Survival > Growth > Contribution - The path to freedom Part 1 : Own your Life

This is part 1 of a 3 part series exploring the evolution of "problems" as we move from survival, to growth, to contribution.

The path to freedom Part 2 : Becoming the Hero
The path to freedom Part 3 : Becoming the Guide

One Idea to Explore:

Almost every decision we face in life is a "problem."

Luckily, through the process of living, we outgrow many of life's problems. (e.g. most 1 year old's are still figuring out how to solve the problem of not soiling their underwear when they need to go potty. Regardless of how old you are this is still a real problem that has to be solved, it's just as we grow and learn we become more than capable of taking care of this particular "problem.")

Today we are going to dive deeper into problems of survival.

Problems of Survival:

When you're living in survival mode it means doing just enough to get by without breaking down. Everything tends to be a reaction. (not being proactive)

Survival mode equals lack of clarity, and purpose. Or the aim/purpose you're working toward is simply to escape the life your in. (aka. living for the weekend) It's treading water to support your family, or to make ends meet.

People living in survival mode usually feel entitled. They believe that where they are, and how they feel is mostly someone else's fault and are looking for shortcuts to take responsibility for their actions.

Survival problems aren't necessarily bad problems. In fact, we all start out in this state of life. (helpless, beholden to the care of others to get our needs meet) But if we don't consciously decide to move out of this type of thinking (egocentric) we'll be stuck waiting for the world and others to fix all issues.

Part of the "growing up" process is learning to take responsibility for our lives. To quit finding fault in other people or situations. To accept personal responsibility for our growth and progress.

Let's take a moment to recognize that life just knocks us down on occasion and we have to circle the wagons per say, to regroup and replenish our reserves.

That isn't what I'm talking about though. Survival mode thinking (victim thinking) are those areas where we've decided we can't do anything about it, or that it's all our ex's fault, and your boss is just out to get you, etc. It's the areas where we've had other people (think spouse, parent or children) try and help us recognize the truth, but we're to stubborn or prideful to admit that perhaps part of the problem lies within us...

So what do we do about it? How do we move out of survival mode and adopt a growth & contribution mentality?

Well, you're in luck! Why? Because all it takes to move from survival mode to growth is to make a decision. The decision to take 100% responsibility for the change you want to see happen.

Next week we'll deep dive into problems of growth and how to take 100% ownership- but as we don't want to leave you hanging/focused on the depressive nature of living in survival mode, here is an excerpt from Episode #95 that should be helpful.

Your life is like a garden. And while it's current state may not be your fault, it IS your responsibility

• Recognition - Recognizing the state of your garden
• Ownership - Taking ownership of everything in your garden
• Commitment - Commit to planting new seeds for a better future