Grasshopper mentality is a wrong mentality you must deal with for you to command an exceptional and unbridled successful lifestyle. A wrong mentality is a bane to success. This mentality is a product, an offspring of a negative worldview, and as far as an exceptional lifestyle is concerned it is a red flag that must be carefully avoided. Grasshopper mentality in its entire ramification is harmful and injurious to fulfillment. That is to say, a blissful and fulfilled life is impossible with such a wrong mentality. Unfortunately, many are enmeshed in inexplicable situations because of this wrong mentality.
The grasshopper mentality is in full manifestation when one;
- views or sees herself as defeated even without putting up a fight or trying to salvage the situation. It is a defeatist mentality.
- sees self as too insignificant to make any impact in life.
- feels helpless or deficient in the face of challenges,
- a feeling of inferiority complex, a condition where one sees nothing good about self, especially when compared to others.
- inability to see beyond your present predicament. It is a lack of vision. It is the myopic mentality
And they brought up an evil report of the land … saying, the land, through which we have gone to search, it is a land that eats up the inhabitants thereof; all the people that we saw in it are men of great stature. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak which come of giants: and we were in our sights as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight, (Numbers 13:32, 33).
This kind of mentality will only make one see the invincibility of their problems or challenges. Under the influence of this mentality, an individual is going to magnify problems more than the ability to contain them. Grasshopper mentality no doubt comes with unmitigated disasters. It inhibits you from making attempts at success; hence you are unable to put your ability and talents to the test. It also leads to retrogression, and stagnation, and makes you accept defeat without even making an effort to redeem your situation. Above all, it keeps you in perpetual fear of the unknown. It is a wrong mentality and very unhealthy for conquest. Success cannot thrive under a gloomy atmosphere saturated with such a mentality. You must kill this wrong mentality. Do everything possible to eliminate it.
How to Eliminate Grasshopper Mentality
The invincibility of the WillPower
The first step is what I have termed the ‘Invincibility of the willpower’. You must understand that no matter how strong or invincible your challenges may be they will always succumb to the superior power of your will. Remember ‘where there is a will there is always a way’. Have you been enmeshed for so long in the fetters of grasshopper mentality? Do you want to disentangle yourself and succeed in life? Then you must unleash your willpower. Resolve within you that you can never be clipped down by this wrong mentality. You must determine, and dare to stand out because you are made of steel.
Avoid all Forms of Comparison
It is important you don’t compare yourself with anyone. It is not a wise thing to do. Doing so might expose your inadequacies and deficiencies. This will eventually lead to an inferiority complex a situation where you conclude that others are better off than you. You will then see yourself as not good enough compared to other people. As much as possible you must understand that life is in stages and every man’s rating is according to his capacity. So what matters most is that at every stage of life, you find yourself making sure you have the capacity to prove your mettle and progress to the next stage or level of life. Don’t let the achievements of others intimidate you, you can surpass them if you can be the best you can be at every stage of life you find yourself.
Believe in Your Ability
Thirdly, no matter the invincibility of your challenges you must never doubt your ability; you have all it takes to overcome them. You are by default, fully loaded with abilities to dominate in life even over challenges
And God blessed them, and God said unto them …., have dominion. – Genesis 1: 28.
No matter what, don’t accept defeat in any challenge. Don’t imbibe the defeatist mentality. You have inborn abilities to have dominion in life. You are to defeat challenges, not the other way around. Have the dominion mentality, not the grasshopper mentality. Believe in your abilities.
Look Beyond Your Challenges
Finally, you must see beyond your present predicament. You can only see the silver lining in the cloud of success when you raise your sight above your present situation. Don’t be myopic in your view of problems, take your eyes off your problems and instead look at your abilities. You can attest to the fact that challenges are not forever. For instance, some months or years back you were grappling with some intimidating challenges that seem to sink you but today they have fizzled out even as they appeared. Don’t kill yourself because of your problems they are not worth dying for; rather be optimistic, hopeful, and patient as you do your best believing that you will soon overcome them.
For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us – Romans 8: 18
Finally, your challenges are not worth dying for, look beyond your challenges then you will see the glorious light at the end of the tunnel. Remember absolute power resides with God. He is the source of the right mentality