It’s just business, right? Disgruntled ex-employees, unhappy customers; it’s hard to not take things personally as a business owner when people aren’t happy. But it’s only personal if you so let it be.
What we think, we create. Things happen first in our minds, so when we react to a situation and our mind starts to spiral to the worst possible scenario, that usually ends up being the case. Think negative thoughts, and negative outcomes are bound to arise.
The important thing to remember is that we can’t control what other people do or say. There’s always going to be that person who is full of negative energy and just wants to tear you down. We have no say in this matter. But our own thoughts, our own responses and reactions to what happens to us and the things we know to be true, these we have complete and total control over.
We’re all human, though, and sometimes we can’t help to fall into the taking-things-personally pit. If you find yourself getting into this mindset and the people around you are dictating your own emotions and actions more than yourself, ask yourself these questions:
What is this situation enabling me to do? You’re hearing the same complaint come from multiple sources. Stop and take the time to look at how you can actively change something that maybe you’ve been putting off or avoiding. More often than not, the things you take to heart are just that because you know deep down this is something you’ve been needing to do. The solutions can be as simple as planning your day out better or putting a new system or process in place.
How can I remove emotion from this situation? Not an easy task for anyone. But when we think about events in people’s lives that are new and scary and stressful, emotion is what holds them back. They’re either paralyzed with fear or seeing so much red they can’t see anything else. When we set these emotions to the side and look beyond that initial feeling, we can begin to see the other side and how good things can most certainly come from this.
What is the next possible step to take? You can choose to remain stuck and in a state of emotion-driven thoughts, or you can power forward past your adversities and onto the bigger and better things that await. Trust your gut, over anything. If you’re feeling like the negative energy in your business is toxic and not productive, remove it completely. But if you see where some negativity is coming from and know you can do something to rectify it, do it. Don’t waste time and energy getting upset or feeling like you aren’t good enough. Recognize the issue and address it so everyone can get on with their business.
Acting out of emotion is usually our first instincts in just about any situation. The ability to separate those emotions from your professional self and make decisions based on what you know to be true and what’s best for your business is what will take that business and you as a leader to the next level. We have far more power over our lives than we think we do, it’s the thinking that tells us otherwise.
