I know it’s cheesy to ask whether you think the glass is half empty or half full, but it brings about a really important concept: Your Mindset. If you are sitting there ruminating about everything that is not going 100% perfect in your business, you are going to make yourself miserable and discouraged. You are wasting time trying to change something in the past, rather than taking proactive steps to change the future. Additionally, you are closing yourself off to other possibilities. Now, on the otherhand, if you are viewing your glass half full, you are seeing that you have some good things going and that you still have a little ways to go. You are more likely to take advantage of situations that will help you fill your glass. Ever heard, “Confidence is sexy”? Well, it’s true. The more you believe in yourself, the more you project that onto others, and the more attractive you become to them. This goes beyond just customers, but affects your staff morale, your business relationships, and your personal relationships too!  People must be able to trust in you and they can’t do othat if you don’t trust in yourself.

Imagine how much happier you’d be if you could view things from a more positive place. I know people might say that this is not realistic, but it can be. If you believe, you can achieve. (If you haven’t noticed yet, I love a little cheese.) No one is going to hand you success, you have to strive for it. You have to be dedicated, resilient, persistent, and resourceful. Almost all small businesses fail within the first five years. You know why? They gave up. They stopped trying. They gave in and let fear and self-doubt win.

Now, how can you translate this into real world application (because you might also notice that I don’t like to sell people fluff and rainbows)? Put it in writing. Record your accomplishments. Document obstacles and how you overcame them. Revisit what you write to remind yourself of the power that lies within you. Many rely on their memories, which can fail or be altered in hindsight. That’s where, “I should’ve” starts coming in and bringing you down. Now if you had it in writing, you could be saying, “I did it and I can do it again.”

As always, comments are appreciated. Tell me, what is one obstacle you have overcome or one goal you are striving to achieve.