Editor's Blog

Al Levi has been helping businesses solve problems, turn greater profits, and help owners get their lives and free time back for over 7 years. This is all based on his 25-year career at his family-owned and operated contracting business. To discover more, visit www.60MinuteRecessionSolution.com.

Positive vs. Negative

August 1, 2010
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Winston Churchill said, “A pessimist is one who makes difficulties of his opportunities and an optimist is one who makes opportunities of his difficulties...”  

In my multiple contacts with all types of contractors, I hear how pessimistic they are. They have adopted a vision of the world where they see the glass as half full. And whatever goes right at work and in their life they tend to discount as a fluke.  

If this pessimistic and negative approach really worked, I’d encourage them to do more. BUT IT DOESN’T!  

Worry and fear are natural occurrences for anyone who’s been in business for awhile, but it, too, doesn’t get you what you want but rather it gets you more of what you don’t want.  

It’s like a magnet where it attracts opposites. The opposite of what they want.  

The trick is to stay optimistic and positive even when things are not going exactly the way you’d like. You really have no other choice for the following 3 reasons:
 
    1.Negativity and pessimism will have a destructive affect on your health. This is not my opinion, but it’s the opinion of the medical community  

    2.Negativity and pessimism is a disease your staff can catch like a bad virus. And who wants to work for someone like that anyway?  

    3.Negativity and pessimism make you less attractive to potential clients because it doesn’t convey confidence or likability.


What must you do?

You need to bombard yourself with positive thinking. The goal is to hear yourself while you’re saying or thinking something negative and challenge yourself to restate it in a positive way.  

Then, choose to surround yourself with positive and optimistic people even if it means joining a group or association.  

Read books and listen to audio from authors who espouse the power of positive thinking and staying optimistic.  

I absolutely believe that what’s wrong with most businesses is the owner. I was an owner, so I, too, was guilty of being the problem with the business. That was until I decided to stop blaming others and accept that I had the power to change myself first and rewire my defective thinking.  

It’s so important that I give a gift to all my Power Partner Clients as Power Partners with the one book I read each day. That book is Dr. Normal Vincent Peale’s Power of Positive Thinking Every Day.  

I read it every day before I begin my day. It improves my mood immediately and helps me get re-centered and regain my perspective. It helps me help others and that’s the most important gift I give myself.

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