That’s quite obvious when you consider the risks of starting any business. Or the effort needed to build one.
Of course, businesses are built through challenges.
But challenges are harder to handle when you feel unclear, directionless or stuck in the circumstances.
It’s easy to get hijacked by our Saboteurs, and feel overwhelmed by stress, anxiety and worry.
Before you know it, you find yourself immersed in self-doubt and harsh self-criticism, making poor decisions from a negative, Saboteur-led mindset.
It’s especially important for an entrepreneur to enhance their capacity to stay in a positive, Sage-led mindset.
And if you can do that, you multiply your chances of successfully navigating through any challenge life throws at you.
Positive mindset is not about ignoring or avoiding challenges, being naive, or suppressing negative emotions.
3 Ways to Maintain a Positive Outlook
Working yourself to unhappiness is a real risk when you’re running a business.
So, one thing that you need to consciously prepare for is maintaining your sanity.
Ultimately, you want to preserve your overall wellbeing and happiness.
A positive outlook helps you achieve that.
Positive outlook is not about ignoring or avoiding challenges, being naive, or suppressing negative emotions.
It’s about optimism, self-belief, resilience, future-oriented thinking, and gratitude.
Positive outlook enables you to seek opportunities for growth, and maintain a belief in the possibility of favourable outcomes even in the face of challenges or adversity.
Here’s 3 ways you can maintain a positive outlook:
1. Community support
Autonomy and freedom are undeniable benefits of entrepreneurship.
It’s empowering to make decisions without relying on others and freely pursue your vision and goals.
However, even when you have a team, being a Founder CEO can be isolating.
That’s why joining groups of other individual leaders can provide a sense of belonging, connection, and opportunities of growth.
Organisations such as Strategic Coach, EO, or Genious Network were developed by entrepreneurs to entrepreneurs with this purpose in mind.
2. Personal support
Every entrepreneur deserves personal support with their everyday life.
If you have family members or friends who can support you with the emotional realities of entrepreneurship, you are fortunate. Keep them close!
On the other hand, limit the time with people who make you feel invalidated, suppressed or ashamed when you share about your challenges. They might have good intentions but come across hurtful, dismissive and simplistic in the face of complex challenges.
Personal support by a coach or mentor with the right skillset, experience and personality match can be invaluable.
The personalised guidance and accountability provided by an Executive Coach can make a significant positive impact on a business leader’s overall success and wellbeing.
3. Inner Support
Like physical fitness, mental fitness (PQ) can be measured. PQ assesses your mental fitness level by evaluating the strength of your positive mental muscles versus the negative ones.
Mental fitness training helps you develop mental muscles that intercept negative thoughts and activate positive reflexes.
As a result, you’ll experience less self-judgement and self-criticism. Instead, you’ll cultivate empathy, acceptance, and self-love.
When mentally fit, you become your own best ally.
Conclusion
Building and running a successful business requires navigating through challenges.
Maintaining your overall wellbeing and positive outlook is essential for entrepreneurs.
- Seeking community support and personal support can provide a sense of belonging, connection, and valuable guidance.
- Working with a personal Executive Coach can greatly enhance leadership skills, performance, and overall well-being.
- Developing mental muscles and fostering a positive mindset, entrepreneurs can overcome obstacles, reduce self-judgement, and become their own best allies.
If you combine these elements, you can effectively navigate challenges, foster personal growth and increase your chances of long-term success in your business.
And strong mental fitness will help you stay focused, motivated, and ready to handle the challenges that come with the entrepreneurial journey.
→ This week’s action step: Identify which Saboteurs harm your capability to cope with life’s challenges. Take the free Saboteur Assessment here. Also, take a look at how the Mental Fitness Programme can help you improve your performance, relationships, and wellbeing.
That’s it for today.
See you next week.