If you were asked “How can you guarantee your business will be successful in the coming year?” your mind might go blank trying to come up with things you could do to make success virtually guaranteed – I mean, how can you possibly guarantee something that you can’t control?!
Here’s the good news – you cancontrol whether your business succeeds or fails and it’s more achievable than you think.
What is this magic? Simple: cultivate a positive and open mindset.
No, really. I know that “mindset” is a real buzzword today, but there’s a reason for that. It truly makes a difference in a tangible and concrete way. A person who is actively open to learning and creating positivity in their life and business is a person who will have opportunities to learn and positive results bestowed upon them.
There are some very simple habits that anyone can develop that will impact your business in more ways (small and large) than can be imagined.
- Be grateful, and write it down – Writing out three things you are grateful for each day as part of your waking up routine will train your mind to look for things to be grateful about.
- Talk to people – Connecting with people and learning about who they are will open your mind to new perspectives.
- Be curious – Ask questions, read everything, listen to podcasts, watch informative videos, let your curiosity guide you.
- Believe in yourself – You are a unique, special and valuable person, what you have to offer is important and cannot be given by anyone but you because only you have the experiences, knowledge, and talents that are uniquely yours.
- Be tenacious – Tenacity, determination, persistence: in the face of overwhelming odds, unlikely scenarios, and crippling self-doubt this quality will ensure that whatever it is, you will get through it and be stronger for it.
- Actively learn – This goes along with talking to people and being curious, so much of today’s world are snapshots and surface-level, if you take the time to dig deeper and seek out new experiences and new opportunities, you will learn things that you never dreamed of.
- Be confident – You started your business because you had a dream and a vision and felt you have something to offer. Be confident in what drove you to take that leap and know you are exactly where you are meant to be.
- Be positive – Being positive doesn’t mean you will be happy all the time, nor does it mean that you cannot dwell when bad things happen. It simply means that you actively seek silver linings, you hold in your mind that things happen for a reason and that you are on the path that will lead you to where you desire most to be and when events turn in a way that you don’t anticipate or want, you know it is temporary and look for solutions.
- Be kind – The final habit, and it is a habit, that will lead to success is the simplest and most difficult all at once. Being kind is an underused commodity today. Be kind to yourself, to others, to the world, and you will have it returned 100 fold.
These may all seem simple, straightforward and maybe even a bit hokey, but, trust me – they work. If you consciously have a positive attitude there is nothing that can stand in your way.
The last thing I’ll leave you with is to ensure that you utilize your support system. No one can do it alone. Sometimes, you don’t have it in you to be positive and open, so you need to rely on those who can pull you back from the brink. Everyone needs their business friends (the ones who truly understand this crazy world of being self-employed) who can talk you off the ledge and remind you of your Why. There is a reason you became an entrepreneur – and it wasn’t because you are complacent or unimpactful!
