Master Your Entrepreneurial Mindset: Harness the Power of Focus & Positivity for Unstoppable Success

Renowned speaker and coach, Tony Robbins, is often quoted with the following: "Where focus goes, energy flows." This statement holds immense power and weight behind it; what you choose to focus on is what you create or manifest in your life. If you choose to focus on the negative – how life is beating you up left and right, how nothing goes your way, how others are more successful that you, how you'll never succeed – you impose limits and barriers on yourself moving forward. However, if you choose to focus on positive outcomes, you are more open to recognizing opportunities for real growth and advancement. This is not to say adopting a positive mindset is all that’s needed to succeed; far from it, in fact. What it does suggest, however, is that if you focus on positive outcomes, possibility, options, and resilience, you are much more likely to experience them in your life.

For entrepreneurs, focus is crucial. Your livelihood depends upon your ability to stay focused on your business to ultimately succeed. Your attention is pulled in umpteen directions, and usually all at once; you must wear the hats of owner/operator, business developer, marketer, administrator, receptionist, leader, employer, motivator... the list goes on. There are so many facets to maintain, it can be difficult to keep them all straight; scheduling, organization, time management, and discipline generally form the basis for keeping these on track. Some of the most difficult obstacles for entrepreneurs, however, are the ones they create for themselves.

One of the biggest traps new entrepreneurs fall into is that of comparison – watching how ‘the competition’ live or operate and attempting to mimic their supposed success or status. Often, entrepreneurs get wrapped up into this kind of mindset, and their business suffers because of it. Instead of creating value and focusing on their own clients, these entrepreneurs develop a mindset of scarcity, intensely focusing on others in the market. When you spend that much time with your eyes on someone else’s business instead of your own, it’s very easy to run into problems.

Additionally, there can be a significant amount of fear when starting out as an entrepreneur. For those who’ve spent their entire working life in a salaried, secure position, the thought of venturing out on their own – even with the support of a franchisor, if that’s their decided route – can be frightening. What to concentrate on, how to deal with the challenges of being a proverbial ‘hat rack’ for all the positions listed above, and ultimately the fear of failure (or success) can stop an entrepreneur in their tracks quickly.

Learning how to manage your focus, and how to get yourself back on-track if you’ve gone afield are vital skills to build your success. While acknowledging that everyone is different, and may require additional means to establish the confidence and resilience necessary to succeed as an entrepreneur, here are three general areas that can be of real use when building and maintaining focus:

1. Know your 'why'. Understanding why you're doing something can be one of the most motivating factors in maintaining and re-establishing focus. Your why is the reason you stepped into the entrepreneurial world, or the reason you established a life goal in the first place. If you feel yourself being pulled off course and having trouble with focus, ask yourself: "Does ‘xyz’ action or thought bring me closer to my why?" If the answer is 'no', then it may be time to evaluate whether that action or thought is worth continuing or holding onto. When you are met with resistance – and you will be as an entrepreneur – your why is the foundation upon which you can fall back on and remind yourself of your core purpose in becoming an entrepreneur. The feelings of motivation, excitement, inspiration, and joy that led you to walk the path of an entrepreneur can help offer perspective and reinvigorate your drive.

2. Focus on yourself. Whether you're a successful entrepreneur or a busy parent attending to a job, household, and kids, life demands a great deal of energy and focus. Being pulled in a variety of directions is commonplace, and this can be a huge detriment to it. You may feel tired and unable to maintain the level of concentration needed to focus on completing the goals you’ve set and become de-motivated. Self-care is a crucial component to your mental well-being, and one that is so often set aside. It's not selfish to take time to enjoy activities that renew and revitalize you; in fact, it's a necessity. To have the passion, determination, and drive to focus and accomplish your goals, you need to feel fulfilled in your life, and self-care is a vital part of attaining this.

3. Work with a coach. Goal setting, business strategy, mindset – all of these are vital to building focus and achieving success, and all are areas entrepreneurs can experience challenge with. Working with a coach allows you to untangle confusion and overcome fears which hold you back and pull you from your focus. Coaches are success partners, in that they strive to bring the best out of you, keep you accountable to yourself, and offer insight as a third-party observer.

No matter the route you take as an entrepreneur, working on yourself and your ability to focus is key to success. If your focus has landed on becoming a franchisee with Real Property Management, reach out to us today for more information on how to be part of Canada’s largest network of property management professionals!