Power Through Tough Times: 24 Affirmations for Entrepreneurs
The difference between a successful entrepreneur and an unsuccessful entrepreneur is the ability to power through tough times. Amazing highs and devastating lows are simply part of the equation, but simply knowing that isn’t enough when the lows come around. I founded Imaginovation with my brother-in-law in 2011. We experienced many highs and lows, but we’ve grown to be an award-winning web and mobile development company. We wouldn’t have been able to do it without remaining positive through the tough times. Entrepreneurs need to find tools to help them get through before those tough times come along. If you’ve got a toolkit to encourage you along the way, your chances of getting to that success on the other side are much higher. Affirmations are a fantastic way for entrepreneurs to create that toolkit they need to make it happen. Power Through Tough Times: 24 Affirmations for Entrepreneurs Nothing can stop a man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goals; and nothing on earth can help a man with the wrong mental attitude. - Thomas Jefferson The psychology of personal affirmations Personal affirmations are positive statements that are believed to be truthful and that are said with confidence. Our minds are powerful, and it’s possible to use positive psychology to improve our ability to push through difficult times. Personal statements can go both ways though – they can have a negative impact too. Have you ever had someone say something cutting that demoralized you and caused a major setback? Whether it was a teacher who said you weren’t smart enough or a coach who told you that you couldn’t do it, most of us have been pulled down at some point in our lives by an authority figure. It’s usually a powerful experience. That same power can go the other way, propelling us forward instead of backwards. Using positive personal affirmations puts you in control. Just saying a positive statement isn’t enough, which is why so many people struggle with this kind of activity. Here are four steps to effectively using positive personal affirmations for entrepreneurs. Start with the negative. Make a list of the mindsets that are holding you back so that you can choose a positive affirmation to combat your most problematic thoughts. Say your affirmation multiple times a day. The repetition might feel awkward at first, but it’s the hard work of this process that makes it valuable. Just saying it once isn’t going to do anything. Take three minutes in the morning, three minutes in the middle of the day, and three minutes in the evening to repeat your affirmation over and over again. You can write it down, speak it out loud, or just repeat it in your head. This is the most challenging step, and it’s the one that most people get wrong. Stick with it! Use your body to anchor your affirmation. It’s no secret that your body and your mind are intimately linked. Breathe in as you repeat your affirmation. Sit for a moment and think about where your negativity is in your body, then place your hand on that spot while you do your affirmation exercise every day. Have someone repeat your personal affirmation to you. Humans are social creatures and we can take advantage of that social nature when working with personal affirmations. Find someone like a partner, spouse, friend, or coworker to say your affirmation to you. If there’s no one that you can reach out to, then at least say it to yourself in the mirror or record yourself saying it on your phone and play the video back to trick your brain into thinking that someone else is talking to you. Again, just writing these down once isn’t going to do much of anything. If you read this list and then forget it, you won’t get a bit of benefit. As with anything in life or in entrepreneurship, it takes time and effort to make personal affirmations work. But when they do, they’re an incredible tool for entrepreneurs. 24 affirmations to get entrepreneurs through tough times These 24 affirmations are just here to get you started. You may be inspired to come up with a few of your own! Everything is temporary. Success is temporary. Failure is temporary. I am thankful to others who have helped me. I am thankful to myself. My challenges are real, but I can stay positive through them. I forgive myself for past failures. My success is inevitable if I keep working hard to reach my goals. My ability to achieve within this business is limitless. My passion and my purpose drive me through challenges and towards success. I’m doing what I love and my income is growing every day. Today I’m creating opportunities to grow myself and my business. What I’m doing is making a difference in the world. I am a natural entrepreneur. This is my calling in life. The challenges I face give me energy and purpose. Helping others get what they want is the first step in getting what I want. I love working. It energizes me and brings me focus. The value-generating aspects of my business are where I put my effort. My dreams for my business align with my core values in life. The success that I want is the natural end of the work that I’m doing. The freedom that I gain from running my own business is my biggest reward. My family’s needs are met and more through the work that I’m doing. This business is growing at the right speed for it to become successful. I’m creating value in the world through my business. My energy attracts the customers and clients that I need to be successful. My business makes me stronger and happier. This is my calling in life. Don’t make the mistake of leaving these affirmations as-is. Make them personal! If you’re struggling with a specific major client, insert their name into your affirmation. If you’ve had a financial setback, include that in your statement. The more you mold these affirmations into personal things, the better you’re going to be able benefit from them. Consistent use of positive self-talk is a proven way for people to overcome hurdles. Stick with your personal affirmation, and you’ll find that you can power through just about any entrepreneurial obstacle.
