POSITIVE THINKING
How to banish negativity from your business
By Clayton Ainger
Negativity features in all of our lives from time to time. While negativity can often appear innately undesirable or detrimental, it is our reactions to our negativity which can result in adverse consequences.
Treating negativity as an objectively bad thing can result in you dismissing its value. Negativity, which originates from the evo- lutionary fight, flight or freeze response, is designed to keep us safe. Sometimes responses which keep us safe, which aim to avoid negativity entirely, can result in our failing to take advantage of an opportunity to progress and develop ourselves as people.
Instead of dismissing or ignoring negativity, observing your nega- tive thoughts, feelings, behaviours and self-talk and then accepting them as motivation for change can transmute them into fuel for success. Giving negativity presence and consideration allows for clarity of thought, bringing you from negativity into a neutral state. From this neutral state, you can properly evaluate the path forward with clarity, finding solutions on ways to improve your life, furthering your goals and enhancing your business perfor- mance.
When I detect negativity in myself, I use the ‘WIN’ technique to calm my mind, focus motivation and intent and give myself a real sense of my own value:
W: Walk and Breathe: Controlling your breathing helps you to calm down, giving a clearer outlook on the situation. I walk in a figure-eight; when I cross my path in the middle, it allows both sides of my brain to connect, helping to achieve balance between the left and right hemispheres; creativity and logic; the heart and the mind becoming aligned.
I: Intention: Focusing on your intention in any situation is a critical part of grounding yourself, conducting your actions in a man- ner which aligns properly with your goals. I spend a lot of time front-of-room speaking, engaging with senior leaders in business, working with customers from all walks of life and before I speak or act I always think clearly about my intention and ask myself how can I serve this person or audience, so that I meet their needs at the highest level. Focusing on the outcome I want to deliver with them and for them.
N: Nail it: When you succeed, celebrate! Being aware of and celebrating your achievements helps you to get a sense of your real value. If you undervalue yourself, others will do the same. By contrast, if you place a higher value on yourself and your achieve- ments, your clients will feel that same sense of value.
Your own sense of your value is a crucial element in achieving a successful, positivity-focused business. The amount a customer spends with you is directly linked to how much they trust you. If you don’t value yourself, you don’t trust yourself and customers’ will see it, feel it and sense it too. Negative outlook businesses
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often give fear driven steep discounts which can lead to a negative assessment of value. Others will value you more if you charge what you’re worth.
Valuing yourself and charging what you’re worth can require a mind- set shift; it demands that you gain clarity on the output and outcomes that you’re delivering. Seek to quantify the return on investment you provide. When you see the value that you’re delivering, you’ll start to realize just how good you really are!
Once you see all the justification for your positive evaluation of yourself in one aspect of your life, you’ll find that you come to value yourself more in other areas as well. Clients will experience this same positivity; it is said you are your brand, therefore respecting and valu- ing yourself, understanding that you are deserving of this respect and value, will gives others confidence to do so as well.
Always embrace possibilities and keep an open mind. You never know where you might find the next big client, the next perfect acquisition… Focusing on what you know as opposed to what you believe allows you to focus on the now, to make reliable assessments of situations based on solid, grounding facts. Going beyond what you know, into the realm of the unknown, and embracing it allows you to get excited about possibilities and uncertainties. This is where the magic hap- pens!
Finally, be mindful that your thoughts shape your life experiences, and your experiences shape your character, and your character the outcomes you experience in life and in business. From a place of neg- ativity, we can create chaos… from a place of positivity, of self-under- standing, we can create solutions. First comes the thought, but before the thought can come negativity. Acknowledging and responding properly to negativity – understanding it as an opportunity for change and using it as a route to greatness – is the best way to banish negativi- ty from your business, allowing your true value to flourish.
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