There’s a great blog by Henrik Edberg called The Positivity Blog that is all about “practical happiness.” It’s great life-improving inspiration that can also be applied to finding your startup zen. So, lesson two is all about taking care of number one. That’s right, 2013 is the year of self kindness and happiness that works in real life. Inspired by Henrik’s post on self kindness, here are a few habits to create a healthier, happier, and more productive you.
Change What Kind of Energy You Absorb
That sounds a little confusing (and hippie new age), but let me explain. Everyday we are bombarded with destructive news and messages and energy from the people and things around us. Especially if you’re running your own business- there are people with something negative to say around every corner. So you can decide to let these things affect you, or you can slowly change your daily habits and absorb things that are productive and positive.
Instead of constantly checking CNN.com or Facebook statuses of your friends, try bookmarking web pages that have daily motivating and positive affirmations (The Positivity Blog, The Daily Motivator, and my fave, Daily Positive Quotes). Or, scoot your copy of Fifty Shades of Grey over and put a motivational book by your bed. Read a little bit each night and your brain will absorb the positive message while you sleep. Trust me, I’m a neurologist.
Lesson learned: The more positive things you absorb and negative things you repel each day, the less stressed and more productive you become. You’ll be a lighter, happier and more pleasant you.
Move Forward and STOP Blaming Yourself
There’s nothing less sexy than people who live in the past (OK, I can think of less sexy things, but it’s definitely an unbecoming quality). I’m a true believer in taking the negative experiences in life, learning from them and moving on. It’s easy to dwell on past things but the biggest waste of time ever. The one thing I do have trouble with is trying not to blame myself for everything bad that happens. This is also a huge waste of time.
Dwelling on negative things that happened ages ago, or blaming yourself for everything (or others, for that matter) will not propel you, or your business, forward in any way. As an entrepreneur, you need to constantly look towards the future and how to grow and improve your business. Also, you’ll be hard-pressed to find any leader blaming themselves all the time (they do, however, take responsibility for their actions).
Lesson learned: You can’t change the past, no matter how much you analyze it. What you can do is take the negative things that happen in your life (or to your business), learn from them and move on. And in the spirit of self-kindness, don’t always blame yourself. This beats down your spirit and creates insecurity.
So all you startup zen-seekers: Keep calm, carry on, and always look on the bright side of life. Thank you, England.
