Do you always see the glass as half-empty or half-full?
Do you believe that pain always follows pleasure?
Are you always a pessimist?
As a business owner, it’s good to anticipate challenges in your company. But if it’s the only thing you’re doing, then that’s another story.
You can plan for the worst, but don’t put too much focus on the negative.
Here are ways to turn pessimism into optimism so you can start to focus on future solutions instead of dwelling only on the present errors.
- See the good in every situation every single day.
If you rallied your team to launch a course and had a slow start, that sucks. But the good news is you learned what it takes to galvanize your team to create something big. If you lost a client for voicing out your truth or standing for a cause, then that just made room for a future client that’s the perfect fit for you.
- Gratitude
Journal the things you’re grateful and do this every day for at least five minutes. Be grateful for what you have and even for the things that haven’t happened yet. Try to incorporate gratitude into your morning routine.
- Find purpose in your work and your life.
It is through purpose that we feel more fulfilled, and we’re able to see the glass as half-full. Ask questions like, ‘what good can come from this?’ and ‘what does this make possible?’
- Believe that good can happen to you.
We tend to believe that others deserve good things. However, we don’t often believe the same for ourselves. But you need to learn how to turn that same optimism inward and believe that you deserve good things as well.
- Discipline
Optimism requires a total shift in perspective and discipline. Those neural pathways of pessimism can be really strong. So you have to decide that you’re going to fight it multiple times a day, every single day. That way, you’re rebuilding new neural pathways of gratitude. Plan for the worst without too much focus on the negative.
- Surround yourself with positive people.
Be intentional about the people you hire. Make sure you have a team that supports you and holds space for you whenever you need it. But also, empower your team to lead.
- The power of pause.
In moments where you want to freak out and say that something isn’t going to work out or that you worry an idea is going to fall flat, just pause and breathe. Look up 4×4 breathing to see if it’s something you can practice.
- Embrace the idea of failure in a new way.
Allow yourself to let dreams die, so that you can create space for new ones. Challenge yourself to create more and try new things. Empower your team to initiate something without having to initiate new ideas or oversee every implementation.
- Unlearn pessimism.
Unlearn the thing inside you that says you have to plan for the worst. You are worthy of good things happening to you, and again, always find something you’re grateful for.
If you want to learn more about leading your business with optimism, check out the Diary of a Doer Podcast on https://trivinia.com/.
