Do You Have A Seeker Mindset?
The future is uncertain; that much has been said.
The Seeker is someone who relishes the adventure of exploring new worlds and charting new paths. They love the thrill of fresh experiences that bring about new learnings.
We believe that being a Seeker, more than personality, is a mindset. It is the ingredient that elevates us from a space of fearing the unknown, into the sphere of excitement and anticipation for the new opportunities we might create.
The Seeker Mindset is about that shift; no longer satisfied to be tossed through the waves, Seekers set out to create and conquer new frontiers. We would like to tease out elements on how the Seeker mindset might look like, from our own year-long journey and highlights of being Bold.
The Activator-Seeker:
Our resident Activator, C, loves starting new projects. She shared her proudest accomplishment with us. 2 years ago, she pulled together a group of young people to test-drive the curriculum for what is today our signature career design course: MAD (Make A Difference) At Work (now rebranded as Do Your Life). Her words: “I know my heart; I just want to see young people embrace their strengths and really thrive being the best of who they are meant to be. And I just started, even though I could not quite know what lay ahead.”
To start something takes a tremendous amount of energy to break through the inertia; and even more so, to conquer the fear of not being good enough. So, to what might we turn to harness the energy to activate and start something? Clarity of conviction.
This is why in our inquiry process, we always begin by grounding in what is significant to us. Acting with courage becomes much easier, when we can tap into the energy that comes with clarity of conviction.
The Innocent-Seeker:
Newest member on the team, R shared her own bold story. Coming from what may be the most rigid of working environments, she transited to a green space where the rules were ambiguous and the possibilities seemed endless. She recalled the experience of running her first project at Bold, which didn’t quite turn out as well as she had hoped. Nonetheless, she moved forward and said “As long as I don’t die, it’s ok even if I look foolish. The difference is not between success and failure, but rather between astounding success and mere success!”
To be willing to step out into the unknown, we need the extraordinary capacity to (temporarily) set aside our egos. One of the huge obstacles to venturing into new areas filled with uncertainty, is the fact that we do not know what we do not know; and we face a huge risk of ‘failure’. But we are loving the reframing of perspectives here. Instead of failure, we appreciate the learning value that comes even in setbacks.
This is the innocent-seeker mindset, where we come to accept all of who we are. We embrace both our strengths and areas where we are lacking, and we are drawn past ‘face’ issues in order to grow ourselves to the stage where we can create what we set out to. R’s sharing reveals the insight that the big fear standing in the way of our “seeking” is in fact the fear of looking foolish. If we can look past that, then every step of the seeker’s journey is simply a step closer to the future we want to create. Cheers to mere success!
The Connector-Seeker:
For Y, she felt fulfilled from witnessing various disparate pieces that have been built, connecting and coming together in a coherent direction. A recent Saturday, Bold hosted a celebration of creative passion through mural painting led by Yiming, a past MAD At Work participant and the launch of the first ever Jurong Zine project, initiated by Yuqi, yet another MAD At Work participant. In that same afternoon, we had the first session of Little Big Dreamers, a version of MAD At Work adapted for kids, in collaboration, with Club Rainbow.
“We didn’t know where we were going when we first started, but we have gotten here, by simply trying first, and connecting the dots after.”
Probably the most difficult part in the Seeker journey comes in having to start before you can see what’s ahead, and to continue to trust even when there is no reason to. The Connector-Seeker mindset maintains a faith in that all things are connected. It is the willingness to sit through the discomfort, and to wait for the pattern that will emerge amidst the chaos.
The Connector-Seeker mindset is steadfast in its belief, and in so doing, it provides a sense of calm that inspires others to find their inner seeker as well.
The Creator-Seeker:
Cl felt pride and joy during the moments when we have been called upon to offer insights into the youth landscape regarding the future of work and definition of success. “It is like a compass, letting us know that we are on the right track, that we are creating things of value.”
You might expect that the Seeker mindset is about an individual path which does not allow the conventions of the world to determine the way in which he/she should go. And that is true: to practise the seeker mindset is to take action based on personal inner convictions, to go in the face of what may seem foolish in the eyes of the world, and to stay on course even despite the lack of clarity. But in navigating the tensions between Self and Us, contending between who I want to be and what others expect of me, we need to pay heed to the results that we are producing. After all, even as Seekers, we are not hermits on a lone journey; as seekers, we too are looking to bring something of value and contribute, even if through unconventional ways.
The Creator-Seeker mindset is about the capacity to look past oneself, to gauge the health of the connection between Self and Us, and critically assess the progress that one has made in his or her quest.
Each of these elements is a critical step in the journey of becoming a Seeker. Each is challenging in its own way, and the best thing is to journey alongside other Seekers, each of whom can show us a different side to the Seeker Mindset.
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Want to find out if there is a seeker in you? Or looking to grow a seeker mindset that can bring you to places just beyond your imagination? Join us at our next Do Your Life career design series: https://doyourlife.peatix.com or Come on our Create Your Life trail: https://createyourlifetrail.peatix.com