Building your own business can be a fantastic and challenging experience.  However, most often we wake up exhilarated to begin our day, only to find ourselves feeling overwhelmed and frustrated by the time the day is over.  The key to overcoming these letdowns is to maintain a positive, “can do” mindset!

Unfortunately, this is sometimes easier said than done, right?  Believe me, I know how you feel! To help you get past this mind-block, listed below are several “Successful Mindset Strategies” to help you remove the barriers so you attain the success you desire.

• Surround yourself with successful and positive people: The influence people have over our own personal energy is amazing.  Moods and attitudes are so easily spread – think about how much of a difference a simple smile from a stranger can make for your day and then magnify it 1000 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 and even when they creep up, they’re quickly swept away.   Believe me- as a child of the “60′s”- I can tell you from experience the influence (good & bad) others can have on your life.
• 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. For example: “I am building a powerful and profitable business.”  Many of the most esteemed business professionals have used the same affirmation strategy to attain their success.  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.  Also, if you write that you’re always feeling disorganized then your affirmation would be, “I am organized and in control.”  Repeat your affirmations several times a day and feel the power of positive thinking.
• Capture negative thoughts: 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.  The affirmations mentioned above are a great way to turn the negative into the positive.  You can also find quick pick me ups like a favorite song, a walk outside in the fresh air, or some exercise to help improve your mood.
• Set goals/intentions and then be willing to let it go: The law of attraction says that we attract what we focus on the most.  However, desperation, needing your business to be a success, 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 yourself and in the power of attraction is necessary.  Give it a try.
• Practice Gratitude: Gratitude, being grateful or appreciative, 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.  I know, I know, this may sound silly when all hell is breaking loose and the world “sucks” at the moment. But, if you’re grateful in spite of present circumstances, then this is the first step towards getting out, over or past the current situation. Tough times don’t last, but tough people do!

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 or mindset, you can accomplish those things you set your mind too.  Embrace these successful mindset strategies as your own, and you’ll build a better person first, then a better business, a better world and live a happier more satisfying life.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this post, be sure to check back often for more updates. As always, we appreciate your feedback, comments and questions.

Until next time,

Godspeed

James
~+~

Okay, I can hear you saying to yourself about now…

“Oh crap, not another lengthy ‘planning session’ on setting goals, haven’t we discussed this to death already?”

Well, unless you’ve learned to set and obtain your goals and are actually doing it, then no, we obviously haven’t discussed it enough (smile).

Let’s see if my approach to goal setting makes sense…

Listen, the basics of setting and obtaining goals is pretty much an open secret among top athletes, successful business people and high achievers alike. Setting goals for these individuals, is literally “matter of fact” that’s not given much of second thought.

However, to the average person, who’s looking to become “un-average”, setting goals is like riding a bike for the first time with the training wheels off!  The result?  They usually crash and burn within 30 days (or less) of setting the goal. It doesn’t have to be this way, it’s really rather simple once you know how…

The basics of setting goals give you:

a) Short-term objectives

b) Long-term motivation, and

c) Focus

They (goals) help you set about the acquisition of required knowledge and help you to plan and organize your resources and your time so that you can get the best out of your life. Simple enough, eh?

Listen, setting clearly defined short term and long term goals will enable you to measure your progress and achieve personal satisfaction once you have successfully met your goals. Just like getting the first “win” under your belt gives you the believability that you can, do it.

Likewise, charting your progress will also enable you to actually see the stages of completion leading to the actual realization of your goals. This eliminates the feeling of a long and pointless grind towards achieving your goal. Your self-confidence and level of competence will also improve as you will be more aware of your capabilities as you complete or achieve your goals.

The basics of goal setting involve deciding what you really want to do with your personal life and what short term and long term goals you need to achieve it. Then you have to break down goals into the smaller and manageable targets that you must complete in your way to achieving your lifetime targets. Once you have your list waste no time in tackling your goals.

A good way to have a manageable list is to have a daily and weekly set of goals. By doing this you will be always in the position of going towards your life plan goals. Everyday will give you the opportunity to fulfill a certain goal giving you the feeling of accomplishment.

Here are some pointers that should be taken into consideration in setting goals and achieving them.Attitude plays a very big role in setting and achieving your goals. You must ask yourself:

“Is any part of me or my mindset holding me back towards completing my simplest goals?”

And,

“Are there are any parts of my behavior that is a hindrance or puts my plans into disarray?”

If you do have problems in these areas then the immediate thing to do is to address this problem. Solutions may include a visit to a doctor or psychiatrist to control your emotions. Sorry, I know this can be a “touchy” subject with some, but if you are to truly accomplish your goals, you must be willing to look at all the angles.

Careers are made by good time management practice. Failing in a career is often attributed to bad time management. Careers require a lot from an individual which often makes the career the life of the individual. Plan how far do you want to go into your career, your business, your life!

Education, specialized training, etc is critical in achieving your goals. If your goals require you to have a certain kind of degree, require a certain specialization, or demand a certain skill to be developed, make plans in getting the appropriate education.

Your family should never, ever be left out of your plans! If you are just starting out then you have to decide if you want to be a parent or when you want to be a parent. You also have to know if you really would be a good parent and how well would you relate to extended family members.

Personal financial situations also play a major role in achieving your goals. Have a realistic goal on how much you really want to earn. You also must be able to create plans or stages by which you will be able to reach your earning potential.

Physically gifted individuals may be able to achieve sports related goals like being in the National Basketball Association or National Football League. Determining your physical capabilities should be one of your priorities. Physical limitations could however be conquered with proper planning.

Remember, what good does it do to become wealthy if you’re not physically able to enjoy it? Or worse, not here to enjoy it! As the saying goes -’All work and no play makes Jack, or Jill, a dull person’, or something to that effect, is by all means true down to the last the letter. Giving yourself a little pleasure should be included into your plans. Relaxation, ‘fun in the sun’, playtime, whatever you want to call it, is a MUST if you are to have the mental acuity and stamina it takes to succeed at your goals & dreams.

To start achieving your life’s goals, set a quarter of a century plan, then break it down to 5 year plans then break it down again to 1 year plans, then 6 month plans then monthly plans, then weekly, then daily. Then create a things-to-do list for the day. Always review your plans and prepare for contingencies.

The basics of goal settings should not be so difficult once you get to be familiar with them.

Plan your work (goals) and then work your plan (goals)…Simple enough?

I hope you’ve enjoyed this post, be sure to check back often for more updates. As always, we appreciate your feedback, comments and questions.

Until next time,

Godspeed

James
~+~