Is Free Learning an Oxymoron?
on Wednesday, October 27, 2010I grew up in a family of 5 with a stay at home mom and a father who’d grown up in the back hills of Tennessee during the depression. I never liked to think of myself as cheap but I was. It was what I learned from the environment in which I was raised. When I was presented with the definitions of “poverty” or ”abundance” mentalities I could clearly put myself in the earlier camp and immediately set about to change it. What I discovered is that the roots of the poverty mentality run deep and have offshoots not as easily defined.
How can you tell if you have a poverty mindset? Here are a few indicators.
- When you have a need you look for free or low cost first rather than finding exactly what you need to solve your problem.
- When you say “I could do this myself for less” and proceed to invest vast amounts of time doing so.
- When you think there is not enough…business, money, time, etc. to do the things you want to do.
- When your focus on is low cost instead of best value.
After working with my bookkeeper and controller today I was reminded yet again where the roots of the poverty mindset show up. Any time you work with your money old scripts show up. As much as I think I’ve been investing in value in the course of my business…what I’ve gained is some “free learning” at great cost. I hope you’ll appreciate the transparency as I share a couple of examples.
- I’ve invested time in free teleseminars or events because I think I will short cut the process and grab the golden nugget without investing in the coaching or product.
- Conversely I’ve invested in products and coaching without due diligence only to learn they weren’t equipped to exactly meet my need so it is both time and money down the drain.
- Over the years I’ve done much of my own website design, copywriting, desktop publishing, online marketing attempts, thinking I was saving money by doing it myself.
- I’ve overbooked myself with activity to increase a rush of new business which creates a backlog of work instead of focusing on the bulls eye and planning activities that have a high payoff in less time.
The poverty mindset costs you…over and over and over again! While I continue to ferret out the remaining tendrils of this mindset I wouldn’t be where I am today without a focus on creating abundance mindset habits and belief systems. This is a business growth strategy at its elemental core. What does that look and sound like? I am happy to share.
- A fundamental truth. There is enough…enough time, money, and resources to do the things you want to do. Consider the last time you really wanted something. You made it happen didn’t you. I’ve seen this principle repeated throughout my career.
- People find the money to do the things that are important to them. In the US only a few economic scenarios exist where this is not true.
- People find the time to do the things they really want to do. It is a choice they make.
- People find the resources or people to get what they really want.
- It comes down to priorities, choice, and desire.
- I realize the economic environment over the past few years reinforces the fear of the poverty mindset yet we still have a choice to practice abundance. ”Free” learning is expensive both financially and emotionally. As an busy professional I can’t afford to be on the emotional roller coaster of worry and doubt. Can you
Here are a couple of tips to shortcut your return on your next investment in learning.
- Slow down to evaluate and define what you really need to take advantage of the growth and profit opportunities in your business.
- Quit “free” networking events. Target events that attract the quality and caliber of ideal clients you’d love to serve.
- Quit or minimize your DIY* activities. Focus on your strengths and hire someone with a proven track record you connect with to get you where you want to go.
* Do-it-yourself
Free learning is an oxymoron. The next time you hear something is free, ask yourself if you can truly afford to pay the price!
Resources:
I Want What She’s Got! The Secrets of Creating an Outrageous Life
27 Minute Complimentary Laser Coaching Session
Case Study: WAHM for Single Work at Home Moms changed their mindset
------------------To your success!
Kathie Nelson
http://www.KathieNelson.com
Great article, Kathie! Most business owners I see have at least a little bit of the poverty mindset. It’s really difficult to look at the opportunity cost rather than the hard dollar expenditures.
A common example: I could clean my own house. I certainly have the skills to do it. It costs $230/month to have a cleaning service clean it. However, the value received is greater than the $230/month I spend. Why? It takes 10 hours per month to do their cleaning. If I bill that time, I’ll be much further ahead. Yes, I probably can find 10 hours of non-billable time to clean my house, but there’s an opportunity cost… I won’t spend that time growing my business or playing with my kids. Those things are far more important to me than scrubbing a toilet.
I’ve gone back to my poverty mentality at times and cut the maid service, for example. You know what? My business suffered during those times. Forcing yourself to do chores you hate because you can’t “afford” to hire it out can have a negative impact on how you view yourself and your business. That impact can cost you some very real dollars and keep you from growing your business.
It seems like you really know what you are talking about, I definitely want to read more of your stuff. I’d love to see you expand the topics.
Thanks, Keely. The school of hard knocks certainly is a good teacher.