Jasmine Ward
Professor Rick Dollieslager
English 111 - G01H
December 15, 2014
The Mindset of Victims and Creators
There are two different mind sets to reacting to difficulties in life, the Victim way and the Creator way. According to longtime college professor and textbook author Skip Downing's definition, "Creators are people who consistently make the choices that lead to the outcomes." He says, on the other hand, "Victims are people who don’t feel that they affect the outcomes they get in life, that other people or outside forces control what happens to them" (Downing’s). As a result, they tend to respond to situations which come up rather than create their desired outcomes. If we think like a Creator, then we can succeed in anything. If I think like a Creator, I can accomplish my goals of succeeding in college by getting good grades, showing up to class, and paying attention.
David Mirman, biology professor at Mount San Antonio College, provided his own example of the differences between a Victim and Creator in his "You are the Prime Mover" article. He describes a Victim this way, “A Victim seeks to find blame for a negative situation. A Victim response is generally unhelpful to reaching one’s goals.” And a Creator as such: The Creator asks “What can I do to achieve my goal?” or “What can I do to make this situation better?” rather than seeking to lay blame for how the situation came to be (Mirman). I choose to live the Creator life style after noticing the major differences between my Victims and Creators.
Everyone has played the Victim role in their life time. It’s so easy to play the Victim role because it’s much easier to blame someone else rather than taking the responsibility. I definitely played the Victim all throughout high school and didn't think anything of it. For example, my friends used to always call me up to hit the beach or the club and such. I often tell them no, “I can’t today, maybe another time.” And usually I receive, “Oh that sucks.” Or, “Oh, come on, you can study later! We’ll come home early!” I really want to go out with my friends, but I really want to do well in school too. Even though I knew doing my work was the smarter idea, I didn't always choose that route. I didn't want to leave my friends hanging and sound like a lame. Playing the Victim role in high school showed me how much it can affect your grades and make you unfocused. As time went on, I had to realize that school was more important and that friends will always be there. My desire to do well in school had to triumph my desire to go out partying every weekend. I prefer to not play the Victim when it comes to my grades. Victims get F’s, but Creators get A's.
There are many victims and creators in the world. One person in my life I see as a creator is my best friend, LaRita. She has gone above and beyond to be the person she is today. She didn't get accepted at her dream college. Even though she was hurt, ironically she didn't let that get her down because she could’ve easily decided that she didn't want to go to school at all. She plans to attend community college and they reapply for her dream college again. LaRita doesn't take "no" for an answer and refuses to give up on fighting for what she wants. She turned her "cants" into "cans" and her dreams into plans. I have strong faith that she will make it and achieve her goals. A person with a creator mindset is a person on a mission.
How we experience reality is determined by the beliefs we hold and the "lenses" through which we choose to view the world. The creator mindset takes responsibility for their reality. The victim mindset assumes no responsibility for their reality. What would you choose to see? Do you choose to be a victim or creator?
Works Cited
Downing, Skip. On Course: Strategies for Creating Success in College and in Life, 7th ed. Boston: Cengage, 2014. 8 Dec. 2014
Mirman, David. "Do You Think Like a Victim or a Creator?" You Are The Prime Mover. 2 Jan. 2012. 8 Dec. 2014
<http://youaretheprimemover.com/2012/do-you-think-like-a-victim-or-a-creator>.