World View

We each see our experiences from different perspectives or philosophies that describe different ways we define success. There are 7 World Views. We all begin in Survival and then continue progressing and growing, or we pause at one World View for most of our lives.

Some Masking is possible in World View as well. Many people feel pulled back by the World View of their family of origin. Also, when someone grows, they often feel pulled back by friends who are not growing at the same rate. This often brings up subconscious fears about leaving others behind.

(You can learn to recognize these World View Lessons in others.)

Survival

We’re all born in Survival, figuring out how to get our most basic needs met. When adults are in Survival, they focus on getting food, water, clothing and shelter – with an attitude of scarcity and desperation. Many people living in poverty don’t experience scarcity and actually use a broader World View, however, someone in a disaster or who suddenly becomes homeless may temporarily see from Survival.

Security

Classic Security is a two-year-old child learning the rules. It is the stage of gaining independence and learning to say, “No!” to test out what the rules are. When at a friend’s house, a child might say, “My mommy doesn’t do it that way,” as if there is a clear right and wrong. When an Adult is in Security they live by rules and try to get others to comply with them. They avoid doing the unexpected.

Success

In Success, we want to be respected and admired by our peer group – we want to climb in status to the top of the heap. This is common for preteens and teenagers who desperately want to be popular. Every group defines Success differently. Some might want beauty, money, power, possessions, etc. and others might want to be seen as spiritual and enlightened, intellectually successful, or most uniquely and boldly rebelling against society. People strive for whatever their peer group values. Their competitiveness and self-focus are what identifies them.

Connection

Next is Connection, when people define success by whether their relationships are meaningful and going well. The focus tends to be on friendships, romantic relationships, and business relationships; people aim for them to be deep and intense. The goal is to have a greater quantity of higher quality connections. At this stage people are often beginning to be more “real” and sharing more of who and how they really are.

Fulfillment

There is a big shift for many people as they transition to Fulfillment. People here are now focused on themselves and on what they want for their own joy and satisfaction. They aim to feel successful on the inside. Old beliefs are questioned; people look for new answers and new meaning about why, how, what – they are recreating or for the first time discovering their life purpose. At this stage hobbies often deepen and can become a new career. There are often several rounds of exploration of one’s genius or sweet spot and trying out new ways to express and share it, whom to share it with, etc.

Presence

Presence is about integrating and connecting previously separated personality elements together. All family-of-origin issues get resolved – not necessarily with one’s relatives but internally. In all the ThriveTypes characteristics, people in Presence have been balancing, deepening, maturing and becoming Fluid. They become aware of the interconnectedness and perfection of everything, not merely in words – also in an embodied knowing. People in Presence are resoundingly authentic and deeply present in each moment.

Service

People rarely get to Service. Here people switch to universal service and focus outside of themselves knowing that everything is interconnected and that serving others is serving themselves too. There is no egoic interest in recognition; they are powerful and humble. When in Service, people are infinitely response-able. They engage as healers, teachers, and leaders – often of other healers, teachers and leaders – contributing on a large scale with a focus simultaneously on the present and the future. Most spiritual teachers are not yet actually in Service and are instead in Success (Spiritual Materialism and Spiritual Bypassing), Relationship, Fulfillment or Presence.