Thinking Positive- Hey Crazy... Do You Need Your Head Examined?

What do your mother, New Age “gurus” and pop psychologists all have in common? Just one thing actually! (I hope.) They all encourage you to go ahead and go for broke on anything that’s near and dear to your heart… all those things that you desperately want to achieve. Think about it. Even back in the days when you were just a wee little tot, your mom has probably always been at you to try to be the best that you can be She wants you to see the silver lining in every cloud and the rainbow after every storm. She tells you that you can do it, whatever “it” is. She knows that once you’ve put your mind to it, you will surprise yourself with all the things that it’s possible for you to achieve. (OK I realize that not everyone has a mom that rivals the angels… but hopefully she did always have your best at heart and encourage you to follow your dreams.) In fact, that can often be the running theme throughout your life, from everyone. In movies, self-help books and magazines, on day-time television… we are told that the power of the human mind is so strong that it can drastically impact our lives and the events surrounding us. So… Perhaps it’s time to listen to all this motivational hoopla and give it a chance to work for you. I mean seriously… it’s possible you often dismiss stuff like this as exaggerated C-R-A-P but I really think you’re doing yourself a huge disservice if you do. If you’re honest, and will open your mind a bit, you can’t help but see there there’s some grain of truth to all this positive thinking, glass half full kinda jazz… at least in other people’s lives right? Other people schmuzzle peeple. I propose that if you’re willing to give it the good ole “college try”, it could quite possibly make a huge impact in your life today… and that means your business too. But first, some words of wisdom.

Believe You Can!

There are certain things in life that deserve your full attention, and striking out on your own in the bright and busy world of entrepreneurship is definitely one of those things. No doubt you could do with a few encouraging remarks from people who know you best or people who only want to see you succeed. We all could in fact. But that’s just gravy baby. Exte al validation. For me, I’ve always believed in the true power of the human will. Sometimes, all you need to succeed in business is to trust that you can actually do it. Fixing your mind on your goal and having faith in your plans means that you have already won half the battle, at least in my book. After all, if you don’t have faith, why the hell should anyone else have any faith in you? Once you’ve got your faith and mind right, everything else is just execution and adjusting course where needed. Crikey, I literally just about built my biz on hope and faith. (Not recommended by the way… faith and positive thinking should be a cog in the wheel, not the whole damn wheel people!) Positive thinking and faith that I could do it is pretty much what pulled me through tough times and still pulls me through tough times today. But enough about me. This post is about you and what you can do with a little dash of positive thoughts and a sprinkling of spunk. Mind over Matter If you drill it into your head that you can succeed in your business, that you do have something of value to offer and that you can rise to the top of the dog pile…

Then you most certainly can do it!

That’s the simple truth that results from believing in yourself. It’s called internal validation and it’s the best sort. After all, if you don’t believe in what you can do, how can you expect other people to buy into whatever you’re offering them? Stands to reason that if you change your attitude towards your business… You can change people’s perspectives about it as well. I think there’s nothing sadder than an entrepreneur that can’t stand by their business and be its biggest cheerleader. Think about it. Some of the world’s most successful people are also some of the most incredibly positive you’ll find anywhere. They rise above petty troubles that can often knock the hell out of others who haven’t mastered the art of positive thinking. They can turn a half-bad situation into a pretty damn good one. And they are convinced that what they have to offer is the best thing since sliced bread. Now don’t you think acquiring the skill of thinking “happy thoughts” even when life feels at its worst might be a good skill to master? Um… YEAH!

Put a Positive Spin on It

Now! That means stop wailing in the corner and licking your wounds, railing about the unfai ess of everything around you. Newsflash dude (dudette?) Life ain’t fair! In life, there will always be times when you have to take a kick in the ass and come up swinging. One of my favorite sayings, and what I mentioned briefly in yesterday’s podcast interview with Abby(yes! Moi, yours truly, actually TALKING!) is “put on your big girl panties and deal with it”. And it’s actually how the Big Girl Branding name was born! But… I digress. Listen… like Annie in the famous 70s musical, you need to stick out your chin and grin it away. Even if you’ve got your teeth clenched tighter than a sticker’s butt cheeks the entire time! Whoever told you that going the solo business route was easy deserves a kick in the face. And a stomp or two for good measure. Freelancing and entrepreneurship in general is possibly one of the most challenging and difficult “jobs” around. I’m not saying that a nine-to-five is any easier (remember I cleaned vacation homes for a living!) but when you’re managing things on your own, you can bet your left pinkie toe that you’ll be logging in some hours, at least initially. You worry about your business day and night because you know that if things fall apart, it’s your ass that’s going to be on the line, and no one else. And you won’t just be losing your job; you could lose your entire livelihood. These and many other dark thoughts of failure are enough to make insomniacs out of noob entrepreneurs. You might have heard people say that when you believe in something so deeply and fervently, the universe will simply smile upon you and grant your wish. It’s possible that’s something short of a miracle like that happens, and I do believe that. At times. However, the bulk of the time I don’t think you’ll get your wish right away, and you definitely will not get it if you don’t lift a finger to make it happen. So here’s the takeaway. You have to first believe that your wish will come true, and then you must work your ass off to make sure that it does. That requires action people, focused action. Not lollygagging about “wishing and dreaming” and never “doing”. Got it? Hope is that thing that sustains us and keeps us going despite the odds. It propels us forward and pushes us past roadblocks we sometimes don’t even know we have. Action however is what gets us moving in the first place, and it’s what builds upon itself and keeps that momentum going.

Your Homework Today

• Compile a list of all the achievements you’ve made to date in your business and/or your life. Doesn’t matter how big or small.
• Read it and weep over how far you’ve come, and give yourself a hearty pat on the back.
• Find a nice notebook you feel you wouldn’t mind scribbling in daily. Name it your gratitude journal and decorate it with motivating little doodles. In your gratitude journal, take 5 minutes a day to write about all the positive, cheerful, good things going on in your life you’ve got to be grateful for, and reflect on how you can keep that cheery goodness flowing.
• Hint: keep it flowing by indulging in random acts of kindness where you can.
• When you’re feeling crappy or all doom and gloom, refer to that gratitude journal and reflect yet again on just how awesome you are, and ways you can continue to create awesomeness in your life and business.

And listen. You don’t need your head examined. You’re not crazy. You’re human. Rough patches happen, we all get a little buried in “the darkness” sometimes, and life marches on. The trick is to really believe in yourself and what you’re made of, and stop brooding over negative things it’s highly likely you have no control over anyway. You do however have control of your thoughts, and that glass will always be half full or half empty, depending upon how you choose to look at it. So make a good choice, capisce?

Thoughts? Comments? Drop them in the comments below, we love a good convo around here.

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