How can you maintain a proactive mindset? There is a really big difference between starting your business and continuing to run your business. When you start your business, you’re still very naive while also having tons of energy left to pull a few all nighters.
However, when you’ve been at it for a few years, that’s typically when shit hits the fan.
As an experienced entrepreneur, it’s a challenge to maintain a proactive mindset.
You’ll easily slip into a mindset where you think everything should be easy.
But why does this happen?
Stay Hungry To Maintain Your Proactive Mindset
Entrepreneurs need to stay hungry in order to maintain their proactive mindset. When you’ve had a few big wins, it might cloud your focus because you feel as if you’ve “made it”.
But also when you feel your business isn’t going the way you want it to, it might affect your focus.
A few months ago, I felt exactly like this; my mindset was not proactive and I was wondering how to fix it.
I talked to a friend of mine and he advised me to make myself “poor” again.
And that’s where that hungry feeling comes in to keep your proactive mindset going.
When you’re used to having 3 meals a day, you never really feel hungry but when you go months without a decent meal, you’re starving.
And it’s the same for us entrepreneurs; having a steady income every month makes you (too) comfortable.
You lose a bit of the fight in you, therefore it’s crucial to maintain your hunger.
Spoiled Entrepreneurs Don’t Keep Winning
A few months ago, all I could see were problems and I realized I had been spoiled the past few years due to selling successfully.
Now suddenly, the economy is changing and I couldn’t help but fall into a negative mindset. I stumbled into negative behavior such as being too critical and hyper focusing on all the problems surrounding me.
In the back of my mind, I wanted to aim high but simultaneously I was going through the motions. I truly believe in the playing to win mindset but I honestly was playing not to lose and it started to hit me that something felt very off.
At the center of it all was me feeling like I didn’t have to go the extra mile to grow my business — except, I did.
Basically, I was too conceited after years of (easy) success. I had made a couple of million euros: I was done right?
Nope, think again.
Instead of focusing on my problems any further and losing grip on my proactive mindset, I took out a piece of paper and created a list of goals. The topics on that piece of paper were broad and went beyond my business, such as having more quality time with my brothers.
Remember: your goals don’t always have to be professional!
How Do You Shift To A Winning Mindset?
My mindset shift came when I realized two things:
- I accepted that things were not going to get easier. I was just going to get better.
- Focusing on your problems only creates more problems.
And that’s basically the one thing we really want to avoid, right?
The good news is that when you focus on your goals instead, you create results.
So stop getting stuck in the ‘Help, I suck’ mode because it just means you’re focusing too much time and energy on your problems.
You have to take a moment to think and ask yourself: ‘Why am I here? What is my mission?’.
Start focusing on what you want and then not be afraid of the work that it takes to get there.
Trust me when I say that the work it takes to get there is far less exhausting than the self-doubt you’re currently surrounding yourself with.
Go and grab that proactive mindset by the horns!
If you need a little help getting realigned with your goals, I’ve got the perfect workbook for you: my Success Habits Workbook.
If you’re in a slump, it might be time to revisit which things you want to accomplish and what actions will help you get there. This will result in you knowing what to re-prioritize in your days.
I invite you to download it for free in Dutch or English here: fastforwardamy.com/successhabits
Watch this episode on YouTube or listen via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts, and search for episode 181 of The FastForwardAmy Show.
Leave a Reply