Many people don't realize or understand how important mindset really is when it comes to success. The reality is that it's so much more important than all of the how-to strategies there are. If you don't have a positive attitude and you don't have good self-esteem, then it's very, very difficult (if not impossible) to achieve your goals.
Mindset is one of those things that can make or break you in business. If you find yourself procrastinating, feeling less than adequate, and constantly starting and stopping when it comes to achieving your goals, then it's highly likely that you have a problem with attitude and self-esteem.
I've worked with many people who have been struggling with this for years. There's no shame in it and you're certainly not alone. The important thing is that you do recognize it and take steps to fix things.
The fact is that you can do things to improve your self-esteem and your attitude. You can do things, starting today, that will dramatically improve your ability to work. And that’s something important right there… ABILITY. You're not lazy, that's not why you're not getting things done like you want to. Your mindset literally won’t allow you to work at full capacity.
Your mindset might be holding you back. It might be mentally impossible for you to move forward and do the things you need and want to do. The thing is, when you improve your mindset, when you improve your self-esteem, and when you improve your attitude, you can see dramatic, life altering changes. Suddenly, success doesn't seem like this impossible mountain to climb – it seems inevitable. And that's what you deserve because you do work hard.
It's important to evaluate your current mindset and the state of your self-esteem. Just be honest with yourself – there's no one here judging you.
You have to figure out how much your mindset is holding you back. Consider whether you truly believe in yourself and your abilities. Consider whether you have a positive attitude about work each day.
It's okay if you don't quite yet, because you do want to fix things right now. And maybe you just need a little bit of a tweak because you’re sort of doing okay. Or, maybe you need a huge tweak and a lot of help. The important thing is to recognize where you're falling short and what you can do to improve.
What Is Self-Esteem?
Before we go any further, let's talk about what self-esteem is.
Self-esteem is the way you feel about yourself. You might have a positive self-image or a negative self-image. If you're like many people, then how you feel changes depending on the hour or even the minute.
But, how do you feel about yourself overall? You know you're a good person, but do you also feel like you're a bit of a failure in life or business? You’re not. I know that for a fact because you wouldn't be reading this right now if you were. You’re a go-getter who’s willing to stop at nothing to improve.
When you think about self-esteem, also consider things like how you feel about your past. Maybe you’re fed up with yourself because you’ve struggled so much in the past. Maybe you feel like you should have accomplished your goals years ago.
You have to know that the past is in your past. It’s part of your history and it’s part of what’s brought you here today. Whatever has happened in the past, it's part of what's going to make you great in the future.
Consider the way you feel about your business. Do you feel powerful and like you can accomplish anything you need and want to in business? If you do, then that’s a sign of a healthy self-image. If you don't, then that’s something you will need to work on.
Consider the way you feel about your abilities. Maybe you think you just can't hack it. Maybe you feel like you don’t have the skills and talents you need or you don't know how to use them in the right way.
Consider the way you feel about your future. When you think about your chances of success in the future, are your thoughts positive or negative? How you feel about this can tell you a lot about your self-esteem and how you actually feel about your ability to get things done.
What Is Attitude?
Self-esteem closely relates with attitude, of course. Your attitude exists on a spectrum with positive on one end and negative on the other end. Do you think you have a mostly positive or a mostly negative attitude?
If you have a mostly negative attitude and you’re really struggling with your business day-to-day, it's no wonder. Having a negative attitude can really hold you back. It's mentally impossible to work really well if you're constantly thinking about the things that are going wrong and if you're sure that things will always go wrong.
It’s time to look to the positive. Some people are naturally better able to do this than others. It is something that can be learned. You can keep a daily gratitude journal, for instance. And every time you notice yourself having a negative thought, you can do whatever you can to turn it into a positive thought.
You can also think of this in terms of scarcity or abundance. Do you feel like there's more than enough money and success out there for you and that it's inevitable that you'll grab those things? If so, then you have an abundance mindset – a positive attitude.
If you feel like there's never enough to go around and that you will never succeed, never be high earning, and never reach your dreams, then you probably have a scarcity mindset. That's a negative attitude and it's dragging you down.
The bottom line is, do you think you will ever succeed? Do you have a positive attitude for both the short and long-term? Do you think you will achieve your dreams or not?
I want you to know that you absolutely can achieve—think positively and think abundantly.
Boost Your Self-Esteem
It’s time to boost your self-esteem so you’ll have the ability to be more productive and successful. One of the best ways to do this, especially if you’ve been in a long-term slump, is to give yourself a chance to have small successes.
This is something I talk about in my 5 Bucks a Day book. Start off with small projects you can complete and start earning with. Follow through to completion. Pat yourself on the back once you’ve started earning with one of your small projects. Snowball your success from there.
You can gradually move your goals up, up, up. As you do this, your self-esteem should improve all the while. Celebrate yourself—you deserve it.
If you need to, make a list of the skills you have and the skills you need to acquire. It’s simply a matter of studying and practicing. You can learn and achieve whatever you want to put your mind to.
The people you think are “overnight successes” aren't actually… they’ve just worked on the skills and took the action they needed to get there. They also focused on the things they really enjoyed, or were good at, and could earn money with. If you focus on passion projects that are also high earning, you can't help but have a higher self-esteem and motivation.
It's time to focus your attitude as well, so that's what we'll talk about next.
Change Your Attitude
It's hard to forget the past and forgive yourself. If you're constantly dwelling on the mistakes you’ve made in the past and the fact that you aren’t where you thought you'd be, then of course you’ll tend to have a negative, self-defeating attitude.
That ends today. Instead of having a negative attitude, develop an attitude of gratitude. I recommend you keep a gratitude journal. Every day, write about the things you’re appreciative of and feel are good in your life.
You can write about things in your life or business or both. Realize that there are awesome things happening in your life. And the more appreciative you are and the more you notice the positive things in your life, the more positive things you’ll attract to your life.
They say that if you smile even when you're feeling down, you'll eventually start to feel happy anyway. It’s the same thing when it comes to feeling gratitude in an effort to change your attitude. This is something you can focus on to stay on track.
It’s worth considering that maybe you have a negative attitude because you're so overwhelmed. It might be time to simplify. Focus on things you enjoy and that naturally put you in a good mood and attitude.
You’re In Control
Know that you are in control of your life. Only you can change your mindset, self-esteem, and attitude for the better.
I know that you're ready for major changes. I know that you're ready for a mindset shift.
Really do some soul-searching. Journal about the things we've talked about today. I think it will really help you, in the short and long term.
This is something you can get started with today. Start your gratitude journal today. Start brainstorming what's dragging you down today. Start simplifying today.
Start paying attention to what's really important, what you really love, and what's going to help you achieve your goals – monetary and otherwise. You can live whatever kind of life it is that you want to live. Believe in yourself, celebrate yourself, and grab hold of your dreams.