4 Powerful Mind Hacks to Build Emotional Stamina
Emotional stamina is required for success. You get stamina from training and experience. That being said, it’s a characteristic that many new entrepreneurs need help building. While many aspiring entrepreneurs have read the statistic that most businesses fail within the first 10 years, a little less known truth is rarely taken into account when these aspiring bosses make the decision to leave corporate. Huffington Post Contributor Damian Bazadona shares this truth when he advises aspiring entrepreneurs to ask themselves whether or not they believe they have the emotional endurance to tackle the daily grind instead of simply asking themselves if they’re prepared to run the various areas of their business.
When you decide to take the challenge of full-time entrepreneurship you will get resistance, your values will be challenged, and so will your sanity. The ones closest to you will question why you want to risk being your own boss and encourage you to be ‘realistic.’ In their mind, you need a 9-5 for security. They will ask you questions like, how will you pay your bills? What if nobody hires you? What will you do about health insurance? Your friends and family will likely cast their fears and insecurities on you. You have to able to push through even when there’s not a crowd rooting for you and that can be difficult. However, it’s possible. These four mind hacks will help you build emotional stamina and develop an Entrepreneur State of Mind.
#1 Evaluate your core values
Your core values influence your thoughts and behaviors. They stem from experiences you’ve had and often the environment you were raised in. Sometimes they can be inaccurate and unproductive. Rather positive or negative, they can become self fulfilling prophecies. Therefore it’s extremely important for you to take an evaluation of the little voice inside to determine if what you think about yourself is positive and will help you succeed in business.
#2 Save your energy for productive tasks
Have you ever spent the day worrying about something you had absolutely no control over? We’ve all been guilty of this. One thing you must learn to do when you are your own boss is focus on what matters and what you can control. When you develop a habit of letting go of the uncontrollable you become more productive and producing will be the only way to get paid as an entrepreneur.
#3 Accept your feeling without being controlled by them
Emotional stability means that you are able to regulate your emotions, manage your thoughts, and behave in a positive manner despite what’s going on around you. You are human and will never be able to escape the range of emotions we all feel, especially us entrepreneurs. The key is being able to continue your day and achieve your goals even when all you want to do is lie in bed all day (Mama said there would be days like this).
#4 Reflect on your progress and be proud
Progress is greater than perfection. We often spend our time worrying about what needs to be done, what we haven’t been doing right, how we can be better at XYZ and this leads us to forget the obstacles that we have already overcome. Reflecting on your progress and being proud of everything that you’ve done will allow you to refocus your mind to positive thoughts when you are feeling stressed.
Building emotional stamina, like anything else, takes time, but is crucial for you to succeed in business and develop an entrepreneur state of mind.
In my book, Straight Out of Corporate, I outlined three ways to develop an Entrepreneur State of Mind on a daily basis.
- Identify a combination of five motivational speakers, trainings, or thought leaders that you want to learn from.
- Invest in their programs.
- Listen to them every day on your commute to and from work or even on your lunch break or while running errands.
Experts, how important is building your emotional stamina to you? What else would you recommend to aspiring entrepreneurs to develop an Entrepreneur State of Mind?