If your business is struggling, it’s absolutely essential to manage your mindset. When things get tough, it’s really easy to enter a downward mental spiral.
You start thinking about all the circumstances that brought you to where you are. You second guess yourself, wondering whether you would be in a better place if you acted differently. You begin to doubt your abilities and whether you can ever succeed. The more you engage in these thoughts, the worse you’ll feel.
As you work to stabilize and turn around your business, it’s important to maintain a positive mindset. Now, to be clear, this doesn’t mean that you pretend everything is okay or bury your head in the sand. It means that you maintain faith in your ability to bring about positive outcomes.
A positive mindset also means that you are resolved to not give up. Keep striving to improve things and bring your business to a
place of health.
If you’re struggling to maintain a positive mindset, remember that almost every great business leader has endured struggles
similar to yours:
- Thomas Edison failed thousands of times before he was able to develop a fully functioning lightbulb.
- Apple almost collapsed under bankruptcy when Steve Jobs was president.
- Bill Gates’ first business was a complete and total failure.
- Henry Ford’s first automobile business went bankrupt within a year.
In spite of all these difficulties, these individuals experienced great success. Why? Because they persevered and were incredibly resilient.
Steve Jobs said:
“I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance. It is so hard and you pour so much of your life into this thing, there are such rough moments in time that most people give up. And I don’t blame them, it’s really tough.”
If you want your business to succeed, you need mental toughness. You must be able to persevere in the face of difficulty and keep
going even when things look bleak.
Follow these steps to overcome a negative mindset:
- Pay attention. It’s easy to let negative thoughts swirl in your mind without putting up a fight. If you’re going to overcome these thoughts, you must be aware of what you’re thinking. You need to be able to identify unhelpful mental patterns as they occur.
- Question. As negative thoughts arise, question them. Is what you’re thinking really true? Most likely, it isn’t. Mentally push back.
- Silence. After you’ve questioned and answered your negative thoughts, begin to silence them. Avoid letting the same thoughts steal your mental energy. You know they’re not true, so shut them down at the start.
Imagine that you have a remote and that you can mute your inner critic with the touch of a button. - Replace. As you shut down your inner critic, fill the silence with positive, helpful dialogue. Regularly remind yourself that you are strong, are able to overcome challenges, and are growing in the midst of difficulty.As you push through problems and challenges, remember why you got into business in the first place.
What big problem were you passionate about solving? What motivated you to take the risk of starting a business instead of
playing it safe and taking a corporate job?
Seek to tap into the emotions and desires that originally pushed you to create your business. They can be the driving force that helps you make tough decisions and get things back on track.
This article is an excerpt from our SMALL BUSINESS SURVIVAL GUIDE – How to Save Money and Thrive During Challenging Times. Download the entire E-Book Here
Kacy Carlsen is the Co-Founder of UpDog Media located in Redlands, CA
She is a personal and business strategist as well as a five-time entrepreneur and
has worked with thousands of business owners in dozens of countries across the
world, helping them build, market, and scale their businesses through mindset
shifts and models. Contact Information: kacy@updog.com | 909.498.4416
