Maintaining a positive attitude isn't the easiest thing to do, and I should know. If you could rewind the clock back six or seven years ago, you'd have met a very different me, one that felt the effects of every little fluctuation in business. A customer cancellation, system interruption or disgruntled employee would leave me wracked with negative thoughts.
As time has passed, I've learned to reset my way of thinking and look on the brighter side of life--inside and outside of the office. Willie Nelson once said, "Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you'll start having positive results." He is absolutely correct. I believe that businesspersons can maintain positive attitudes every day if they just follow my three simple secrets.
Secret #1: Believe in your people
Entrepreneurs are notorious for wanting to control every situation, down to the smallest business decision. In a growing company, this is simply impossible. I've learned that it is not feasible to be everywhere at once and it pays to have faith in your team. Try to cultivate a deep belief that you hired the right team of people to help carry your company to the next level and that--even in a crisis--your business will come out OK.
Secret #2: Keep perspective
Nextiva is a business cloud communications company; if our service experiences an interruption (this hardly ever happens), it can seem like the sky is falling. In these instances, it is really important to keep perspective. My company may be important to me, but I need to realize that a blip in service will not lose lives. The same goes with most other companies.
Remember that while your business may be the most top-of-mind thought for you, there are other things going on in the world. Breathe. Others have jobs that may make it more difficult to stay positive all the time. For example, at least you aren't leading a country into war. It might be challenging to find the positive in that situation.
Secret #3: Stay healthy
In stressful circumstances, it can be easy to develop excessive eating habits or forget to exercise. I guard against this. A healthy body creates a healthy mind. The next time you find yourself heading to the vending machine for a soda, try turning around and drinking a glass of water instead. Or a cup of tea--my personal favorite of the moment is green tea from YAMAMOTOYAMA. Great stuff.
Think twice before ordering pizza for lunch; calling a salad place for delivery can take the same amount of time and will result in fewer calories. And try to sweat a few times a week. The Nextiva team is in the process of preparing for the P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll 1/2 Marathon in Phoenix. Training is fun and it has helped all of us maintain positive attitudes every day.