Learn how a positive attitude can give you the competitive advantage you need to achieve your small business dreams.
Today’s news articles and headlines are frequently negative. Most media chatter revolves around high inflation, supply chain issues, labor problems, interest rate increases and crime. It is not easy to keep a positive mindset when you are constantly bombarded with negativity.
We have all heard how thinking positive will help in our personal lives, and maybe you have experienced this or know people who have. But as a business owner you have more practical problems to deal with that require action, not just thought.
But what can a positive attitude do to help you take action and achieve a thriving business?
Being a positive small business owner means you are helping yourself dream about the long term success of your business. You are giving yourself permission to be a free thinker. Having more mental freedom will provide you with the increased willpower all small business owners need to reach their business goals.
What can you do to distance yourself from all the outside negativity to maintain a positive state of mind? How will a positive attitude help you achieve a successful business?
You Have to Work at Actively Being Positive
Your positive transformation won’t happen overnight. It will take time and actionable, practical steps to train yourself to think differently. Fortunately, most of the steps are easy to implement and can quickly turn into habits with some practice. Most of the suggestions below aren’t new, but they are effective in generating happy endorphins and reducing stress.
Simple Ways to Build Positivity:
- Physical activity, indoor or outdoor, even if you only take a five minute stroll
- Meditation, yoga, prayer, or just quiet time alone for 15 minutes
- Listening to your favorite music, dance if you feel like it!
- Read positive books or articles, listen to uplifting podcasts
- Turn off the news and social media
- Network with other positive small business owners
- Do something for yourself today to help your future self feel better
- Make a plan, even if it is simple. Goals are achieved through baby steps
Benefits of Your New Positive Outlook
Reduced Stress
As a small business owner you often deal with stressful situations. A positive mindset prepares you to handle stress in a more effective manner than you would as a negative thinker. You will be more likely to work out a new strategy to deal with the situation and ask people around you for advice and help.
Pessimists tend to dwell on how frustrated they feel and typically assume they have no control over the situation. This type of negativity leads to inaction from feeling you have no control over the situation, so nothing you do will improve it.
Increased Energy
Thinking in a positive way and reducing stress levels will have a snowball effect on your energy level. It is well known that when you are happier, you feel more energetic. Negative thoughts will drain your energy, making it harder to get through daily tasks. You will be better equipped to fuel your entrepreneurial drive with increased energy and keep your mind focused on your goals.
Maintaining a higher energy level will help you achieve your desired results quicker. Use your increased energy to plan the steps required daily to drive your business in the direction you desire. Checking these tasks off daily will provide the sense of accomplishment needed to keep you motivated.
Increased Resilience
Being resilient means you are better equipped to handle a crisis. As an optimist, you have the inner strength and mindset that helps you bounce back. Allowing yourself to become worn down from the daily stress of running a small business will leave you unprepared to handle critical situations when they arise.
The Covid pandemic was a crisis most businesses were unprepared for. Numerous small businesses closed, unable to survive the strict mandates that were implemented. There were small businesses that were able to make the changes needed to weather the lockdowns and made it through the pandemic. Those businesses that survived could not have done so without the resilience and fortitude that comes from positive thinking.
Increased Confidence
Confidence comes with having a positive mindset and fosters the belief you can achieve any goal you focus on. Confident entrepreneurs believe themselves to be capable which leads to their success. Having a positive self-image is what will drive you to take action to meet your goals.
Confidence is the key to success, according to a recent study by Kabbage. After studying small business owners, Kabbage found that 60% of entrepreneurs who participated believed their businesses were not performing as well as their peers. This belief was unfounded however, and the majority of those studied had financially healthy businesses. The business owners in the 60% group were letting their self-doubt form their opinion instead of looking at facts.
Keeping a positive mindset will enable you to rely more on data and less on emotion. It’s important to stay in tune with your finances on a regular basis to know where your business currently stands. Focusing on your numbers will help you to make the right choices to map your future success.
Let me Help with Your Business Confidence
Don’t fall into the emotional trap of under confidence. Stay on top of your numbers and let them guide your decision making.
Do you need help understanding and analyzing your financial data? Reach out to me at [email protected] and let’s dive into the details together!