May 28, 2018
Why is being positive so important when starting a business?
Do you struggle to feel positive? Trying to start your dream business on the side but often it feels like you’re pushing water uphill?
You’re still in a toxic corporate job and KNOW you’re capable of so much more...and that there’s more to life than living for the weekend.
But something is getting in your way...stopping you from pushing forward in your business.
It’s highly likely to be your mindset!
Here’s what I mean…
I firmly believe that you HAVE to sort out your mindset before you can push forward.
If you’re in a job that you can’t stand and you’re always focusing on the negatives Monday-Friday it WILL spill out into everything else you do.
You’re training your brain to be that way, and in turn making it REALLY difficult to be able to see the positives...and SO much more difficult to achieve what you want!
Often sorting the way you look at things is all it takes to make you fly.
It is easy to do when you know how, but it does take time.
You have to break old habits and ways of thinking that don’t serve you and form new ones that do.
You need to literally rewire your brain for the positive.
Don’t worry...it’s not as difficult as it sounds at all, it just takes a little time and effort on your part.
This certainly doesn’t mean you have to be positive ALL the time, that’s not realistic. See here for what I have to say about that!
But it IS about creating awareness of and learning to manage your own thoughts and in turn your own actions and behaviours.
Positive thoughts lead to positive beliefs and positive actions.
Negative thoughts lead to….procrastination and not getting anywhere!
Also, think about it practically….if you’re a negative Nelly will people want to do business with you?
Would YOU want to do business with you?
So in essence...Not being positive can directly affect your business’ bottom line.
Worth sorting right?
On the flip side, positivity and a positive outlook is infectious and acts like a magnet for people who like your ‘vibe’
It will be so much easier when you sort this! Starting a business is hard.
You will have set backs, you will make mistakes, you’ll hear ‘no’ a lot and there will be points that you deal with all the inevitable mindset gremlins...fear, overwhelm, procrastination, self doubt, comparisonitis, imposter syndrome.
You name it you’ll feel it BUT this is all sortable when you shift your thinking to the positive.
If the stress or fear centre of your brain is constantly activated it actively stops your ability to think.
Whereas people who think positively have a greater capacity to take on new information and tackle setbacks or issues more effectively.
You will also have more energy because it’s not all going to your brain when you’re constantly operating from fight or flight mode.
You will be more grateful and accepting. You won’t feel like an imposter, you won’t compare yourself, you won’t envy others successes (and secretly hope they fail...yep...that’s right, I see you!)
You will attribute others successes to grit, determination and hard work rather than dumb luck, or that they’ve got what you want because they're prettier or thinner than you. You won't over analyse everything or have chronic self doubt.
To be resilient...you need to see the positives.
To be able to reframe, you need to be able to see the positives.
To be able to stay motivated and inspired to push forward...you need to be positives.
To not give up when it gets hard (which it will) you need to be positive.
To solve problems, you need to be positive.
Negativity WILL affect performance, work ethic and productivity.
See how this stuff works? I truly believe that having a positive mindset from the get go is absolutely the key to success.
Here’s a few ways to start doing it today (with links to more information):
Journaling.
This is where I recommend you start with your mindset shift. It’s what i credit with shifting my mindset from Eeyore on a bad day to a positive, resilient person who can deal with most things that get thrown at her! Fran 2.0 if you will. You can check out my printable store here which is full of exercises and journal templates to help you along the way and find your positive pants by retraining your brain!
Meditation
OK this is partly self care partly a non negotiable. Using mindfulness and meditation you will be a calmer, more rational and more positive person. The connection between your right and left brain hemispheres literally gets stronger, which means in times when things don’t quite go according to plan your analytical, creative and problem solving minds will all work together that much better, solve problems and bounce back quicker.
Worth investigating right?!
Gratitude
This is one of my favourites and also what’s known as an intervention in positive psychology. If you're feeling anxious, fearful or stressed you can use gratitude to shift all that around. If we take the example of working in a toxic corporate job that you dread every morning of. What ARE the positives of that job? What does it allow you to do? Who does it allow you to be? Do you have close friends as colleagues? Start to focus on these more and be grateful for them….they will be there!!
Reframing
How can you look at things differently? Reframing is definitely one of my most used tools and one I think is HUGELY important in your business...even more so when you’re juggling a job too!
Affirmations
Positive affirmations sound supper woo woo I get it...I thought the same for a LONG tie but there is scientific research that backs it up. So worth giving a go right? I would focus on one particular negative thought and belief per month and say it out loud and write it down every day.
Your vibe attracts your tribe
Check who you spend your time with...uplevel your friendships. If you’re currently holding on to toxic or negative relationships let them go, or limit your time in them. Surround yourself with positive people who drive you forward and support you and ‘get it’. I can’t stress the importance of this enough. It makes a HUGE difference!
Visualise success.
Success really does start in the mind. Spend time visualising what your life will look like once you hit your goals. How will you feel? Who will you be? Marinate in that as often as you can!!!
When you think positively, you will behave positively and take positive actions, and get positive results.
For more information on this topic head over to https://www.franexcell.com/positivemindsetforbusiness/
To join my Free Facebook Community for daily mindset tips and tricks: https://www.facebook.com/groups/franexcellcommunity/
Download your Free Procrastination Buster here: https://franexcell.lpages.co/procrastinationbuster/
Check out my printable journal store and to do
list here: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/franexcellprintables