Optimism Is Important in Small-Business, But It’s Not Everything!

Posted on November 17, 2010 by Nathan R Mitchell, One of Thousands of Business Coaches on Noomii.

Everyone has their own reasons for entering the game of small-business and entrepreneurship. For some, they have finally decided to pursue their own dreams, regardless of the risks. For others, it may be out of necessity due to the loss of a job and the shortage of them in the job market. Whatever the reason for entering the game, once the initial excitement of starting your own business wears off, it is often replaced with fear when you start to notice the overwhelming amount of competition you may be facing in your particular industry, or difficulties and adversity starts to surface that wasn’t initially expected. Hopefully, you thoroughly researched these things and thought them through during the business planning phase of your startup. If not, you may encounter some unwelcome challenges as you begin your journey.

The big question is this: how do you remain optimistic when you are facing adversity in your business? First of all, you must encounter it “head on.” You cannot ignore it, or try to convince yourself it doesn’t exist!

Typically, optimists have a better chance of winning in the game of entrepreneurship than those who see their glass half-empty. One of the primary reasons for this is they don’t need to be told of the difficulties that lie ahead. Optimists tend to accept competition and adversity as a part of life, and therefore have a natural tendency to face it. In addition, they are quick to strategize and implement plans to overcome it and succeed.

And this is the secret: Optimism is important in small-business, but it’s not everything! As a small-business owner, you can be facing the most dire circumstances, and if all you do is think positive and wax optimistic about the future of your business, you are more than likely destined for failure. Although it is true that what we hope for often manifests itself in our lives, optimistic thinking without action is futile. The main reason why things often happen that we hope for, is because hope instills a burning desire within us–an inspiration that motivates us to do whatever is necessary to make our dreams happen. And it’s no different in business!

Here are a few suggestions that I consider to be a fairly common-sense type approach to increasing levels of optimism in your business endeavors:

1. Deliberately set aside a specific amount of time each day that will be spent thinking strategically about your business.
2. Despite the challenges you may be facing currently, be grateful for the successes you have had. Gratitude, even in the face of immense adversity, can help keep us in the “winning mindset.”
3. Never stop learning. Learn as much as you can–whether you decide to get your knowledge from reading books, attending seminars, learning from past mistakes, or the failures of others, learn, learn, learn. A commitment to lifelong learning will better equip you to compete in the long-term.

And as always, Keep Winning!

More information can be found online at http://www.clutchconsulting.net