Do you often feel overwhelmed & stressed trying to achieve your goals?
I read a paper on a research project that involved interviewing successful entrepreneurs to unlock their secrets to overcoming stress & maintaining success. I summarized it for you and added my thoughts!
The first major finding:
Having a positive mindset is fundamental for success.
This means being optimistic and expecting favorable outcomes even in the face of adversity.
I’m one of the people who have been made to feel naive or even stupid for being optimistic. My positivity was mislabeled as “delusional optimism” or “la la land” and to be honest for a second there I doubted myself. Am I delusional? Am I in Lala land?
Then I realized it’s a lot harder to be optimistic than it is not to be. It takes a lot of mental effort and faith to remain optimistic despite hardships. I am not delusional nor am I in naive, I choose to be happy.
I also realized people who stigmatize optimism with labels like “naive” are the ones who are looking for reasons to validate their own negativity and pessimistic behavior. Read that again.
Maintaining a positive mindset takes commitment, but it’s a rewarding one. Studies show successful people are successful due to their optimism. Optimism enables them to spot and leverage opportunities. It also helps them persevere and build resilience.
The happiest people are those who make the best out of everything; they are flexible and present in moments.
In the study, actionable things like positive self-talk made a huuuge difference in the participants. So dear reader, please speak to yourself kindly.
One of the techniques I use to divert negative self-talk, we are all mean to ourselves sometimes, is I ask myself if it was someone else who did this or thought this or is having this conversation with me would I look at them that way? Would I say this to them? and often the answer is always never. So why do we have the capacity to be so understanding and forgiving with others but not ourselves?
The second major finding:
Support systems are invaluable.
Support systems are invaluable.
The participants concurred that entrepreneurship, just like many endeavors in life, can be very lonely and unhealthy at times. Having a support system is really important to maintaining their well-being.
Support systems come in all shapes and forms. It could be an unjudgmental friend, a teacher who believes in you, or even a pet. In the study, the most common support systems mentioned include having a therapist, mentors, and a network of like-minded people.
Sometimes it does take a village, especially if what you're trying to do is really hard. Even if it’s “objectively” not hard, maybe it’s really hard for you and that’s okay. Ask for help, because most people evaluate difficulty differently and don’t even know you're struggling so advocate for yourself.
The third major finding is:
Therapeutic lifestyle changes are a must.
“Therapeutic lifestyle changes are a vital component of self-care, empowering individuals to take a holistic approach to life and business including mentally, physically, and spiritually.”
Basically, it’s the things you do to take care of yourself: mind body soul & everything in between.
It could be committing to a 45-minute workout 5 times a week or baking (by the way baking has been scientifically proven to be therapeutic google it).
For me, I have found so much comfort in investing time into my spirituality and truly understanding my religion. Learning your religion as an adult is a completely different experience than learning at school as a kid.
Also, investing time & effort in looking good physically makes a huge difference for me. I find a good hair day and an outfit that slaps to be extremely therapeutic, idc if you judge it. Try it, when you look good *to yourself* you feel good.
I also work out for my mental health way more than my physical health, even though both are benefiting greatly.
In the study having a morning routine that involves exercise and no screen time was found to be very effective.
So Basically:
If you want to be successful in an entrepreneurial sense and still have elevated well-being:
1- Be Positive
2- Find your people &/or a good therapist.
3- Engage in self-care!
What have you found to be the most effective in maintaining good well-being?
Source: Entrepreneurial Mental Well-Being: Strategies for Positive Business Outcomes Shanna A. Jefferson.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=16547&context=dissertations
