Are You a Cruiser, Striver, or Thriving Driver?
Did you ever cruise Main Street in your home town as a kid? I did. We started at a predetermined spot, cruised to another spot on the opposite end of the street, and then turned around and did it again… and again…and again. I don’t know who determined the start and stop spots. All I know is that anywhere on the outside of those invisible turnaround points was not good cruisin’.
As we leave our teens, some of us choose to remain in and live our present as Cruisers in the Cruiser Zone. If you’re a cruiser, you start each day at a predetermined point and “coast” through the day only to turn around and do it again tomorrow. Some Cruisers seem content enough while others live in a world of blame—feeling victimized by their past and making that past a liability.
Then there are those venturesome souls who dare to discover what might lie outside of the cruising zone. They reach beyond the city limits, searching for new and exciting opportunities. They are constantly striving to find financial success, but many find they are never completely satisfied, and continue searching for better, faster, easier opportunities. Some refer to those who make this stage of wealth their present as “wannabees.” I call this stage the Striver Zone.
Others spend just enough time in that zone to find the right vehicle (opportunity or profession) to drive. They are excited, passionate, and ambitious about success. In the Driver Zone they continually reach beyond the horizon to find and grab at new frontiers, thereby building financially stability. These Drivers love their work and the financial freedom it brings.
But, unknowingly these Drivers will ultimately find themselves at a fork in the road. These roads are named for the attitude its travelers ultimately possess. One is based on the attitude of “I have arrived.” The other is based on the attitude of “I am thriving.”
The Arrivers are those who move into an attitude of scarcity. There is never enough. They fear that they will lose the security and independence they believe their financial abundance provides them. Their arms close and wrap around themselves, thus sadly beginning the inevitable decline of their financial wealth. Many Arrivers may not experience the devastating financial effects in their lifetime. Once they move into a chaotic state, however, the peace of mind and happiness that come from creating, building, and sharing begins to dissipate as well.
Children of Arrivers frequently fall into the trappings of “entitlement.” They truly believe that just because they were born on third base, they must have hit a triple. This attitude of entitlement is symptomatic of those who live in fear of losing what they have. They struggle with how to make a contribution and live a life of receiving versus giving. Feeling entitled does not necessarily equate with financial wealth. You don’t have to look too far to see those who appear to have very little in the way of worldly wealth yet who operate from that same attitude of entitlement. Perhaps because of generations of receiving from rich relatives, they too have never learned the power and blessing of proactive contribution.
On which road do you wish to travel? When you reach that fork in the road, see if you can steer in the direction of the “Thrivers.” This is the road of proactive contribution. First and foremost, Thrivers are grateful. They appreciate the blessings of experiences, the opportunities and challenges they encounter, and they have learned to frequently celebrate those blessings. From that space they learn from and capture the wisdom of their experiences and implement systems to immediately bequeath during their lifetimes the values, experiences, methods, systems, and relationships that have allowed them to become Thrivers.
These treasures (values, experiences, wisdom, and relationships) allow those who follow in their footsteps the opportunities to learn from striving, then driving—all the while capturing for themselves and for future generations the lessons of their experiences.
To become a Thriver, begin by capturing your experiences each day, celebrate the learning from that experience, and then “bank” it by recording and/or sharing it with others so that it has a life of its own. It is now available for withdrawal from your personal bank of experiences. Gratitude demonstrates ownership! And your gratitude allows you to live and to take ownership of the present. By abundantly living with an attitude of gratitude you will attract great opportunities and relationships that will propel you into the Thrive Zone.
Lee Brower
Live Life Deliberately
