Moving From Competitive to Creative
One way we’ve been conditioned to view opportunity is through the lens of competition.
And here’s what I mean by that: If we believe that there is a limited supply of opportunities, then that kind of thinking leads us to further believe that the only way to receive or acquire those opportunities is to compete for them.
Our mind tells us to believe that there is only so much of it to go around. And when we believe there is only a finite supply of opportunities, that impacts the way we pursue them.
But there’s another way to view what it means to spot and pursue opportunity - and that’s through the lens of a creator.
In this episode, I explain why it’s so important to view opportunities as a creator and not as a competitor, and how you can start to make that shift.
Episode Transcription
Intro:
Take a moment to think about how you perceive the concept of opportunity.
One way we’ve been conditioned to view opportunity is through the lens of competition.
And here’s what I mean by that: If we believe that there is a limited supply of opportunities, then that kind of thinking leads us to further believe that the only way to receive or acquire those opportunities is to compete for them.
Our mind tells us to believe that there is only so much of it to go around.
And when we believe there is only a finite supply of opportunities, that impacts the way we pursue them.
But there’s another way to view what it means to spot and pursue opportunity - and that’s through the lens of a creator.
So in this episode I want to show you why it’s so important to view opportunities as a creator and not as a competitor, and how you can start to make that shift. Here we go.
Main:
Let’s talk about how we perceive the concept of opportunity.
And when I say opportunity, I want you to consider how in the past or even right now, you’ve been looking at opportunities like finding a new job you want, getting a promotion at work, getting into the school you want, bringing in a new client, or maybe coming up with a new idea for a business that you want to start.
And if you think about how we view opportunities like this, we have all been conditioned to view these circumstances through the lens of competition. We’ve been trained to be competitors.
And what I mean by that is, we tend to think that in order for us to acquire something - so the new job, the new promotion, the new spot in grad school, the new client, the new business - we have to compete for those things because there is a limited supply of the right opportunity for us.
We have this belief that there is only so much opportunity to go around.
And so when we feel like there is a limited supply, or that we’re constantly in competition with other people, it sets up this dynamic that impacts the way we think. In other words, the way we look for opportunities and the way we pursue those opportunities is impacted because we believe there is a finite supply.
And when we believe that there is a finite supply, then we default into a mindset that is focused on competition.
But there’s another way to view opportunity, and that’s what I want to talk about in this episode.
The other way to approach how you view opportunity is from the perspective of a creator, someone who is focused on creativity.
So unlike a competitor, a creator believes that there is an unlimited supply of opportunity.
A creator believes that they have the ability to create opportunities for themselves.
A creator doesn’t see a limited amount of opportunities when it comes to their career or their life, and a creator doesn’t believe that they have to be in competition with someone else in order to access those opportunities and live a full life.
A creator is free because they are not forced to make decisions about their path based on the paths or actions of others.
And what I want to try to convince you today is that operating with a creator’s mindset is one of the most freeing things you can do for yourself because it helps you move past limiting thoughts and helps you shift your mindset away from competing with other people and toward your innate talents and abilities.
So let’s talk about a few ways to go about doing that.
First, we have to start by moving away from believing that there is a “limited supply” to believing that there is an “unlimited supply.”
And I want you to think about it this way. If the source motivation for what you’re pursuing/seeking is premised on the idea that you are constantly in competition with others for a limited amount of opportunities, then your ability to grow and to pursue those opportunities will be constrained by the limitations that you believe exist.
In other words, if you always believe that there is only so much opportunity to go around, then you’re restricted to a very limited set of circumstances in which you can live and operate. That mindset will keep you confined to the boundaries you’ve set up and the limitations that you believe are in place.
And if you believe there is only a limited supply, then that belief automatically triggers an instinctual response that you have to compete for those limited opportunities.
And when you believe you have to compete for opportunities, it constricts the way you approach pursuing them.
So I know this is a little heavy so let me give you some examples.
Let’ talk about 4 of them.
First, job opportunities. If I believe there are only so many job opportunities out there that align with what I want, then I immediately start to feel in competition with everyone else who might be seeking that job.
