Presented by BetterHelp.
When you’re working to build up your startup and create a successful business, it’s important to have a balanced mindset. This means juggling positive thoughts, realistic goals, and negative views in order to view a situation from all angles.
There are a number of reasons why startups fail and most of them boil down to not having the right mindset, entrusting the wrong people, or misjudging an outcome. In order to ensure you’re covering all of your bases and looking at the right information, you’ll need to learn how to look at the best interests of your company while also considering the flaws or mistakes that come from these decisions.
Optimism VS Pessimism
Optimistic and pessimistic thinking is often considered two ends of a spectrum. Optimism is having a positive outlook and thinking of potential benefits. Pessimism, on the other hand, is a negative thought process that focuses on the possible mistakes or failures that can come from a situation.
While they are opposites, it’s important to remember that they’re both useful for running a successful business. There are no good days without bad days and there’s no error without a beneficial learning experience behind it.
What many startup entrepreneurs fail to understand is that it takes both of these mindsets to ensure a well-thought-out plan. While it’s crucial to plan for failure and prepare for negative scenarios, it’s also important to consider what could go well and how to move forward if a plan works out.
Instead of dwelling on one side or the other, they need to be equally considered so you have a better chance of accomplishing your goals. To learn more about optimism and how it can impact your lifestyle, take a look at the resources developed by mental health care professionals at BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/optimism/.
Realistic Thinking
The balance between optimism and pessimism often creates what’s considered a “realistic” point of view. This is because reality is a collection of negativity and positivity that works together. So, in order to establish a practical view of your business and strategies, you need to be able to find that middle ground. While it may sound like walking on a tightrope of positive and negative thinking, it’s more about looking at the situation for what it is. Take opportunities while considering the risks, trust people while acknowledging potential drawbacks, and pause processes when you see the benefit of taking a break.
Being realistic helps to build your strategy for success. While it may sound simple, ignoring realistic standards and goals is the fault of many business people. It’s important to take sudden chances and run with new opportunities – that’s what makes entrepreneurial endeavors so exciting – but ignoring burnout and the potential for backlash have led to the downfall of a lot of great startups. Instead of rushing forward without a plan or holding back without reason, you need to establish boundaries and limitations that need to be considered in your processes going forward.
Bringing These Thoughts Together
Realism, optimism, and pessimism are all difficult thought processes that can bring together a great plan. As a successful business person, you need to be able to accept harsh truths without wavering in your determination. Having multiple opinions and viewpoints can help you to develop a game plan for setbacks and breakthroughs. It’s also important to remember that strategies work on multiple levels – while one part may need to be sent back to the drawing board, another piece may have fit perfectly in the puzzle. Instead of letting half of your processes grind to a halt, you need to adapt and learn how to allow multiple branches to rework their processes.
Some entrepreneurs will say it’s either their optimism or pessimism that made them successful – it may have been because of their daring ability to never accept defeat or their constant pressure to anticipate upcoming downfalls. However, consider what would happen if you were to take both of these personalities and get them to work together.
You would have the skill to push forward and take risks while also setting up avenues to pick up after any issues or cracks in the foundation. While it’s important not to let yourself be discouraged by missed opportunities, you also shouldn’t blindly rush into openings without a backup initiative. When you have the ability to balance caution and danger, you have the makings of a true entrepreneur.