What’s a Better Mindset to Start with?

Last week I wrote about mindset.  I talked about a mindset that accomplishes very little.  In this article, I will discuss a mindset that can accomplish extraordinary results. 

As I said, the person who complains, protests, vents, whines, etc. is the person who secretly believes they will never get what they want.  As a result, they consume time by taking action that makes

it appear they are committed to a cause.  That action is protesting.  If you ask about their cause, they usually tell you what they don’t want. 

When I am with clients, I discuss this idea of talking about what you don’t want.  I use the illustration that goes like this: in that corner is everything you don’t want or like.  You do everything to make sure the things you don’t want stay in that corner.  You fight them.  Yell at them.  And you may even get others to help you contain what you don’t want.  However, in the corner behind you, is everything you want.  Except, you will need the same fervor and commitment you use on the things you don’t want to attain those things in the corner that you do want.

This is the dilemma most find themselves in.  They believe it is powerful and strong to fight what they don’t want.  As you can imagine, they get a life filled with what they don’t want.  All they have to do it turn around and focus on the corner behind them.

To change that mindset, you will have to make a paradigm shift.  If a community has been focused on fighting that which they don’t want for generations, it will be somewhat of a challenge to make a shift in mindset.  To make a sustainable shift, it will require work.    

For one, the current mindset will have to be addressed.  The complainer’s mindset is most likely filled with real and imagined trauma.  That trauma, if not addressed, will continue to force you to make choices that may appear to protect you.  But, you will still be focused on what you don’t want.  As a note, healing has nothing to do with addressing it.  It’s most effective to confront it head on.  Healing requires you to wait.  Confronting requires action.  Once effectively addressed, it becomes easier to distinguish how you sabotage your own efforts – personally, socially and professionally.  Then you have the freedom to choose another paradigm.  

Secondly, it is imperative to get clear about what you stand for.  When you can articulate your stand, it is important to know what you are committed to. 

Third, what actions are a correlate of your stand and commitment?  In other words, what actions reflect your stand and commitment?  This is the question to ask yourself when things are not going the way you anticipated, like when breakdowns happen.

Fourth, be honest about the United States’ political structure.  It is not and never was a democracy.  It is a republic.  In a republic, the government serves large landowners and merchants.  Those landowners and merchants write legislation.  If you are only a consumer, you will never have the economic power to influence legislators.  With economic power, you can write, not influence, the laws that affect your community.   

If you look at the black American community, you can ask the individual and the entire community what they stand for.  Too often, people talk about niceties, like world peace and making a difference.  Except, their actions do not reflect world peace.  Look at the riots.   

If the black community stood for economic power, they would commit to building organizations that employ, provide products and services and empower the community.  Instead of the black dollar staying in the community for six hours, it would stay in the community for six months.  As an example, black Americans would no longer purchase Nike.  They would only support sneakers manufactured and owned by black Americans.  The employees, investors and vendors would also be black American and you could outsource to Africa.  While this may sound like a pipe dream, it isn’t.  There is $1 trillion that leaves the black community every year.  Yet, black Americans protest about not having economic power when it is already in their own hands. 

Nike is one company that sucks enormous amounts of money from the black American community.  Tommy Hilfiger, Christian Louboutin and Chanel are others.  In return, they offer very little.  While Nike does have black American board members and executives, it is an insufficient representation of the economic power that is available in the black community - $1 trillion.  Build organizations that own the $1 trillion.    

That will take commitment, training, planning organization and an entirely new mindset.  Protesting will not get you there, unless you want the things you don’t want.  It takes building.  In the 21st Century, there are enough rich and wealthy black Americans who can pool money together and build – John Rogers, Russell Simmons, Sean Combs, Jay-Z, Beyonce, Michael Jordan, Bob Johnson, Oprah and many, many more.  If not now, when?  

What do you think? I would love to hear your feedback.  And I’m open to ideas.  Or if you want to write me about a specific topic, connect through my blog www.turnaroundip.blogspot.com.