Posts Tagged ‘optimism’

“The remarkable thing we have is a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past. We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude.” ~Charles Swindoll

There are certain things that are simply out of our control. We continually have outside forces acting upon us – some propelling us toward success and others discouraging us toward failure. But one thing we will always have control over is our attitude. And by having a positive attitude, we are more likely to achieve the success we’re striving for.

So here are some ways to encourage a positive attitude:

• Accept the fact that negativity exists – not only in others but in yourself. Pretending it doesn’t exists will not contribute to your success. Instead, acknowledge there is negativity in the world and in you, take the time to understand where it’s coming from, and do what you can to overcome it.
• Don’t point fingers. This doesn’t mean you have to take responsibility for everything; not everything is your fault, obviously. But especially in the workplace, building a culture of blame and finger pointing doesn’t do anybody any good. If a mistake is made, address it and fix it. Don’t waste time gathering a lynch mob to find the culprit.
• Look toward other, positive influences. Whether it be a person or a book or a helpful website, having positive influences in your life will help you maintain that positive attitude. Surround yourself with people and ideas that will help you focus on optimism and success. By doing so, you’ll be able to develop a pattern of positivity and, hopefully, be a positive influence on others as well.

As an entrepreneur, you have a constant laundry list of worries to deal with – paying bills, product fulfillment, customer service.

Not too bad, right?

Well, you’ve also got to come up with innovative marketing strategies, effective website content, and creative new products.

Now how do you feel?

On top of that, you’re ultimately responsible for taxes to be paid, licenses to be renewed, and paychecks to go out.

Have you had enough?

And then are plenty of other responsibilities to deal with, which are all in addition to any personal life you may have, which could include a spouse, kids, mortgage payments, credit card bills, and (heaven forbid) having a little time to relax or have fun.

It’s easy to get frustrated, weighed down, or depressed about everything on your plate, especially if success seems to remain just out of reach. But regardless of all your responsibilities and the status of your business, a successful entrepreneur remains optimistic.

The whole world is not working against you and past failure does not prevent future success.

A successful entrepreneur doesn’t allow negative thoughts to take over. A successful entrepreneur focuses on the positive and possibilities. A successful entrepreneur learns to maximize the good in any situation.

This isn’t to say one needs to ignore or dismiss the bad things that are just part of business. Shipments get lost. Customer gets angry. Mistakes get made. And it’s important to learn from any negative events and do what you can to prevent them from happening again.

Was it just human error, a one-time event? Or was this mistake evidence of a bigger problem? What part of the process could be altered to remedy the situation, and what is the ultimate cost of (or revenue from) such a change? Is a short-term fix enough, or is there a long-term solution which needs to be implemented?

With all of these questions, the focus is on the future and on the possibilities for improvement. Without becoming too cliché, trials, failures, and mistakes really are opportunities to learn, to grow, and to improve.

Here are some tips on how to be an optimistic entrepreneur:

• Affirm the Positive It may sound cheesy, but mentally repeating such phrases as “I can do it” or “Choose to be positive” really can help you focus on the good. It’s also okay to take some time to relish the feeling of success.
• Be Efficient with your Time This is twofold. By remaining busy – solving problems and working hard – it becomes harder to get in the downward spiral of pessimism. Additionally, having a mindset that every minute counts will keep you motivated.
• Be Patient You likely won’t become an optimist overnight. Keep a record – either mentally or on paper – of times you’ve felt optimistic versus the time you’ve felt pessimistic. Try to best analyze what was different about each situation, looking for what may have caused you to react differently (keeping in mind, it could be something as simple as a traffic jam in the morning or stubbing your toe).
• Take Time for Yourself It may just be a few minutes, but take some time each day to do something you want to do. Catch the sports scores, read the comics, go to YouTube.com (just don’t stay long; it’s very addictive).
• Learn to Move On You need to accept what’s happened in the past as a reality; there’s nothing you can do about it now. Move on to the future and focus on what lies ahead.
• Be Honest with Yourself Don’t become delusional, in either direction. Don’t become so deliriously optimistic that you refuse to acknowledge failures, and don’t treat mistakes so seriously that they engulf you. Success is a long and winding road.

And if this song can’t cheer you up, I don’t know what will.