These days, especially since we are experiencing a recessionary economy, many people are bogged down in the bad news of the moment. Mainstream media, as valuable as it can be, does a god job of keeping some folks in just enough of a panic that they are forever distracted from creating their own good news.
Well, I've got good news! You can overcome external negativity by creating and living The Opportunity Mindset. Here are three things I have learned to do (and continue to learn to do …) to live in The Opportunity Mindset:
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Identity. The first step to creating an Opportunity Mindset is simply knowing who you are. This involves continually taking stock of things like your goals, your likes and dislikes, how you fit into your family unit, where you are spiritually, etc.
Knowing who you are is an exciting journey you take each day. It is not a one-time thing. You must constantly refine the notion of how you perceive yourself, and how you lead yourself to where you want to be. As you do this, you will discover more about what makes you tick, where you fit into the world at this time, and where you want to fit into the world in the future.
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Focus. Once you embrace your identity, you can then focus on refining and defining it by focusing on specific things that will help you develop yourself as a business leader. For example, if you feel unsettled spiritually, you can invest some of your time focusing on developing in that area. Similarly, if you are clear on your passion in life, but unsure about how to incorporate that passion into a profitable business, you can invest time studying the habits of others who have turned similar passions into successful business ventures.
If you focus on the negativity that is so available through mainstream media, you will find yourself focused mainly on that. It will define your mind, and thus your mindset. Of course we all need to know what's going on in the world, but we don't need to focus on it. In fact, I have discovered that such focus can be detrimental.
So much of what you achieve is defined by what you focus on. If you focus on finding and embracing opportunities, over time, you will find that you will enjoy more opportunities. The things you focus most on will eventually define your life.
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Action. None of the above will lead to success unless you actually do something. So, once you are in the habit of defining and refining who you are, and focusing on things that help you maintain a positive attitude, you must act on the opportunities that you create and that come your way.
What will you do each day to take you were you want to be? What specific steps will you take, and how often will you take them?
Using the examples above, will you actively seek out a place of worship or spiritual study group so you can find your spiritual center? Will you subscribe to the blogs of people you consider to be successful in your field of passion, or read their books, so they can mentor you from afar? Will you start or join a MasterMind group?
You can't do everything, but you can set aside specific blocks of time to do specific things based on who you are and what you choose to focus on.
Not Rocket Science, But …
Embracing The Opportunity Mindset sounds kind of easy. To be sure, it is not rocket science. But it is a challenge to discipline yourself to take the steps outlined above.
If you have not already done so, take a moment to analyze (or reanalyze, if you haven't done it in a while) who you are, what you will focus on, and what action you will take as a result. Over time, you'll find yourself growing in exciting new ways. You'll also connect with others who are doing the same, and all of you can be successful together!
Question: What do you think of The Opportunity Mindset? What did I miss? How do you maintain a positive, focused and action-oriented outlook each day?
