Switching your Mindset from Consumer to Producer
We spend everyday listening, reading, watching, rating, spending, buying and the list goes on and on. We work long hours to be able to afford nicer, bigger and better things. But in the end, when we get those things, are we truly happy?
Consumers have a “what can I get“ mindset while a producer has a ”what can I make, repair, mend, produce or give mindset”.
When we’re stuck in that consumer only rut we often have a strong fear of change. We spend long hours scrolling social media instead of tidying the house or creating healthy meals for our families or we make impulse buys instead of dealing with the many stressors of our lives. It’s the easy way out, only we’re not out of anything. We feel even more trapped and sucked in.
“Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don’t need” -Fight Club
Obviously it’s incredibly hard not to consume anything and not everything we consume is bad or negative. But when we only consume and never creating or produce it creates a huge imbalance in our lives.
A consumer consumes for the sake of consuming & distraction. A producer chooses to consume selectively, intelligently and strategically to their own benefit and to serve a further cause.
When we switch our mindset away from consumer to producer we allow freedom and fulfillment to creep in. We can break out of the consumerist, conformist lifestyle and start redirecting our energies towards things that actually matter to us.
The 2 main things I did this past year to sway my way of thinking and living to be more aligned with a producer mindset are;
- Get rid of anything that doesn’t benefit you in your current life. This could be household items or other things you‘ve been holding on to for a rainy day, say no to activities that you really have no desire to participate in and weed out of your life people who no longer follow along the same path as you. I highly recommend taking a social media break as well or at least unfollowing a mass amount of people so that if you do want to keep your socials you are actually consuming the content from people you truly care about or want to see show up in your feed.
- Redirect your Energy. Now is a great time to improve your health, learn a new skill or touch up on an old one. Do all the things you wish you had the time to do. We all have to consume but how we consume and what we consume makes a huge difference.
True freedom and happiness comes when we produce more than we consume. Stop scrolling and waiting and start doing and creating.
Years of conditioning by the education system has led us all to believe we need to seek out more knowledge before anything else, like titles have this magical weight that mean more than real world experience.
I am 100% guilty of this. I had this mentality and it has prevented me from succeeding in businesses and blogs for years. Fear and the feelings of fraud kept me in a constant consumerism loop. Buying book after book and course after course never truly feeling knowledgeable enough to do what I was actually meant to be doing. But then last summer I shifted my mindset and I started creating again, journals to be exact and things slowly began to give way. I started cooking from scratch more and baking bread again. I was reminded that I am my happiest and most content when I am working with my hands. Producing something, for someone, anyone.
The state of the world these last couple years has had me feeling trapped in a constant consumerism loop. Doomsday scrolling and fearing the unknown. Constantly looking and waiting for signs on what to do next, all while never actually doing anything (this is what they want p.s mindless drones) - well except stocking a second pantry in the basement because honestly these days I think that is wise. But once I stopped consuming all the shit that didn’t serve a purpose in my life - life changed. And I felt a huge weight lift off my shoulders.
So, how are you planning to switch your mindset from consumer to producer? Maybe you already have. I’d love to hear in the comments the things you are producing, making or creating and how it’s changed your life especially with the current state of the world and all it’s chaos.
~ K ~
