I recently had the pleasure of going to lunch with my good friend, Mary,* whom I had not seen in a while. Like many of us these days (or at least someone close to us), the economy has been tough for her, but despite that, she was remarkably upbeat and positive. In fact, Mary told me that she and another friend, tired of seeing their businesses dwindle, had just decided to start another business together.
One good thing about this recession-depression-expression of economic/career frustration or whatever you want to call it has been the wide-scale rebirth of the entrepreneurial spirit.
Not that it is easy to keep a positive thought 24/7! It is human nature for all of us to visit “Woe-ville” at one time or another - regardless of the economic climate – but it is especially tempting to take that trip during tough times. Besides, Woe-ville is the perfect place to have that “Personal Pity Party” we all like to have at one time or another, though it is often hard to get friends to meet you there!
If you need permission to go, I will give it to you with one big condition: when you get to Woe-ville, CHOOSE “Short-term Parking” – DO NOT choose to park in the long term lot, requiring you to wait for the shuttle to come along to take you back!
The truth is – you do not choose all of the circumstances in your life, but you do CHOOSE your attitude in reacting to those circumstances.
One big component in keeping your attitude positive is to associate yourself and your mind to positive people and information. Do your level best to remove negative people and thoughts from your life. Take some time to write a “resume” listing all of your talents and strengths and use it to apply for the job of being your own best friend! Once you have listed out your talents and interests, use that information to find networking groups of like-minded positive people who will encourage you to seek bigger and bigger goals, including entrepreneurial opportunities within the areas of your interests. Thanks to the Internet and groups like Meetup.com you can find hundreds of networking groups in almost every region for every interest under the sun.
I have always found it amazing that when we are young, our elders constantly bombard us with the importance of not putting “all of our eggs in one basket,” while at the same time asking us who we want to work for when we grow up. Talk about the ultimate “all your eggs in one basket!”
This is the perfect time and the perfect economy to set up a table full of baskets and see which ones contain the majority of your interests. And don’t be self-less – keep at least two baskets going at all times!!!!
*name has been changed
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