opportunity. Problem is the big time opportunity that he is waiting for is something that is beyond his capability to handle. The person who has this mindset will not be able to take the first correct step.

5. Passion Syndrome

If passion is what we need to start working, we will wait for the right job or the right business that gives us a surge of passion. The problem is, it does not work that way. In any line of business, there are things we don’t love doing, yet we do it because it is our job. Passion comes when we work hard on something and we become good at it. That is the time we see money coming in. The rewards fuel our passion. It is pleasing to see a person who is good in what he is doing and loves doing it. Such a person must have worked hard until he became good. As a result, he became passionate in what he does.