Entrepreneurs must maintain a positive perspective as one of their highest priorities. When confronting challenges and obstacles, it is all too easy to become disheartened and give up, but if you can maintain a positive attitude and keep your head up, you will have a much greater chance of achieving success.
A positive attitude implies that you continue to attempt new things, are courageous when generating new ideas, and motivate those around you; in many cases, this positivity is also felt by your potential customers.
Consider the following when negative emotions begin to arise:
Do not feel sorry for yourself!
Determine if you have unreasonable expectations of yourself; sometimes bad things happen to excellent businesses.
Take a break and allow yourself time to evaluate whether you are overreacting.
Have you set an improper objective? Could a more realistic objective improve the situation?
Keep in mind that the greatest regret you may have as an entrepreneur is quitting too soon. It is useless to realize your error after the fact.
Most importantly, never allow negativity to seep into interactions with customers; there is never a valid reason for this to occur.
How to manage negative emotions
Knowing what makes you feel negative is the first step toward being positive, and to that end, it is essential to comprehend what is under your control and what is not.
The weather, for instance, is beyond our control; being stuck in traffic is beyond our control; falling unwell could be beyond our control; and a loss of a loved one is beyond our control; and no business has ever been in complete control. Even Amazon will experience problems with deliveries that were beyond their control, and despite McDonald's best efforts, they cannot prevent a child from spreading ketchup on a customer and that customer contacting a lawyer.
In your business, there are both controllable and uncontrollable financial factors.
Your prices may be under your control until your supplier increases their prices and there are no less expensive alternatives.
Your prices may be under your control until your energy provider increases your rates and there are no less expensive alternatives.
Your prices may be manageable until your largest customer requests a price reduction.
Having overwhelming negative emotions about things that you cannot control serves no useful purpose.
The way we respond to an event, a person, or a situation is determined by what we are considering, the internal dialogue we are having. Your inner voice may be uttering negative things, causing you to react negatively to events and people. This negative inner voice must be acknowledged, acknowledged for what it is, and replaced with a positive inner voice.
hear it...
acknowledge it...
challenge it...
alter it...
Reframing
Reframing involves examining a situation, thought, or emotion from a different perspective. The objective of therapists is to be supportive and empathetic toward you and your concerns, while also assisting you in resolving problems.
The process of redefining a problem as a challenge is an example of reframing. This redefinition activates an alternative mode of being. Problem has a weighty quality, whereas the concept of a challenge is energizing. During a furious exchange, there is a second instance of and a crucial opportunity for reframing. When our anger is heightened, we are more likely to block our minds and develop judgmental, critical thoughts, such as "she is just an angry b*tch" or "he is such a selfish bully" or variations on the theme "the world is doing it to me." When overwhelmed by emotions, we are temporarily rendered powerless. At that instant, the opponent becomes the adversary.
There is always an alternative viewpoint, and if you train your mind adequately, you will be able to recognize it.
In some situations, you have a split second to decide how to react. You must train yourself to recognize that split second and activate your response: "I can maintain my composure" or "I can handle this." Saying this in your mind or out loud will send a positive message to your brain, which will then prime your body to respond in this manner.
You can then take a bit more time to examine your emotions and change the negative dialogue in your brain to a positive one after this dialogue has taken effect.
Many scholars and practitioners have focused on maximizing the benefits of five factors essential to happiness and wellbeing (commonly referred to as PERMA): positive emotions, engagement, meaning, relationships, and achievement.
These positive elements, though not the only ones, can be viewed as building blocks or drivers that maximize well-being and propel individuals and human systems toward greater flourishing.
What is there to be positive about when business is sluggish, customers are not purchasing, rent is due, and the new line you invested in is not moving?
Here are a few things you may wish to contemplate when one of those days arrives:
The tomorrow you anticipate will not be identical to the one you anticipate – it never is. Oftentimes, the worst moments of a person's existence exist only in his or her mind.
Think Like a Coach – Consider what a business coach would say to you and coach yourself; coaches wouldn't last long if they advised individuals to give up.
Avoid asking "What if?" If you dwell solely on the negative, you will end up in a terrible situation.
Be Joyful in Your Work. This is your enterprise, and tomorrow is another day; therefore, be cheerful while you labor. You will achieve nothing by remaining inactive. Positivity will lead to positive outcomes if you can maintain happiness at work.
Maintain a Sense of Humor. Try to find the humor or irony in a situation, even when things don't go your way and you begin to feel down.
Exercise. Numerous studies conducted over the past decade have demonstrated that exercise can alleviate tension and anxiety and have a positive effect on one's mood.
Maintain an open mind. It will be simpler to maintain a positive outlook on things that may be able to assist you if you are receptive to new possibilities rather than dismissive of them.
Take initiative. A proactive person has a positive outlook and believes they will be able to discover something that will improve their situation.
Do not assign blame to others. This is the major reason for the failure of four out of five businesses; it was always someone else's responsibility. Ask yourself what you can do to resolve the problems; it is your responsibility.
Plan for the Best Outcome. Maintain a positive outlook by having faith that everything will work out for the best.
If you lack the self-confidence to believe you will succeed, you have no business operating your own business or working for yourself.