For years I have experienced first hand, a poverty mentality and mindset within our particular sector of Dentistry. It undermines performance and limits success. Let me explain…
A POVERTY MINDSET
Also known as a ‘Scarcity Mindset’ is one that influences behaviours consistent with beliefs that;
l money is something I’ve never had
l money shouldn’t be spent
l opportunities are limited
l taking any risks at all is dangerous
l success is temporary
l success shouldn’t be celebrated
l accepting the status quo is safest.
You might think, ‘Well it’s easy for you with your big lab’. Let me tell you, it’s not been an easy journey. One thing that has been consistent, even through the most difficult times, was my ‘Abundant Mindset’.
As a teenager growing up on one of the roughest and toughest Council estates in the UK, now been ranked in the top 10 worst areas to live, I always believed I could achieve pretty much most things if I set my mind to it. Life in the 80s was tough for our family, but I never once heard my parents moan about the 3 jobs my Dad did, and the late shifts my Mum put in at the sweet factory in Sheffield. They, cracked on, they set a great example, they wanted better things. They didn’t moan about what they didn’t have, they strived and set out to do things they wanted to do. It was such an encouraging thing to see as a teenager. Certainly one that helped me and set the tone for life with an ‘Abundant Mindset’.
As a Dental Technician, a poverty mindset is almost engrained into our DNA from the outset. I remember my old college lecturer saying to me, “If you want to drive one of those fancy Porsches you’d better retrain as a Dentist, you’ll never earn enough as a plaster monkey.” That was it, goal set, at 17 years of age, I told myself I would own an Aston Martin before I was 40! I had 23 years to nail it! I did it, it by the way, aged 39!
That was just the beginning of a professional pathway of bumping into and working alongside some of the most pessimistic people on the planet. It was almost beaten into us when we started our college or university courses. I don’t have enough hands with enough digits to count the number of lecturers, colleagues and futures employers that would start conversations with “Why on earth do you want this job?” or “You’ll make more money working at Netto.”
True story, I sat in an interview at a very large teaching hospital, being told “You’ll struggle to afford to live in London, it’s lot more expensive than up North. Will you be able to afford it on a Technicians wage?”I replied “I’ll give it a go if you offer me the job thank you very much, when can I start?” I got the job!
It is very easy to get dragged into a poverty mindset by those around you. After all, Jim Rohn – Entrepreneur and author of ‘7 Strategies for Wealth & Happiness’ famously quotes, “You are the average of the 5 people you spend most of your time with.”
It doesn’t have to be this way. We can adopt an abundant mindset, first we must identify some of those limiting beliefs we have and consciously flip them. Today, if you spend any time with colleagues, friends or family members, see if you can spot some of those poverty mindset traits.
Here are some examples:
l Belief that you are a victim of others’ decisions and choices. This is a typical trait in our profession, often blaming Dentists for driving prices down, or blaming fellow technicians and other labs for undercutting prices. “It’s not our fault we have to work long hours to make ends meet, its everyone else’s. It’s beyond my control, if I increase my prices, they’ll just leave and find someone cheaper”. Sound familiar?
l Fear of spending money on non-essentials. I have seen this with so many of my colleagues over the years. Thinking they don’t deserve nice things or they ‘really shouldn’t buy that’ because they ‘don’t need it’, ‘it isn’t essential so I can’t buy it’.
l Constant searching for cheapest alternative, even if its poorer quality.
l Obsessed with getting “deals” and free entry. Spending hours getting voucher codes. I’m not talking about getting a cheeky deal occasionally, we all love a ‘free dough balls at Pizza Express’ once in a while.
l Belief that you’re lucky when you succeed, incompetent when you fail. Again, I see this so much in our profession. So many people saying they are just lucky, or ‘You’re just lucky’. Sorry, success isn’t luck. Success often comes on the back of lots of previous failures and financial risks, certainly not luck. Look at James Dyson, his 5,126 failures didn’t mean he had failed, they were all just lessons to making his success much better.
l Denying yourself treats or luxury items. This is a big one, I see this all the time. Technicians, looking longingly at the luxury car their customer has just bought, thinking ‘it’s alright for some, how the other half live’, often being in a position themselves to afford such a treat.
l Feelings of guilt when you have more than someone else. You may be embarrassed and have guilty feelings when you buy a new car, or take a really nice holiday after earning a bonus or winning some new business.
l Fear of being perceived as boastful when you describe achieving a goal. It is very rare to see dental technicians celebrating success, in fact I have seen many people criticise colleagues who have entered or won industry awards for example. More about this one later.
l Feeling you haven’t got enough reserves or resources. Some of these fears may go back to our childhoods, so it is understandable that we can be worried about not having enough in the bank. Without sounding irresponsible, it is a balance between holding enough back ‘just in case’ and enjoying what you have.
l Believing you could “lose it all” despite your hard work. Perhaps another limiting belief that goes back to our childhoods, particularly if you have seen parents or family members lose jobs or have to close their businesses.
