The Mental Trap of Zero Sum Thinking

Read time: 3 minutes

If your goal is to declutter your life, build a side project to pursue more meaningful work or something completely different.

You would agree that it takes a certain mindset and belief to push through the hiccups and hurdles you may face and still accomplish said goal.

Unfortunately, too many life declutterers and project starters get tangled up in the same problem: They start highly motivated, but that motivation quickly dwindles when they see someone else succeeding (before they do).

As if someone else’s success somehow guarantees their failure.

This is referred to as Zero Sum Thinking.

And it is the most ridiculous mental trap ever.

The Basics of Zero Sum Thinking

Zero-sum thinking perceives situations as zero-sum games, where one person’s gain would be another’s loss.

In other words: “If someone else is winning, I’m losing.”

This is a mental trap I’ve gotten my foot stuck in many times while growing my YouTube channel and building my business. Yet every time I found myself here, I was reminded of a simple but profound lesson:

God’s blessings aren’t limited; our perspective is.

Now it took me a few times for this lesson to stick. And that’s because I’m human.

However, when it did stick, it stuck!

And it resonated deeply with me.

Avoiding This Toxic Path

Avoiding the toxic path of zero-sum thinking starts with conquering the comparison game.

Comparison CAN be the thief of joy, but it doesn’t have to be.

This means we have a choice to make.

• Continue to travel the path of zero-sum thinking, or…
• Choose to see others who are winning in a positive light and celebrate them—applaud their successes. Then see what lessons we can learn from them to build ourselves up.

I chose the latter.

But to help me sustain this perspective, I needed to make a mindset shift.

From Scarcity to Abundance

If we look at these two mindsets side by side.

Scarcity is the belief that there is never going to be enough. That includes:

• Time
• Money (resources)
• Blessings
• Opportunities
• Etc.

The abundance mindset refers to the paradigm that there is more than enough for everyone.

This allows us to see opportunity and possibility instead of winning and losing, and this mindset shift was the missing piece I needed to reframe my perspective.

Here’s how you can do the same.

Step 1: Examine and Rewrite Your Beliefs

Comparing yourself to others can lead to feelings of inadequacy and scarcity. (FYI: Life is not a competition. Stop trying to get a bigger slice of the pie and instead make the pie bigger).

So shifting from a scarcity to an abundance mindset is essential. This begins with awareness and recognizing that someone else’s success does not diminish your potential.

Whenever you notice scarcity-related beliefs or zero-sum thoughts in your mind. Ask this question:

• Are my thoughts at this moment empowering me to win?

There are two potential outcomes from this question:

1. “No”: Rewrite your beliefs
2. “Yes”: Double down and go win
   
   

Step 2: Embrace A Growth Mindset

A growth mindset means you believe intelligence and skills can be developed through dedication and hard work.

Instead of feeling threatened by the success of others, solute them and see it as inspiration and proof that there is an abundance of opportunities for everyone.

Ask: “What can I learn from them and use for my success?”

Step 3: Surround Yourself with Positive Influences

Spend time with people with an abundance mindset and a positive outlook on life. Their mindset can be contagious and help reinforce your perspective (and vice versa).

Summary

Stop treating the world like it has to be a zero-sum game. If you think you’re losing because someone else is winning. You’re doing life completely wrong.

Instead, this is a game of abundance.

We can all grow and win.

But to do so, we must cultivate the right mindset by engaging in these 3 steps:

1. Examine and Rewrite Your Beliefs
2. Embrace A Growth Mindset
3. Surround Yourself with Positive Influences

Do that, and you will effectively avoid the toxic path of zero-sum thinking.

⇨ This week’s action step: Distance yourself from people preoccupied with winning and losing (zero-sum thinking). And instead, surround yourself with people who celebrate you just as often as you celebrate them.

That’s it for today!

Keep growing on your journey, and I’ll see you next week.

Whenever you’re ready, here’s how I can help you:

If you’re looking for clarity and traction on your journey, I’d recommend starting with an affordable course:

⇨ The Decluttering Starter Kit: Skip the overwhelm and jumpstart your decluttering journey. This comprehensive course will teach and guide you through the system I used to transform my life from clutter to clarity. Get access here.