Victor Vs. Victim
“Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get,” said Forrest Gump to open up the 90's hit movie.
And the statement reigns true, regardless of industry, ethnicity, financial standing, or background, there are surprises that sprinkle life with emotions of overwhelm, underwhelm, joy, despair, and satisfaction. So regardless of the circumstance, what is the common thread that will allow anyone the ability to surpass the current situation for confident navigation?
Simple: mindset. Be the victor, not the victim.
As I see it, the separator in any given situation is one’s ability to see themselves as the entity in control of the choices that can influence his/her desired outcome. Keywords – CHOICE and INFLUENCE.
Victors are people who understand the difference between control and influence.
CONTROL being something that can be 100% acted on. For example, I have control of my fingers as they write this post, I choose what word I write next.
INFLUENCE that is something that can be acted on with intention of the desired result, but not guaranteed. For example, as I write on my Mac, the computer could have a malfunction that interrupts my process; I cannot control the computer having this malfunction, I can, however, choose what I do next to influence the computer functioning again. What CAN I DO? I can- reboot, troubleshoot, or call the Mac store for repair an appointment.
Again, victors understand the difference between control and influence. Why is this important? Because to move towards a life of victory, one has to become aware of what they are focused on- things that they can 100% control versus things they can only influence.
My thought, when we are focused on controllables we put ourselves in a state of confidence because we are positioning ourselves to act and to act means to progress, evolve, learn, expand. When we are only focused on the uncontrollables in our life this creates a sense of victimhood – feelings of despair, overwhelm, sadness, and depression.
So what can you do? Seriously, regardless of your current situation, what’s your desired elevation? What can you take ownership of to move forward? Winning is a mindset reserved for those willing to take control- there’s no prerequisite of skills, it’s a standard of will.
Catalyst Leadership Blog
The Catalyst Leadership Blog was created to share productivity tips, tools, news, and other relevant information to professionals interested in sales productivity, demand generation and more.
Colleen Buck - CEO & Author
Colleen Buck is a leading authority on sales leadership including insights, ideas, advice about issues related to B2B, B2C and Retail sales and marketing. Large companies look to hire Colleen to help them create passionate, purpose-driven sales campaigns across the US.