Developing a Positive Mindset as an Entrepreneur

Having the right mindset is a key to being successful as an entrepreneur. It affects the way you look and react to the world. Because of this, it is very important that you develop a positive, growth mindset.

What is a mindset?

Your mindset is the way you think about things.When something bad happens, do you get upset and angry or do you try to fix it? Over time, these thoughts and feelings develop into thought habits. When something happens, you automatically think and feel a certain way about it. These thought habits can become very ingrained in ourselves. They are based on what kind of mindset you have.

Your mindset is partially subconscious. You don’t necessarily choose how you initially react to an event. But, your mindset can also be affected by what you consciously do. Over time, you can mold your mindset and therefore choose how you will react to different events.

Mindset affects your life everyday

Our brains listen to what we tell them repeatedly. Your brain learns what you tell it. If your brain hears certain information over and over it analyzes it and believes it to be true. This can lead to your brain making quick decisions based on what it has been repeatedly told to do.

For example, if you repeatedly act in a negative way when you don’t do well on a work project, your brain learns that’s how it should react. On the other hand, if you don’t do well and mentally frame it as a way to improve, your brain will look at it as a challenge and work harder next time.

This can affect every part of your work and personal life. Having negative things happen is part of everyone’s life. Your mindset will affect how you treat others when something bad happens. If you have a negative mindset, you may project this onto your loved ones and treat them badly. In the same way if you have a difficult time with a work project, but have a positive mindset, you are more likely to simply strive harder next time.

Benefits of a positive mindset

Because it pervades every part of our lives, having a positive mindset can lead to many positive benefits.

A positive mindset builds resilience. It makes challenges and failures easier to handle. You’re more likely to bounce back and keep working. This is critical as an entrepreneur. Not everything is going to go your way. You’ll face rejection and occasionally failure. Having that positive mindset is key to helping you keep moving forward.

It also helps build higher self-esteem. People with higher self-esteem are more likely to succeed in their work and personal life. They are more likely to pursue challenges and believe they can reach their goals. Finding ways to increase your self-esteem is especially important if you are a female entrepreneur. Females tend to have lower self-confidence, sometimes preventing them from going after what they want. Focusing on a positive mindset can help you build that self-esteem and confidence to go for it.

Growth mindset

Similarly to a positive mindset, you should also develop a growth mindset. This mindset helps you to embrace challenges and being uncomfortable. As a result, you’ll be more likely to take calculated risks. This can possibly lead you to more rewards, as being out of your comfort zone opens you up to more possibilities.

Having a growth mindset is especially important for an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is itself risky and uncomfortable. You need to be willing to push your boundaries in order to reach your goals.

How do you change your mindset?

Changing your mindset is possible. It takes time, but the process is very rewarding. This process involves changing what you tell your mind when different things occur.

One of the best ways to develop a positive mindset is to begin looking at the positives in things that happen. Instead of focusing on the bad, look at ways you can overcome challenges and continue forward. This doesn’t mean everything has to be sunshine and roses. You can still be practical and thoughtful when challenges occur. But, it does mean you’ll find ways to deal with what’s happening instead of just wallowing in unhappiness.

Developing a growth mindset is similar; it takes some work, but is possible. The best way to build a growth mindset is to purposely push yourself out of your comfort zone. Go after things you might not otherwise be comfortable with. Take calculated risks. If you make a plan to succeed in these challenges, you can. And going after those challenges will open your mind to the possibility that it can grow and try new things.