With these examples in mind, consider how others are today. Are the people you spend the most of your time with exhibiting any of these traits? How do those conversations go? Do they make you feel happy, inspired? Remember Jim Rohns’ quote; “You are the average of the 5 people you spend most of your time with.” If you want to feel inspired, encouraged, celebrated, you need to surround yourself with those people in your life that raise you up. This is not to say cut out the others in your life. I have a good friend we all lovingly call ‘Black Cloud’. Every conversation he starts or finishes is doom and gloom, so much so, he has become a bit of a comedy character. If you spent all day with 5 people like him, I’m sure you wouldn’t be in the best place mentally. By the way, I love him dearly, and I love his company when we meet, I see the funny side to his dark perspective on life. Just not everyday!
SO, WHAT IS AN ABUNDANCE MINDSET’?
An ‘Abundance Mindset’, some people say ‘Abundance Mentality’; is one that assures you that you are successful and can replicate that success. You have value and talents in great demand. You can handle most situations that come your way very successfully and in those difficult times, you can bounce back quickly and are resilient.
Simply put, it’s the flipside to those limiting beliefs and trait examples given earlier in this article. When others see problems and fear new things, those with an abundance mindset see solutions, opportunities and relish the new challenges ahead. We could simplify it by using the words Pessimistic and Optimistic, although I think there is a little more to it than simple Optimism and Pessimism.
Here are a few examples of the traits of an Abundance Mindset:
l Considers the opportunities, focusing on areas of growth and improvement. This is a fantastic trait to have. If you have ever had any business coaching, you will have been encouraged to look at problems as opportunities, to consider difficult situations as ways to improve and grow.
l Leads with confidence and clarity taking responsibility for their own actions. This trait is one that not only leads to having great people on your team and wanting to be part of your team, it inspires others to lead by your example.
l Thinking about the challenges and growth ahead makes them feel empowered and engaged. This is almost polar opposite to how someone with a Poverty Mindset feels and thinks.
l Collaborate well with others by sharing knowledge and success. I see some of the most successful people in our profession sharing their knowledge, ideas and expertise. The process of giving and sharing, ultimately ends in reciprocal help and support from others. Acting as a giver contributes to others wellbeing.
l Think big, embracing risk. This is often where people see those that have achieved great things or success haven’t seen the journey that came before and see them as ‘lucky’ or ‘it’s alright for them’. They haven’t seen the risk and challenges that have gone before the success.
SO, HOW CAN YOU FLIP FROM A POVERTY OR SCARCITY MINDSET TO AN ABUNDANCE MINDSET, ONE WITHOUT LIMITS OR BELIEFS THAT HOLD YOU BACK?
Here are just a few tips that I have pulled together from several authors.
The ability to think big is probably the first step out of your comfort zone of self-imposed limiting beliefs. Focus your energy on exploring a bigger and better future, think about how the path ahead might look and how you begin the journey to make it possible. If you’re thinking of applying for a new role, offering a new service or how you might take your lab to the next level, think big. Thinking big, sets the direction and the tone of your journey.
Make progress by taking small steps along the way, don’t be afraid to re-evaluate your strategies, reconsider your options, adjust and adapt. Remember Dysons 5,126 failures before his success, they all form part of the journey.
Above all, try to think without limits. Try not to be tunnel visioned on one particular thing, try to loosen your focus and create an open minded approach to create an abundance mentality. Choose your words wisely, before you speak, think are you about to deliver something in the scarcity tone or with an abundant tone.
Celebrate yourself and celebrate others too. I have been known to celebrate the opening of a crisp packet! Seriously, enjoy and celebrate good things on a daily basis. If a colleague creates a great piece of work, congratulate them, tell them how great it is. Our Britishness sometimes stifles these kind of celebrations. My American cousins are amazing at celebrating and congratulating each other. Paying compliments and flattering your friends, partner, colleagues and even your competitors will reward you in abundance, seriously give it a try.
It is a choice, you can choose to think Scarcely with a Poverty Mindset or you can choose positivity and go about life with an Abundance Mindset, it really is a choice… So, I task you today to go and think ‘ABUNDANTLY’ without limits and dream BIG!!!