Have you ever heard the saying, “If you think you can, you probably can, and if you think you can’t you are probably right”? It’s not just a catchy little rhyme and you should seriously think about what it is saying. We really can limit ourselves when we believe that we can’t do something, we don’t know enough, we can’t afford it, we don’t have time, or that we always fail. After all why even try if we already (think) we know that we can’t do it? So we won’t; or we will quit trying.
On the other side of the same coin, if we really believe that we can do something – even if we don’t know how – we become determined to do just what we really want to do. When we encounter obstacles they won’t become a permanent barrier, but merely some detail that needs to be resolved. Depending on how important the issue is to us we will take various steps to arrive at the conclusion we want and believe we can arrive at.
Being human we are fallible and even vulnerable; therefore we must do everything we can to ‘shore up’ our defenses. Often times the worst enemy or problem we have is our own mind. Just as we need to eat nutritious food and get plenty of exercise, rest and relaxation to keep our immune systems strong, we also need to ‘feed’ our minds and spirits to keep them strong.
Keeping our minds and spirits in top shape may require constant exercise if you have either in the past been in an environment that was not supportive and affirming, or you have had ‘bad luck’ and tough breaks, then you particularly need to convince yourself that you can and will do whatever it is you set out to do.
Some of the greatest, most compelling success stories start out with a tragic past or what to some would seem to be insurmountable odds. It is almost as if the harder someone has to push uphill, the stronger they become in spirit, versus those that always had it easy and may become complacent.
How does this apply to a home business start-up? It won’t be easy. There will be some obstacles. You will have to work hard, maybe without seeing results at first. Your people will express doubt. You will hear about all the horror stories and while what you are hearing may or may not be true, you do need to be sensible and do your ‘homework’. There are also a number of successful home business entrepreneurs who are average people just like you.
However, you have to realize that what has happened to someone else either bad or good, does not necessarily mean it is relevant to you and your individual situation. With that said, it will help if you can envision yourself as one of the people who do succeed, rather than to identify with the ones who didn’t, for obvious reasons.
The answer? Start talking to yourself – all the time. Enumerate the various things you have done where you succeeded, the things you are proud of, your various accomplishments, no matter how small. When you hear the evil voices telling you that you will fail or you can’t, just actively replace those thoughts with good ones. If not what you are proud of, then think about things that you like – situations and things that make you happy – foods, music, places, smells, sights and people, and imagine yourself in their presence having a great time. Yes you can.
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