Victor Küppers and the "Light Bulb Effect": Why Attitude is Important

Not all people are the same. Each one can reflect, with their attitudes and behaviors, different vibes to other people.

A lot of people focus on gaining knowledge and developing skills. They do it to increase their value as people. But to other people we’re all more than just a bunch of knowledge and skills. Your value doesn’t come from any job or resume.

Yo ur value to other people actually comes from what they see in you. What matters is what you give off, what energy you send out. In other words, your attitude is what really makes the difference. This is what Victor Küppers calls the “light bulb effect.”

Victor Küppers uses the “light bulb” metaphor to talk about his theory about the key to success, and why all of us give off one specific image and not another. In the end, Küppers says positive psychology is the best way to make changes in your life.

The “light bulb effect”

Victor Küppers says that we’re all like light bulbs because we give off energy and take in the energy other people give us. But even though we all give off energy, that doesn’t mean we all give off the same kind.

It’s just like how not all light bulbs shine as bright or with the same color – not everyone gives off the same kind of energy. That means that some people might send out a strong beam, while other people can’t shine brightly enough to see what’s in front of them, or they’re fully burnt out.

So where can you find the difference in what you send out to other people? He says the difference is attitude. Küppers’ equation to prove this is really simple, “V= (K + S) x A.” Here V stands for “value,” K stands for “knowledge,” “S” stands for skills,” and A stands for “attitude.”

Why attitude is important

Victor Küppers isn’t trying to say that knowledge and skills aren’t important when it comes to our value. He sees them as part of the equation. But there’s something more important involved in making sure knowledge and skills factor into your value. The multiplying effect of attitude is what really makes them shine. 

The difference between great people and average people is an attitude, according to Victor Küppers. You’re not great because of how much you’ve studied, what skills you have, or your professional achievements. What really makes you great is who you are as person. That’s what counts. That’s what makes the difference.

But what happens when your life gets more complicated? What happens when your plans go wrong, or when things don’t turn out like you hoped they would? How do you confront the unexpected changes all over the place? When things go wrong, you have two options – to give up or fight. 

React – you have the choice to live enthusiastically, no matter how things go

When things don’t go well, a lot of people get stuck in a place of discouragement, apathy, and resignation. They lose their hope, joy, and enthusiasm. They give up. But there’s another option.

Positive psychology can give you a way out because it studies what you can do to boost your spirits when you run into one disappointment after another. 

We normally live full of hope and joy. If those two things are gone, that’s the first thing that should make you react. If it’s normal for us to live joyfully, it’s because we all deserve to be happy.

The good news is that attitude is something you can work on because it only depends on you. You’re responsible for your own attitude, not anyone else. In fact, it’s one of the only things that truly depends only on you yourself.

“There’s nothing like going joyfully through your life or keeping your spirits high during shitty times.”
-[Translation] Víctor Küppers-

When the main things are the main things

Everyone has a right to their own tragedies. But it’s one thing to go through a tragedy and something else entirely to have problems. That’s why Victor Küppers draws a line between tragedies and issues that need to be resolved. 

His idea is really clear: there aren’t many losses that can truly justify losing your own joy. This is also why he highlights how important it is to be grateful. When the inertia of negativity starts to take over, that’s when you need to reflect on things the most. You should never let your field of vision focus only on the thing that didn’t turn out like you hoped it would, or how you wanted it to.

If you’re interested in how to bring this into your professional life, you can take a look at this website. Thinking Heads is a consulting firm that Victor Küppers and a ton of other speakers work for, in a ton of different languages.

“The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.”
-Stephen Covey-