Picture the last time you applied for a job. How much of your thinking leading up to that was focused on how good other candidates might be, or how they might be more qualified than you.
And when you’re focused on competing with everyone else, then you end up edging out of the equation the creative part of yourself that allows you to stand out among those applicants or use creative ways to find the right position for yourself.
A second example would be acquiring clients. Let’s say you run your own business. If you believe that there are only so many clients or customers out there, then part of the source of your motivation for acquiring those clients will be “How can I beat out competitors for that limited supply?”
Again, you end up being focused on competing instead of creating the right circumstances that will help you attract the right kind of clients for you.
Third, let’s talk about Money.
If I believe there is only so much money I can earn, then I’ll feel like I’m forever in competition with other people in trying to earn that money.
That source of competition comes from the belief that there is only so much money to go around. And when I’m focused on that, then I can’t be focused on creative ways and opportunities to earn it.
A fourth example, business ideas. If you believe there are only so many good business ideas or product ideas, then you’re constantly comparing yourself and what you’ve done to what other people have done.
Instead of shifting your energy toward thinking “what can I create,” you remain so focused on what others are doing that you end up edging creativity out of the equation.
Those are just four of many examples, but the takeaway is that competition narrows our focus and robs us of the ability to access opportunities because we set up a dynamic where we believe there are only so many of them to go around.
But we have to realize that this type of thinking is rooted in our conditioning to be competitive. When we set it up as us versus everyone else, that’s when we feel like there’s a limited supply.
Now I’m not saying that all competition is bad. There are of course certain dynamics where measuring yourself against someone else or competing against someone else can be helpful, or where competition is the end outcome that you’re striving for.
So if I’m running a race against someone, then the whole reason we’re running a race is to compete with one another.
But what I am saying is that, in the examples I gave you, the idea of competition itself is not at the core of your pursuit of those outcomes.
If I’m trying to stand out among a group of 50 job applicants, or if I want a promotion, or if I want to get that new client, the question is: will focusing on competition or will focusing on creativity allow me to be the best version of myself as I pursue those opportunities?.
So in circumstances where we are “competing”, we must be aware of how it limits our focus and narrows the amount of opportunities we’re able to access.
SO how do we flip this for ourselves? How do we start to move from looking at everything as competitive to focusing on being creative?
First, I want you to hone in on ONE opportunity you want for yourself where you believe you’re operating from a place of competition, and where a creative mindset would suit you better.
So just think about a circumstance you face right now where you feel like you’re in competition with someone or “everyone” for that thing.
Second, I want you to ask the question: what can I do to move from focusing on competition to focusing on creativity?
Remember that when you enter a competitive mindset, it pits you vs. everyone. And by pitting you vs. everyone or anyone, it has the potential to edge out who you really are.
When you focus too much on competition, it ties you to what other people are doing and prevents you from putting forward the best version of who you are.
In other words, what are the things that will help draw your focus back toward creativity and away from what others are doing?
What are the things that will help you to stand out and be the best version of yourself as you’re pursuing this opportunity?
How can you quiet your mind so that you can listen for answers that are already inside of you, instead of searching for, and making decisions based on, what others are doing?
And then third and finally, remember that there are an infinite number of opportunities. This is the hardest thing to understand and believe.
And the reason it’s so hard is because we get caught up in thinking at this microscopic level each day, and so we only see certain kinds of opportunities that are right in front of us. Our moment to moment experiences shield us from seeing the enormous amount of opportunity that exists outside of what’s in our immediate field of vision.
But what I want to encourage you to do is try on for size the idea that you’re not limited to a narrow set of circumstances that you may have been using to view your work world or your personal world to this point.
Again, our circumstances constrain us in a way that limits our ability to think beyond our immediate surroundings. We don’t allow ourselves to access what’s beyond our immediate view.
So as we wrap up, I want you to take a really close look at how your current focus on competition may be leading to limiting beliefs that ultimately constrict how you move about your day to day and influence how you make decisions.
Boundless opportunities exist. And each of us has the ability to access those opportunities and transcend the limitations we put on ourselves when we view the world through the lens of competition
But in order to do that, it starts with making a shift toward creativity.
Go have a great workday.