Consumer vs. Producer — A Change in Mindset That’ll Change Your Life

What’s the difference between a consumer and a producer? Some people have never given it much thought, or even know what it means and why it matters. How would one or the other make any difference in how we live our lives, or how it affects the world we live in?

It’s more important than you may think. Depending on whether you're in a consumer or producer mindset; your life could look very different.

Which mindset are you? Well, to understand how we think, and how it could affect the way we do things, we first need to know what characteristics and qualities define each one.

If you don’t feel like reading the article here’s the video version:

What is a Consumer?

A consumer generally sees an endless stream of content to consume or items to buy. They tend to spend their time and money on distractions of some form, like entertainment, to escape from daily life. They may also adhere too rigidly to current trends and fads.

So, just what exactly does that mean?

Distractions can include things like vacations, gadgets and technology, shopping for things you don’t really need, having a big TV package, gambling or in extreme cases, partaking in drugs and alcohol.

While some things can be destructive and dangerous, many distractions are just things that use money as a resource to entertain yourself. Fads that promise a quick fix, like get-rich-quick schemes and fad diets, or the latest trends that “everybody just has to have”, can use up your money and leave you feeling unfulfilled and disappointed. Not to mention acquiring debt, with few long term benefits.

Consumers generally use the money they get from working at a job. They use what they earn, and they work to get more. And the cycle repeats. If they’re lucky, they work at a job they enjoy. But many don’t. Often, the work is just a means of getting more money for more entertainment or paying bills.

Consumers put a different emphasis on value than producers. A lot of the things that consumers pay money for are things to feel good at the moment. They aren’t usually looking ahead at how this could play out in the long run. And…