Building a business is a fantastic and challenging experience. You can wake up exhilarated to begin your day and go to bed feeling overwhelmed and frustrated. The key to success is to maintain a positive, yes you can do it, mindset.

Easier said than done, right? Here are 5 keys to help you create and sustain a positive mindset so you attain the success you desire in personal and business life.

Surround

1. Surround yourself with successful and positive people. The influence people have over our own personal energy is amazing. Moods and attitudes are contagious– think about how much of a difference a simple smile from a stranger can make for your day and then magnify it 100 times to demonstrate the power of positive and successful friends, family and associates. When you have people around you who inspire you, believe in you and want you to succeed, there’s no room for doubts. Even when self doubt creeps in, they’re quickly swept away, because of the power of association.

Self-Talk

2. Be aware of your Self- talk. Create a mantra or an affirmation. Repeating positive affirmations has been shown to get people through tough times and to actually help them truly believe what they’re saying. It has helped positively in programming the sub-conscious mind to handle any challenges with a positive mindset.
For example, “My income exceeds my expenses.” Many of the successful business professionals have used the same affirmation strategy to run a profitable business. To find the right affirmations for you, consider writing a quick list of your doubts, insecurities and complaints. These can then be quickly turned into affirmations.
For example, if you write that you’re always feeling “Not good enough” then your affirmation would be, “I am more than what I appear to be. All the worlds’ strength and power rests inside me.” Repeat your affirmations several times a day and feel the power of positive thinking.

Sever

3. We all have negative thoughts from time to time. However, negative thoughts and emotions can derail us and prevent us from achieving all we desire. Of course catching those negative thoughts takes practice and persistence. When you find yourself thinking negative thoughts or having negative emotions, find a trigger to turn them around. Train yourself to become AWARE of your thoughts. Capture negative thoughts and separate or sever them. The affirmations mentioned above are a great way to turn the negative into the positive. You can also find quick boost me ups like a favorite song, a walk outside in the fresh air, or some exercise to help improve your mood.

Seed

4. Set goals. Seed your intentions and then be willing to let it go. The law of attraction says that we attract what we focus on the most. Focus and enjoy the process of running your business, like enjoying the process of gardening. However, desperation, needing your business to be a success like wanting a tree with hundreds of fruits, sends mixed messages and a lot of negativity into the universe. Set your goals and intentions and then let them go. A certain amount of faith in you and in the process is necessary. Give it a try.

State Of Gratitude

5. Always find a way to be in the state of gratitude. Gratitude is perhaps the single most powerful and positive tool for success. When you’re grateful for all of the wonderful things and people in your life the challenges you face seem significantly less important and are more easily dealt with.
Consider keeping a gratitude journal and make a practice of entering into it daily. That way, when you’re facing challenges a quick peek at all the amazing things in your life will make you feel as if you can tackle anything. Additionally, an attitude of gratitude helps you maintain a positive perspective and to face challenges as opportunities rather than obstacles.

Success is within your reach and with the right attitude you can accomplish anything you set your sights on. Embrace these five powerful mind success strategies and you’ll build a better business and live a happier, more satisfying life.

Prefer To Listen

In my blog post “Working From Home And Self-Discipline” I had mentioned, that distraction from your family, friends and relatives, could come in your way of being self-disciplined.

When my clients transition from an employee to an entrepreneur, initially they find it challenging to set boundaries with the members of their family, friends and relatives.

I suggest the following step by step system that I personally use to handle such distractions.

1) In the morning, brain dump all the thoughts relating to your family, friends and relatives in a notebook or any device such as an Ipod or notepad in your computer.

2) Label each thought as I ( Thoughts relating to family members Inside home) OR O ( Thoughts relating to friends and relatives Outside home )

3) Number each of the Is and Os from highest to least importance. If there are 5 items in I category the one with highest importance will be numbered as 1 and the one with the least importance will be numbered as 5.

4) Ask yourself, the question-”If I do not do this task TODAY, will it hurt me or my family member/friend/relative? If the answer is YES, do it. If the answer is NO, just move this item to the next day OR if it is not necessary at all, just delete it completely.

Let me give you an example…

My list may consist of thoughts like..

1) Drop my children to School….I
2) Make a courtesy call to my friend who returned from a vacation….O
3) Organize my children’s closet…..I
4) Respond to a voicemail from a friend who needs help with an emergency situation….O
5) Prepare nutritious lunch for my family…..I
6) Respond to a request from my friend to hang out in a mall…..O

These are fuzzy thoughts occupying space in my brain, and distracting me from being productive while I am working from home. By writing down them down and labeling, I am crystal clear as to what is required from the members of my family at home and friends and relatives outside of my home. My fuzzy thoughts have now become clear action steps. Now I am going to prioritize them from highest to least importance:

All items under Category I
1) Drop my children to School.
2) Prepare nutritious lunch for my family.
3) Organize my children’s closet.

All items under Category O

1) Respond to a Voicemail from a friend who needs help with an emergency situation.
2) Make a courtesy call to my friend who returned from a vacation.
3) Respond to a request from my friend to hang out in a mall.

Now comes the question…

If I do not do this task TODAY, will it hurt me or my family member/friends/relatives?

For me the answer to items 1 and 2 under both the categories, I and O are YES. So I will fit them in the days schedule and move the item 3 to the next day for review.

You might wonder, if doing this exercise is really worth your time. Based upon my own experience, I recommend, you try it for at least a week and then once you get used to it, you will be able to priortize, without recording your random thoughts.You will not be guilty of avoiding your family, friends and relatives. You will have the satisfaction of working from home and nurturing the relationships with your family, friends and relatives.You will be more productive in your business too!

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