Remember the feelings of excitement and eagerness you had when you started your business? How energizing it felt to create something from nothing? What happened to those feelings? You no longer feel that way because instead of thinking about the future with enthusiasm, you’re thinking about the problems you face right now. Your brain is telling you to go back into the cave and retreat to safety. That is not what you were made for. You’re an entrepreneur. You create value with your mind and shape reality for everyone else.
I’m not sure my business will survive. I don’t know how I’m going to pay my staff. I can’t even market or sell my services in this situation.
These thoughts are normal, but they’re not helping you.
If you don’t give it a job to do, your brain will default to providing a steady stream of thoughts about what is already wrong or what could go wrong soon. And right now, it’s having a field day. You’re being bombarded with real-life drama and bad news. If you allow your thoughts to run on autopilot, your unsupervised brain will create thoughts that lead to doubt and anxiety. Instead, recruit your prefrontal cortex, the more advanced part of your brain, to choose your thoughts on purpose.
Regain your sense of purpose and commitment by focusing on the future and what value you want to create instead of what could go wrong.
Choose your thoughts on purpose.
You can completely change how you feel about your business by making it a practice to write your thoughts down and decide on purpose whether you want to think them. Do this quick process several times a day. The reason it’s important to write your thoughts down is so that you can take them out of your head. When you see them in black and white, it’s easier to look at them objectively and notice how they make you feel.
Once you identify the feelings your thoughts create, you can decide on purpose if you want to feel that way. Your feelings provide the fuel for your actions, so consider the likely outcome of actions you take from the feelings you are having.
If you see that your current thoughts and feelings will lead to results you don’t want, then pivot and ask yourself a question that starts with “How can I (achieve the result I want)?” For example: How can I add value? How can I pivot? How can I take what we are learning and build a stronger company?
Force your brain to answer these types of “how can I” questions because they are designed to move you toward the results you want. The answer becomes the new thought you intentionally practice thinking until it becomes a habit.
Decide to think thoughts like these: I’ve done difficult things before. There will be incredible opportunities for my business in the future. Right now, I have more time to make my business stronger.
Put your brain to work for you.
When you put your brain to work for you and focus on how you can add value, you’ll feel better because you’re focusing on creating a positive future. After all, you’re an entrepreneur. This is what you were made for.