Close Window

     My faithful Webster’s, a paradigm is defined as, “a pattern, example or model.” The term has become very popular in motivational, sales and training circles in recent years. Unfortunately its meaning has been overused, misused and blown out of proportion so often that it has become the butt of numerous jokes. A recent television commercial featured a buffoon of a motivational speaker speaking to a group of business people. At the end of the spot he says they need a new “para-dig-em.”
That’s a shame because it’s an important word and concept, one that should be  understood and respected instead of scorned. It’s essential that you really understand the power of paradigm in (and over) our lives and the need to undergo a paradigm shift to improve those lives.

     The term has a long and impressive history. We first hear of it from the Greeks, the founders of our modern democratic culture. Back then it was a scientific term. Lately the definition found in Webster’s has taken precedence. A convenient way to think of paradigm is “frame of mind.” Your paradigm is how you think about something based on your knowledge, experience, emotions, background, perceptions and so on. We acquire these ideas throughout our life. They come from our parents, relatives, friends, church or synagogue, schools, organizations, and our own life experiences. Belief equals behavior which equals result.

     Think of a paradigm as a map of behavior. I have a business associate in Arizona who is a founding member of a group that searches for missing children. Some of the members often find themselves hiking through mazes of desert rock, sand, cactus, trees, washes and ravines. Topological maps are essential for getting into, and more important, getting out of the rugged areas they search.

     That’s what a paradigm is – a representation of the world. It’s a pattern, an example, a model of the area in which we’re involved. Realize that the “topo” map is merely a two-dimensional model of a three-dimensional world. It’s just one way of looking at things. We understand and interpret the hills, ridges and valleys according to those colorful, squiggly lines on paper.

     That’s fine if you’re looking at an accurate map. What happens if you pull out the wrong map for the sector you’re searching? You’re looking for the missing person in Valley A, but you’re holding a topo of Valley B. Imagine the confusion you and your team will encounter trying to maneuver through the desert with an inaccurate map – a bad paradigm.

     What usually happens when you encounter a frustrating obstacle? Of course, like the car rental company, you try harder. You double and redouble your efforts. Unfortunately, the harder you work the worse your situation becomes. You get further and further off track. So you try even harder and the situation degenerates into chaos. Not only is the missing person lost, but so is the rescue party. It’s like trying to bail out the Titanic. No matter how much water you move, you’re going down! That’s because your paradigm is wrong for the situation at hand.

     In addition to working harder, many of us would automatically adopt a positive attitude. Sometimes a good attitude is all we have. On more than one occasion a positive mental attitude is the only thing that got me through a difficult challenge. Of course, if we’re hiking around in the desert using the wrong map we’ll positively get lost. Our attitude will be right, but our results will be all wrong – because we’re using a bad paradigm.

     Again, we’re lost. The missing person is still lost. We all have to be rescued by the Sheriff’s patrols. Our pictures are in the papers under the headline “Dummies Use Wrong Paradigm; Get Lost.” And we’re the butt of every joke around the water cooler for weeks. All of this embarrassment could have been avoided if only we’d have used the correct map (paradigm) to achieve our goal.

     Is this making sense to you? The reason we got lost out in the desert has nothing to do with our skills and abilities, our education and experience, our attitude or our willingness to work harder. Our problem is the direct result of using the wrong map. We followed the wrong paradigm.

     What happens if we pull out the right map? Well, for one all those colorful squiggly lines start to correspond to the physical lay of the land. The map makes sense and we can navigate around without getting lost. We can get on with our goal of finding that missing person. By using the right paradigm we can also profitably use our education and experience, our skills and abilities, a positive attitude and a willingness to work harder. Everything can now come together for a successful conclusion to the mission. In terms of investment, we have a roadmap to great wealth that now makes sense.

     We have the right paradigm.

The Two Types of Paradigms

     Every one of us has a full set of topo maps of the world. We have lots of paradigms. Some of them are dead-on accurate. Some are a bit off and some are downright wrong. All of these can be broken down into two main categories:

Category one: our perception of the way the world is, and
Category two: our perception of the way the world ought to be.

     Our journeys through the world are guided by these paradigms. Every decision we make, every turn in the road we take, every thought we have is based upon some paradigm. Using them is how we get from here to there. If our investment decisions are based on faulty paradigms it is extremely unlikely we’ll get where we want to go. The wealth we deserve will forever be just out of our grasp.

     The problem with a faulty paradigm is often found in its basis in reality. Too many of us base our decisions on how we assume the world to be or how we wish the world to be. You can’t earn wealth in fact if your roadmap is based on fiction.

     Please understand that this is a critical element of creating wealth – or in failing to create wealth. The way we think and act is a direct result of our paradigms. It is imperative that you realize just how significant your paradigms play in creating (or destroying) your life.

     Again, imagine that you’re out in the desert looking for that missing person. (The corollary would be an investor looking for wealth.) You have a brand new topo map in hand. You’re confident. After all, it was made by professionals using the latest technology in mapmaking art. Unfortunately, the missing person (your wealth) is out there on Trail number one and your topo only covers Trail number two. Still, you plunge on and encounter only frustration, defeat and loss.

     If you only had the right map – that is, if you had only created your plan based on accurate paradigms – your chances for ultimate success would be excellent.

     Our personal paradigms dramatically affect the way we interact with other people. Remember that in the 21st century our success will be dependant upon cooperation rather than competition. This realization brings on three challenges. I’ll address the first two now.

     Challenge number one: we must examine our paradigms to see which ones are based on fact and which ones are based on fiction.

     Challenge number two: we must drop or change our fiction-based paradigms so that we can act and make decisions based on fact-based paradigms.

     This is a bigger challenge than you may think. Many of our paradigms have been part of our make up since childhood. Often they’re so embedded that we don’t realize the powerful hold they have on us. The shock of discovering that we’ve been operating on a faulty set of plans can be painful. Yet, if we are to become savvy investors and achieve great wealth, we must make the effort.

     Examine yourself. And I mean examine yourself closely. Consider all that you believe. Are those beliefs based on fact or fiction? Be brutally honest with yourself. Bottom line – what’s more important, your faulty assumptions or becoming a wealthy, and abundant investor? Remember, you can’t follow a bad roadmap to a good destination.

     Once you’ve rooted out the faulty assumptions, change them. Here’s a word of caution: it will do you no good to change the outward appearance without changing the inner you. That’s where the paradigms are.

     What’s the third challenge? We have to realize that other people have other paradigms. When buyers or sellers, prospects or customers, clients, suppliers, or any other person disagrees with us, don’t automatically assume that they are wrong, bad, pigheaded or foolish. They just have different paradigms.

     Once you realize that basic fact, you can begin to work with them instead of against them. You can begin to cooperate and to prosper. Master these three challenges and you will be well on your way to mastering the creation of real wealth.

Close Window