Changing your mindset to make the most of the coming business

 

How changing your working mindset can improve performance - Lisa Turner

For most people 2009 did not leave them feeling great or with a positive outlook. But whilst others are thinking merely of surviving it is possible to make the most of any situation, to capitalise on past success, and learn from past mistakes. With the right mindset and strategies, 2010 could be your best year ever.

The right mindset – raise your inner threshold
A recession brings out peoples true nature highlighting both weaknesses, and strengths. Everyone has an inner threshold which determines how much stress that they can manage. When circumstances push you above this threshold you will feel stressed. It can happen suddenly with one small thing triggering you over your threshold and into meltdown.

The more going on in our lives the more stressed we are likely to feel. When the responsibilities and workload associated with all of our roles is added up, the result equals how much stress we are experiencing.

Provided the total of this stress is less than our inner threshold, we will be OK. We’ll feel in control and will be able to keep on top of things. However when the sum total of stressful events tips you above this, you will experience overwhelm.

Signs that you are over your threshold
• Problems concentrating
• Lack of focus and poor sleep
• Not getting things done
• Being clumsy and accident prone
• Inability to relax or switch off.
• Minor illnesses
• Irritability, aggression, angry outbursts
for only small things (e.g. road rage)

What lowers the inner threshold?
• Confused unfocussed thinking
• Negative emotions
• Inner conflict and limiting beliefs
• Poor physical condition

All of these things will clutter up your mind and thinking space. The more mental clutter, the less capacity for creative thinking, problem solving and inspired decision making. Eventually you become unable to focus on important information or current events.

What can you do to raise your threshold?
Heal up emotions from the past. Although in business we don’t normally like to talk about emotions, they do in fact impair our ability to think clearly and make good decisions. Healing up unresolved emotions vastly increases your inner threshold.

Stop the spinning plates. Unfinished projects or tasks take up a lot of memory and blocks thinking space. The back of your mind is constantly thinking about that project, calling that client, sending that e-mail, writing that letter, finishing that report. The solution – Do or delete. Write a list of all the unfinished projects and tasks. Then review the list and make a decision.

Limiting beliefs will stop you taking action that could lead to success. In a recession many people take fewer risks or reduce marketing effort because they have limiting beliefs about what is possible. If you think there is no point calling that client because they won’t want to buy something now, then even if you do “force” yourself to make the call your mental attitude will come over in your voice and language so you will create a self fulfilling prophecy of failure. If you believe the opposite then you will create success. Beliefs are unconscious, so it’s not what you consciously believe that matters; it’s what you unconsciously believe.

Take good physical care of yourself and get regular exercise. The mind and the body affect each other so increasing the health of the body will increase the health of your mind. Exercising has many neurological benefits including reducing stress hormones and increasing production of endorphins and other “happy” hormones.

How to create your best year ever?
Step 1: What did you achieve?
Make a list of all the things that you achieved in the last year. No matter how big or small the achievements are, if you are proud or pleased with them then put them on the list.

Step 2: What did you NOT achieve?
Make another list of all the things you failed to achieve in the last year. What goals or milestones did you set yourself that did not happen? This step won’t be quite so pleasant but is important for step 3.

Step 3: Your personal rules for success
Look at each of the lists and identify the difference that makes the difference. What did you do or not do that caused you to achieve what you did? What did you do, or not do, that caused you to fail to achieve what you didn’t. You are looking for the difference that makes the difference and these will form your personal rules for success. Everyone’s rules will be different but here are some common ones; believe it is possible 100%, stay positive – even in tough times, let go of the “how”, notice opportunities and act on them. Create your personal rules for success. Following them will increase your success.

Step 4: Turn your thinking on its head
If you look around, most people in business don’t experience the kind of success they would like. But if you look at most people, what they seem to do is to look around at other struggling businesses and do exactly the same! Studies show that doing the OPPOSITE and going against the flow leads to long term success.

Go against the traffic, and you will have 3 lanes to yourself.
Just like traffic in rush hour it is always easier to be going the opposite direction to the crowd. Business is just like that, but it takes planning, investment and courage to go against conventional thinking. ●