How to Stay in Business

Hello again,

It’s Terri!  Happy Monday.  To start this week off on a positive note, here’s our very positive blog.   Our blog is focused mainly on business and there is always more to a business than simply being a business.  For anybody starting their own business, there is something just as important as the bottom line and that is your personal well-being.  You have to nurture yourself as much as your business.  Here’s what I’ve done to keep going the past 20 years.

Perseverance

No doesn’t mean no.  Find the strength in yourself everyday to keep on pushing forward.  There will be many obstacles, but as long as you do not let it bog you down, you can succeed.  Oprah Winfrey was a born into an impoverished family, but through the encouragement of her father and grandmother, she found her way.  Many doors may not be open to you at the moment, but just keep pushing yourself because you just never know what’s around the corner!

Realistic Goals

I didn’t get into this business because I thought it would make me a millionaire.  What it has done is provide me with the flexibility and the empowerment I needed to live a happy life.  I have a positive outlook on life, but I am also very realistic about where this positivity can take me.  Simply staying positive won’t get you where you need to go.  The New York Times had a great article illustrating having only a positive mindset “hindered people from realizing their dreams.” ¹  It’s actually best to maintain a positive outlook and plan realistic goals.

Self Image

Knowing your own capabilities and using each day as a learning experience will help your self image.  No matter what people may say about you, it matters most that you nurture yourself.  A perfect example of this is Hyundai's chairwoman, Jeong-Eun Hyun.  She was thought of simply as a housewife until her husband (then chairman of Hyundai group) commited suicide in 2003.  To quote her, "Never give up and always nurture your self-esteem.  It is your biggest source of power."

1.  Oettingen, Gabrielle. (Oct 24, 2014).  The Problem With Positive Thinking.  New York Times.  Retried from  http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/26/opinion/sunday/the-problem-with-positive-thinking.html?_r=0