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The Remarkable Advantage of Abundant Thinking


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It's about getting out of reactive mode. 

If you consider yourself to be ambitious, this has happened to you. Your alarm goes off, and you’re ambushed by thoughts of the grind ahead; finding that needle in a haystack; denting the universe; the roller coaster that never ends — and many more horrible but unfortunately apt cliches. Today, the groupthink in tech largely believes that you have to suffer and barely survive to succeed. But this is a trap, says sought-after executive coach Katia Verresen, who counsels leaders at FacebookStanfordAirbnbTwitter, and a number of prominent startups.

“You’re not going to build a billion dollar business on a string of bad days. It has to be a sequence of your very best days,” she says. “Your performance is tied 100% to your attitude.”

The ideal attitude is what she calls Abundant Thinking — a mindset that gives you the creative agency and grit to reach your vision — and, on a daily basis, to design your own life. When Verresen first meets most of her clients, they’re in reactive mode. It’s like they’re in a movie, acting in their job and life without knowing the script or having perspective. Her goal is to put them in the director’s chair, with more choices, perspectives and possibilities to rewrite and upgrade the script as they go.

Seeing these choices is at the root of Abundant Thinking. And, according to Verresen, this couldn’t be more important right now with the economy and fundraising climate shifting. In this exclusive interview, she grounds the concept of abundance in real tactics and actions anyone can use to feel more energized, expand their world view, and achieve their vision of success.

And it's about resilience. 

Doing something that moves you toward your goals every day gives you built-in resilience. That way, when there is a fire, and someone runs into the room shouting that everyone needs to stop what they’re doing to solve THIS problem NOW, you won’t lose sight of and momentum toward your ultimate mission. You’re building the underlying structure that keeps your team nimble and on track.

Every leader wants to think of themselves as being strong, open, and inspiring — not the kind of person who plays into zero-sum criticism, command and control management, or thinks they’re the smartest voice in the room. But the only way to ensure you’re not this type of leader is to consciously practice these habits and attributes every day.

“In every moment and interaction, you have the freedom to choose what you want to be like,” she says. “A really good leader is the one who knows that — that no situation or reality is forcing them to act a certain way. This gives them that freedom.”

When you make a point of thinking abundantly — noticing more, integrating more, and sharing more of what you know — everyone on your team will know what direction you’re heading. They’ll follow your model and include more information and opinions in their decision-making. They won’t rush to judgment, or panic about having the wrong answer.

the Red Pill anti-feminists call it Abundance Mentality.  I'm glad the idea is leaking out, a good idea shouldn't be owned by any one advocacy movement.

I've also heard it called Growth Mindset. It's a good idea so yeah it should be espoused by many. 

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