Creativity Hacks for When Your Muse Is on Holiday
Whether you're an entrepreneur, freelancer or employee, maintaining inspiration and creativity is vital for your business and professional growth. Inspiring employees, creating content for clients, and problem-solving are all essential to becoming a successful entrepreneur or professional. Unfortunately, we all have days when it seems that our muse has taken a holiday. Must be nice, right? Entrepreneurs and professionals rarely get a break, so here are a few creativity hacks that help you through those tough times when the creativity just isn’t flowing. Creativity Hacks for When Your Muse Is on Holiday Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration. The rest of us just get up and go to work. - Stephen King Bank your ideas Make the most of the days when inspiration is in good supply and build yourself a bank of ideas. Keep a notepad (physically, or use the app on your smartphone) and write down all the ideas you can, no matter how crazy they might seem. You might find an amazing use for them later, or they could inspire you on a day when you need it. Though this might seem like overkill, trust me that the first time you get stuck and have this bank to fall back on, you’ll be incredibly thankful to your previous self. Connect with people Don’t isolate yourself! Go out and talk to people. When someone asks to explain what you do, or questions you along those lines, you’ll find new ways to get across old ideas. You may also get great ideas as you converse with others. Always listen carefully, and if you hear anything that sparks your interest, write it down. Seek out people that inspire you. They can be mentors, friends you look up to, or anyone who can motivate you from any angle. They might just be the inspiration you need. Be random Ask yourself random questions. Imagine you’re giving an interview on the topic. You’ll soon find loopholes in your answers, which will set you on a path to find out more. This technique can be marvelously effective. You will be amazed at how ideas present themselves as you attempt to answer those questions. The Internet is an incredible place to find random information. Look for anything related to your industry. Check out some YouTube videos. Quora is a great resource too, thanks to the random answers that people give to things. Go down the random rabbit hole of the world wide web, but be careful – going too far down could harm your productivity! Be silly Pop culture is a great source of silliness. Sing some songs. Watch some comedy videos. Listen to a funny podcast. Let your brain have a break and allow your creativity to run away with you. Doodle! Put on a crazy hat. Turn your coat around backwards. Do a headstand. At our company, we like to get silly on our Facebook Live broadcasts. Not only is it great for camaraderie and creativity, we also get to share our personalities with our followers! Find inspiration Watch a TED Talk or an old presidential debate, or seek out the amazing ideas that can be captured in scripts by paying attention to all the story-telling and conversations on TV. Whatever gets your creative juices flowing! Visit Instagram, Pinterest or your favorite blog. Always read the comments when you read an article, wherever it may be. The comments section is a highly fertile ground for ideas! Tweet to your own followers and ask them what they would like to read about, or invite them to share their most-pressing challenges. Read about other people’s problems and the prescribed solutions, even when it’s not related to your field. Read inspirational websites and books that spark your creativity. Jump on trends Browse the latest news and share your thoughts on a trending topic. Don’t be afraid to sound opinionated! Write about a trending topic, even if it’s not related to your line of work. Write about reality TV, or the latest iPhone rumors. It can really get the brain going! Word association Carry out word- or topic-associated exercises -- it might spark an idea or two. Stimulating random words is one powerful way of accessing your subconscious and revealing the wealth of ideas contained within it. Continuously practicing this kind of association will enhance your thinking skills by strengthening your connection with your subconscious and improving your creativity. Use online tools Try using content creation tools like Buzzsumo, Brainsparker, Hubspot, etc. They can provide you with ready-made content ideas. Sometimes, all you need to regain some creative momentum is a dose of inspiration. With these ideas and topics you can easily know where to start. Take a break When nothing works, give yourself a break. Take a walk. Spend some time in your favorite coffee shop. If you can, maybe take a day or two off. Taking some days off might really be what you need after all. Burnout is a real danger, and at the end of the day, you must take care of yourself. Your business depends on it! How do you handle those tough days when you feel like you have no inspiration? Have you tried any of the creativity hacks here? We’d love to hear your story!