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How to Maintain a Positive Mindset in a Challenging World

Photo by Amanda Jones on Unsplash

A positive mindset is a trait common to successful entrepreneurs. Perhaps you’ll agree with me that it is also an essential key to success in business. As you would expect, I often discuss it with entrepreneurs attending my online working groups and workshops.

Tragedies are being shown by the media on a daily basis it seems. We can see vivid images of hardships people young and old face near and far. In times such as these, positive news is hard to come by. If we’re not careful, a daily diet of bad news can impact us negatively and lead down the path to anxiety.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Here are some practical tips to help you maintain a positive mindset in our challenging world. Much has been written on the subject of course. Here are just five simple points - practical suggestions that have worked particularly well in my professional life, just as they have for many others. You might find them helpful too:

1 - Start Every Morning Strong
When you get up, have a conversation with yourself and take positive ownership of the day, “This is MY day, it will be a GOOD day because I determine so, no matter what happens. I don’t want to be at the receiving end of circumstances, therefore I will be steering my day to be productive and make positive contributions to others in word and deed. I am in charge of my day. I am at the ‘cause’ side of life. I am in the driving seat.” Simple but powerful. Try this and see how much of a difference it makes to your day, every day.

2 - Give Yourself Regular Space & Time to Think
In the middle of your busy activities, take time away to think. Schedule specific time slots every week to get away from phones, email and people. Go to a calm place where you won’t be interrupted. Take stock of where you are and where you are going, as well as reassess your effectiveness.  Focus on the long-term instead of the short-term. This is the ideal place to think through your strategic decisions and formulate plans. Like you, I know many busy business owners who are exhausted, thinking that success comes from doing even more work. This simply isn’t true. Giving yourself space and time to think is one of the best investments you can make, both for you and your business. See for yourself how it can help you achieve more by working less.

3 - Think Outside the Box
Times of crisis bring us to think differently about our business. This is a ‘must’ in order to make the necessary changes to our business model – as well as to our offerings – in order to keep up with changing times. ‘Thinking outside the box’ can be very helpful. It is such a great metaphor and simply means being willing to look outside the well-trodden path and consider taking the less travelled road. Invite constructive feedback, learn from your past mistakes and embrace your challenges and obstacles with imagination and creativity. Most new opportunities are to be found outside the box. Have you noticed that there is more space outside the box than in?

4 - Build the People Around You
The joy of helping others is rarely surpassed. This is as true within an organisation as it is outside. The values that drive our business forward are of paramount importance, just like our philosophy of life. Like me, you will have noticed that quite often what makes a service attractive is the genuine desire to help on the part of the providers - a real encouragement to engage positively with everyone we meet. This is where the true value of our offering is to be found, in the positive difference we bring to our customers and, dare I say, to our staff too. One particularly helpful skill in this context is the ability to listen. So important in fact, that it is well worth writing a whole article on this subject…

5 - Join a Group of Positive Thinkers

I don’t mean a business networking group - there are plenty of those and the vast majority are very good. No, I mean a ‘working’ group made up of like-minded entrepreneurs who bring their knowledge, expertise and specialisms together and work as a team to support and grow each business in the group. It is a two-way street where every participant gives and receives. The total is greater than the sum its parts – a truly powerful experience!

These are smallish groups of 8-10 participants. I have the privilege of leading several such groups online. If you would like to attend one of my groups to taste the flavour of this potent dynamic, let me know.  It would be a pleasure to invite you as a guest.

There you have them, five simple points, small tips with a big impact. Let me ask you, which one resonates with you most? And, in your experience, what other point would you like to share that makes a big difference to you personally and your business?

It would be great to hear from you.

Let’s keep a positive mindset in the face of challenges big and small. There is a quote by Thomas Eddison which I find encouraging in hard times,

“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” Would you agree?

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Olivier Carion

Olivier Carion is a Sales Masters Guild Personal Business Mentor

 

With a real passion for the psychology of communication and the architecture that underpins accelerated growth, you’ll quickly realise why Olivier is the man who will help accelerate your business to a whole new level.

 

Find out more about Olivier on his Sales Masters Guild profile page.

 

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