In the journey through life and entrepreneurship, we face a great many challenges. Each day we are fraught with doubt and uncertainty. Are we doing the right thing? Are we on the right path? Are we focused on the right task? Sometimes it’s impossible to know. Sometimes we have to move forward without knowing all the answers.
When we are filled with these questions, it’s crucial to accept your circumstances and not be overwhelmed by all the challenges you face.
You must know this is happening to you because, and only because, you have believed one event has determined your short or long-term destiny. Your mind has bought a story and is now writing chapters that are bringing you down.
Self-awareness is key at this stage and often is brought in by a lot of practice, however, the strong nature of the mind cannot be underestimated and can pull us down deep before we can react.
So what should every entrepreneur do at this stage?
- Have an accountability partner
Have somebody in your life who keeps tabs on you and has the guts to call it how it is, without worrying about your feelings. Someone who sit you down and gives you the truth about you as a person when they see you sliding, whether it hurts or not.
This could be a family member, your wife, best friend, a colleague or just somebody from your local meet up or Facebook group. Someone who you meet with regularly and who chooses to keep you accountable.
- Pay for events ahead of time and commit to your community that you will be going
I’ve noticed patterns in life and work that bring me up and down. But disciplined success is when you do whatever needs to be done, regardless of you wanting to do it at that time or not. When I know my discipline is weak, especially in the winters, I feel slower and my motivation suffers. I find it takes twice as long to do simple tasks.
I need to stay mentally strong during this time. I force myself to keep going by booking hotels and flight. By making commitments to a bunch of fellow hustlers that we will go for an event.
Once you step out of your current mindset and meet people at the event or conference, the energy of everybody around you lifts you back up and allow you to regain your mental strength. It’s just forced plonking yourself in the company of good people.
- Help somebody help you
We are all mirrors. We see ourselves through others and in others also we are part of the ecosystem we live in. If you go through periods of lull, you may be able to identify others going through this patch as well. Helping them lift their spirits and take their lives to the next level will, in turn, rubs of such beautiful feelings onto yourself that allows you to say: “I made somebody feel good.” And that helps you feel mentally strong again.
- Pick up your phone and insert positive alarms
I have 7 alarms/notifications go off every day and a separate one for Saturday, Sunday and Monday. These alarms help me remind myself to stay positive, this is temporary, it’s happening, stay the in course and many more.
- Talk to yourself like you would to a child
Reprimand yourself? Really! Yes, to sit yourself down in front of the mirror is a ritual practiced by actors, athletes and decision makers at all levels.
Sounds crazy? Sure it is, but then isn’t everything that involves our mind? Pick yourself up by talking to yourself. It helps to write a note you can read out loud in front of the mirror a few times. The first time you may feel silly and the exercise may seem a bit pointless, but repeating this a few times aloud wakes you up from the deep slumber you automatically fall into without knowing.
Try saying something like this to yourself: “Avi dude what the f***, you have come this far, and the news is you are only giving up on yourself. Let’s be best friends and take this to the next level.”
Encourage and love yourself!
Self-talk reminds me every day of what’s important. It’s a message from myself to me so I feel unstoppable.
I also like reading at times when I may be down. When I do this, I’m immediately redirected to the thoughts and feelings I had when I write my positive affirmations, and immediately I’m pulled out of my negative zone.
To constantly stay mentally strong all the time may not be possible, but these rituals have helped me get back on the saddle and race my horse through life and work.
- Lose 3 kgs, read a book or take a master class – whatever you want! Set Your Sights.
There is nothing more powerful to bring back your confidence and be mentally stronger than to set small goals and achieve them. And bam! You get that feeling that you can do it all if you got through this. When you achieve your goals, you slowly come back, build stronger mental muscles, and become ready to take on the world again.
The most important thing to remember is that, patterns will emerge, you will go up and down. That’s normal, but to stay mentally strong through more situations in life gives you a net positive score; where you will find yourself being more positive in situations and not see the good and bad as separate. You will then focus only on what needs to be done!
Till we connect again, Keep marching…!
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