Hi, Doug Andrew here.
I want to share with you a powerful concept that explains the difference between a captivity mindset and a freedom mindset.
This is like a scarcity mindset versus an abundance mindset, where a lot of people go through life always needing, needing, versus those who are wanting abundance and more abundance for everyone in their lives.
WANTING TO GET FROM HERE TO THERE
We go through life often looking at ourselves in the present moment as if we’re “here,” and we can’t wait until we get “there”—whatever “there” is.
It’s like how when we’re in preschool, we can’t wait until we get to kindergarten. And then we get to kindergarten and we say, “Oh, I can’t wait ‘til I get to the first grade!”
And then we get there and have school lunch, and we say, “What was that all about?”
And then we can’t wait until we’re the king of the school—maybe sixth grade—and then, all of a sudden, we get demoted again. We’re the newbie in junior high or middle school, and we can’t wait until ninth grade.
And then, guess what? We go to high school, and now we’re the sophomore, and we can’t wait until we’re the senior. And then we feel like we’re the king of the school. We’re finally there. And all of a sudden, you go off to college and you’re the freshman again.
And we can’t wait ‘til we graduate from college, and we’re “there.” And once we do that, we go out and we say, “Wait a minute here; I’m just entry level. I can’t wait ‘til I get a better paying job … or I can move from my current car, my Honda Civic, to a Tesla … or I can get a bigger home, a boat, a motorhome, or a second home.”
And somehow we think that we’re going to finally be happy when we get…there, whatever “there” is.
BE GRATEFUL FOR WHERE YOU ARE
So, the key is being grateful and happy wherever you are at—wherever you’re at in your life.
Let’s say this triangular pyramid represents humanity, and there are about 7.2 billion people on the earth today. I’m Christian, so from Adam and Eve until today, it’s been estimated that there have been about 70 billion people on the planet. (I’m just trying to give you a ratio here, whatever your beliefs are.)
And you realize that most people who’ve ever lived on planet Earth would look at you and me, our lifestyles, our homes, our two- or three-car garages, our kitchens, our bathrooms, and they would say, “What do you have anything to complain about? You’re already there.”
I mean, the pharaohs of Egypt would have given their eye teeth to have a flush toilet. I see kids in America that sometimes throw tantrums because they can’t figure out how to open their second bag of Cheetos because their hands are too greasy from their first bag of Cheetos. Most people on this planet have never had their first bag of Cheetos before.
But these are like First World problems. And so, happiness should not be contingent on some future result.
Is the drama in life worth more than being happy where you are at?
So, what I love to teach my children and grandchildren, my employees, is, “Hey, let’s be extremely grateful that we’re already there. We are already so blessed.”
And once we have that perspective, we recognize we have four freedoms that most people who have ever been on planet Earth have not been able to enjoy.
FOUR FREEDOMS
- TIME – We have the freedom of time, to be able to use time as we see fit. Many people, they spend their entire waking day trying to get rid of that pain right there [Doug points to his heart.]
- MONEY – We have freedom of money, to be able to go out and create value and be compensated for it. We don’t have to work 24/7 to do it. We have that opportunity.
- PURPOSE – We have freedom of purpose, to be able to determine the purpose that we are going to live life every day. Every Monday morning, I get to decide my purpose.
- RELATIONSHIPS – We have freedom of relationships, to be able to choose to hang out with who we want to hang out with. I teach youth that who they will be five, 10, or 15 years from now is a function of who they choose to hang out with, and what they feed into here [Doug points to his eyes] and what they feed into here [Doug points to his ears].
So, my hope is that you can employ these four freedoms and bless those that you care about to appreciate that we’re already blessed. And let’s harness these freedoms to have a more abundant life so that we want abundance for everybody else in our families and in our circles.
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ABUNDANT LIVING WAYS
Resist the “There Not Here” Impulse – Although it’s natural, when we wish away the present for some supposedly grander future, we miss out on the opportunities right in front of us.
Gratitude Can Shift Our Perspective – Recognize that the majority of the world’s population would see our First World situation as already abundantly blessed. Let that vantage point help you shift from a captivity mindset to one of freedom.
Make the Most of the Four Freedoms – Maximize your time, money, purpose, and relationships to live a life of abundance, and teach those within your circle of influence to do the same.
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