2 Kinds of People

Really, the difference between the two sorts of people is mental approach and outlook. They're really not two different kinds of people in any outward obvious way, but their mindsets are drastically in opposition to each other. I have seen one and the other, but I don't really see a mix of these approaches in one person, not where this is concerned.

You can either approach life with an Empowered Mind or an Entitled Mind. It's up to you which you choose. But one approach is absolutely better than the other.

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The Empowered Mind

The first mindset is an approach that believes the world does NOT really owe a person anything, just by nature of that person existing. However, a person with this mindset also believes they were given all the tools necessary to figure out for them-self how to acquire whatever it is they want or need. This mindset understands that all one has to do is use their own powerful mind and will to figure it out; the more effort is applied to learning and discovery, the more effectively one can reach their desired ends and achieve their goals.

This is the mindset that essentially says, at the end of the day, "It's always up to me, I own my life and my decisions, and I even own my outcomes."

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The Entitled Mind

This mental outlook is founded on expectation of others, and subsequent blame on others. It is a mindset that is rooted in a belief that other people throughout this person's life should just treat them a certain way, or care for them, or give them respect, or things, or money, you name it... regardless how that person acts.

When things do not work out, or this person attempts to do things for themselves and those things go wrong, it is always someone else's fault.

Typically, this mindset dodges any offered solutions that would require them to invest effort in solving their own problems and building their own value. This Entitled Mind does not think they should have to put in the work of discovering what others around them might value. Yet, an Empowered Mind understands it needs to do this in order to learn how to connect their own creative desires with the needs and desires of others.

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A Brief Breakdown

An Empowered Mind says, "How can I do what I love and also help others?"
An Entitled Mind says, "Why aren't others helping me out?"
An Empowered Mind says, "I can't force people to value what I think they should, but I can find where my values meet theirs."
An Entitled Mind says, "I think I'm valuable, so others should value me and my work too!"

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Are You Empowered By Steem, Or Feeling Entitled To It?

Pay attention to the reactions to the website that is Steemit.com. Aside from the helpful site suggestions, and the constructive criticism, you'll notice that among the praise and complaints are these two mindsets that tend to crop up.

You'll see people who are inspired by the idea,

whether they're making much money yet or not, and they are putting in the work to build their name, their work, and their audience. You won't see complaints from them that sound like, "My writing was quality! Way more people should just recognize that, but they aren't! Waaaah!"

However, there are many other Steemians from whom you will see complaints that sound very much that way. "My stuff is good, but it didn't make anything!"

Well darlin', that's the thing about where your creativity meets what others value. You can love something you created, and think you did awesomely, but there's a lot of factors that come into play with whether your work makes any money. For one, people have to see it to even know it exists, and on Steemit, you don't automatically get to have high exposure--you have to work to build that.

Those who came onto Steemit automatically having an audience, didn't just have luck. They might have had a small bit of that, but myself and those who came over here and did somewhat well right away also already spent time and effort building an audience elsewhere. That audience followed us here, too. If you were not a regular content producer before you were on Steemit, and you didn't have an audience, then you are starting at game Level 1, so-to-speak, and your success absolutely depends on you.

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I for one do not understand why one would want to live a life where everything is always another's fault, or where it's always up to others to get me what I want or to make me succeed. That leaves me powerless, after all.

An Empowered Mind has to take responsibility, has to put a lot of effort in. But that mind is also using something the Entitled Mind is not -- willpower.

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How appropriate that those who are empowered by Steem, are effectively Steem-Powered.

{Maybe @dantheman & @ned did that on purpose?}