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I’ve always been a positive thinking individual. My parents say I “came out” that way. I don’t think that’s true but it does seem to be in my DNA.
My family life was a positive, balanced one overall. My father was and is the eternal optimist. He feels he can “will” something to go his way and always has a positive mindset. My mother on the other hand, while not a full-fledged pessimist still looks for how something could go wrong.
But the combination for me was a good one. My parents always made me understand that I could do anything I wanted to if I put my mind to it. And I learned to have positive thoughts as I explored all the options for my life and especially my business.
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My Top Positive Thinking Habits
I’m also an avid reader of all types of business and self-improvement books. I like to read what other people have found works for them. Over the years, I have incorporated many of the suggestions into my daily business routine.
The top 5 for me are:
- Be Happy; yes, you can “will” yourself to happy every day
- Surround yourself personally and professionally with positive people
- Reinforce positive thinking with positive actions – daily positive affirmations
- The Power of Attraction – attract the positive not the negative (erase negative thoughts)
- Let go of perfection – a good friend recently reminded me that just doing sometimes is good enough
One of the reasons I continue to read business and motivation books is because I have a tendency to fall back into old habits of not necessarily staying the course of my top 5.
One writer that I find particularly engaging is Jack Canfield. I heard him speak at a conference last year and was inspired by his approach to affecting change in behavior. In his talk, he showed the audience how positivity and affirming that thinking would lead to change. His book, The Success Principles truly does help you get from where you are to where you want to go in easy steps. I am currently reading it for the second time.
Being a Positive Thinker is Good for Business
As a business owner that develops marketing and promotion programs for businesses I think it’s an asset to be a positive thinker. I don’t know about you, but I
have met too many of the pessimists that see everything new as difficult and going to fail instead of as an opportunity for success.
In my opinion, positive thinking people are easy to spot. I’ve worked for and with some very large corporations and there are just some people that I am naturally drawn too. Why? They are positive thinkers with a can do attitude and you just know everything will get done.
Rid Business of Negative Nelly
And you can typically spot the pessimist or “negative Nelly” on the team. They will say “oh, we can’t possibly get everything done to launch that promotion on time” or “we’ll never get all the approvals in time”. Those are the ones I typically try to avoid.
Now, I don’t profess to know the science behind the positive and negative thinking (and there are many books that discuss it) but I feel that positive thinking definitely think there is something to it.
Positive thinking and visualizing success is a common theme among many of the most renowned authors and motivational speakers.
Napoleon Hill’s book Think and Grow Rich (as does Jack Canfield’s book and Brian Tracy’s Books and so many others) discusses life success suggestions. One that I resonated with me he attributed to Mary Kay Ash, founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics. In addition to imagining success, she states you have to “respond positively to life”.
She further elaborates, “develop a positive self-image. Your image, your reactions to life and your decisions are completely within your control”.
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How to Think Positive is a State of Being
I believe it to be true. How to think positive is a state of being that may not be natural to all and will need to be developed.
I’m not sure where I read this or who may have told me, but one thing I know is that every day as I get out of bed is it my choice to be happy or not. I choose
happy. Why greet the day with a frown (granted we all have those days of not wanting to do what we have to do) it doesn’t change a thing.
There are so many books, seminars, speakers and workshops you could attend on the power of positive thinking but one thing is for sure, it can help your business.
A number of years ago I felt my business was getting into a rut. A friend had the same feeling so together we signed up for a Tony Robbins “Unleash the Power Within” weekend. Granted, it’s not for everyone (I didn’t think it was for me frankly, but I came away with renewed energy). And, I did buy his CD series and when I travel for long distances by car alone, I listen to them. And they work. I get to my destination feeling energized, motivated and sharp. A key ingredient when I am meeting with a client.
Encourage Positive Feedback for Positive Ideas
If you don’t feel your team is motivated or you’ve got too many negative Nelly’s maybe it’s time to try something new. Because when your team is developing a promotion to launch a new product enhancement having a positive energy flow that encourages an exchange of new ideas leads to a better promotion.
My favorite Yoga instructor, Natalie, is always saying that Yoga is not about the pose, it’s about your reaction to the pose. She talks about how your reaction reflects a lot about your personality or maybe just the day you’ve had. Some poses she explains should be bringing out your inner six year old because we all take ourselves too seriously. When she reminds me of that, I realize that I am holding on too tight and trying to get the pose perfect. Instead of just letting myself really enjoy the class.
The same holds true for our everyday lives, personally and professionally. I’ve felt myself lately holding on too tight to the challenges that the growth of the business is bringing to me. So I am getting back to my basics and reminding myself of my top 5 and my attitude and productivity has soared once again.
It’s worth a try.
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