Life as a small business owner can be tough. Owning a local business can be stressful. It can sometimes not feel like it’s doing for you what you wanted it to do. Maybe you just have a mental block about your business in general.
But some days the stars align. I actually believe God is gracious and just showers me with His undeserved Grace a bit more on these “good days.” But the bottom line is – they do happen occasionally – and I wanted to let you know how to recognize the entrepreneurial “good days” and enjoy them.
GOOD ISN’T PERFECT
First off – you have to come to grips with the fact that perfection doesn’t exist. Life and work are not going to peacefully co-exist, and we’re talking about “good days” here – not perfect days.
That means that while some loose ends or underlying currents of strife or stress might be there – it’s important to not allow those to overshadow the blessings and positives. A critical element to business success is the ability to be thankful – and thankfulness flows out of a positive attitude – one that recognizes tiny blessings and is able to pause, soak them up and then show appreciation where appropriate.
SEEING THE GOOD
I think this is most easily explained by an example.
Today was a good day for me. In the past 24 hours, not one – but FOUR of our private advisory clients (and there aren’t but 10 of them at any given time) have called or e-mailed not simply to compliment or thank us for our work – but to RAVE about the results they’re getting in their businesses. They took the time to stop what they were doing and give us specific, positive feedback at no urging of our own. Completely random accolades.
Now this may seem over the top as an example – but I didn’t talk to all of these clients. Andy talked to two of them, and two of them e-mailed enthusiastic and specific, but very brief e-mails. In my distracted, busy and otherwise cluttered life, I could have entirely missed the magnitude of these blessings – and missed gaining the benefits of a “good day.” Thank God I didn’t, because they were blessings. And I like blessings.
There are plenty of icky things going on in my life – but when “good days” happen – or even good moments – have your eyes wide open to see them.
USING THE GOOD
When you see good in your day, don’t waste it. Here’s what I recommend:
1. Take a moment – or an hour – to pause and soak it in. It’s okay to reward yourself a bit. Take a deep breath, smile, laugh, allow yourself an extra long lunch or a day off in reward. Use this “good” as a stress reducer – reduced stress is good for your body and your spirit and will give you the stamina to keep going!
2. Reflect that good just came into your day – a blessing.
3. Blessings deserve a thankful attitude; pass on the “goodness” of a thankful attitude to someone else or many other people as appropriate.
4. Use this good as a milestone that motivates and inspires you to keep going in your work. When things aren’t so good – reach back in your mind to this moment and be motivated and inspired by it many times over.
5. Learn from it. What did you do to get this “good” result? If you can pinpoint it – maybe you can replicate it to create more “good days” in your business.
What about you? What “good days” or “good moments” have you had in your business or life lately? Share the goodness.
Photo Credit: Ev0luti0nary
