Building a positive mindset in your small business

Running a small business and baring all its challenges, the dedication to make it work for you can only be fully understood by other small business owners. The world of self-employment, to be truly conquered, needs self-awareness, personal development skills, as well as business related skills too. All successful business owners will agree that your mindset is more than half the campaign.

As a business coach and a practitioner of what I ‘preach’, on a weekly basis, I will follow through with all of the following practices at some point or another: Affirmations, reading, meditation, visualisation, daily accountability, goal setting, positivity and gratitude. It hasn’t always been like this for me; however, since practicing a more positive mindset, the amount of business owners I work with has increased. A direct correlation between the two? I believe so…

Practice is the key to establish which ones work best for you and when. The aim is to incorporate them into your daily routine, in order to make your daily life run more smoothly, feel happier, content and be more successful in what you do and who you reach with your lovely business. Some of the exercises take two minutes or less, some up to 20 minutes. Overall, the most time I would spend in an day would be 30 minutes split across the day. In our busy lives, who hasn’t always got space for two to 30 minutes? Stop surfing Facebook aimlessly and spend that time on increasing your happiness and productivity.

Practices of a business coach:

Here’s a quick rundown of what a business coach would do:

1. Daily accountability:

Before you open your laptop, write down the three most important tasks you want to complete that day, in line with your business goals.

Time required: Two minutes .
Result: Ensures you keep control of your day, not the other way around.

2. Affirmations:

Write down a statement of the big positive thing you want to feel and/or achieve, stating it in the here and now, as if it has already happened e.g.  "I am achieving my goal of...". Place it somewhere prominent and practice daily.

Time Required: Two minutes .
Result: Keeps your mind focused, positive for a more confident and in control you.

3. Reading/audibles:

There are so many amazing, life and business changing books to be read (listened to) and just 10 minutes every day, will have a big enough impact on you to mean habits will be changed for the positive forever.

Time required: 10 minutes.
Result: Endless possibilities.

4. Meditation:

Lots of different ways to practice, from shorts bursts of calm and tranquillity, to hour long focused practices. Find one to suit you and a 10 minute break from your busy life can be all you need to get re-energised, get your creative juices flowing or generally develop the space for calm and peace in your world.

Time Required: 10 minutes.
Result: Energised, calm and focused.

5. Gratitude:

When the chips are down, there are still so many things to be grateful and thankful for. Spending even a short amount of time in the positive thinking, will increase your happiness and will make you more open and aware of opportunities. "I am happy and grateful for...". Some days, this can be a great cup of coffee, other days; an amazing new client with a great business who I can help achieve even more success’.

Time required: Two minutes.
Result: More fulfilment and happiness, open to more opportunities.

So, go and find at least two minutes in your day to focus on making yourself happier and more successful in your business…