The Home-Based Business Owner's Guide to Tough Times

You had a bad day, things didn't work out right, your prospective customer or recruit has fallen off the radar, the car won't start, and you lost your lead. What else could happen?

Sometimes we all have "those" days. The days we think will never end, where it couldn't possibly get worse! You feel defeated and it shows, in everything you do. You wonder why on earth you ever tried to get into business in the first place, and honestly, you have given thought to just quitting!

Yes, we all have them, none of us are immune. Even the person who you envy the most, that "golden touch" person that seems to have all the luck. You know the one, you likely would slap her if she weren't so cute and perky! What on earth does she have that you don't? Why does she have all the leads, the luck, the friends, the nice car? You work just as hard, if not harder than she does, but she gets all the results!

Miss "golden touch" has a secret that many of us don't-and I'm going to let the cat out of the bag! She isn't "lucky", and she wasn't born with a silver spoon in her mouth. She likely came from poverty, or close to it. She has had weight gain, bloat, pimples, scars, and childhood tragedies and traumas.
She built her business from the ground up, and she has everything to show for it. It's a wonder we don't hate her, but with that smile and personality, we just can't! Oh but do we envy her! We want to be just like her when we grow up, but instead we sulk and brood. We want what she has, and life isn't fair!

What is she doing-how did she get so far with so little, when you have put every bit of time and energy into your business and seem at a standstill? She must have someone helping her, financing her, giving things to her...maybe she cheated her way to the top right?

I have her dirty little secret, so it's not a secret anymore! You see, the difference between "her" and "us" is the way she handles "those" days. She gets kicked down alright, just like we do-but she gets back up and instead of brooding or nursing her wounds, she smiles and moves on. She realizes the opportunity in the fall! Sure her tire is flat, but while standing on the freeway she puts her car magnets on and advertises her business. Oh yes, she forgets things at the store all the time, and has to go back and interrupt her busy day--but she has those business cards and her company logo on her T-shirt, and 10 more people see her. She is irritated really about having to go back, but she secretly smiles, knowing that advertising works! She smiles because she KNOWS that nobody wants to look at a frown, and it wouldn't help her promote if she looked miserable. She remembers to put her makeup on and dresses neatly, so that when people see her, they see a "go getter" instead of "middle age housewife".

Traffic jams? Yeah she gets stuck in those too, but she has her magnets on her car, her motivational tape in her CD player, her mind on business and opportunity. She knows it would probably have been her in that accident ahead if she had been on time, and thanks God she lost her keys! Still smiling she makes a business call, talks to an old friend, or just relaxes while the highway is cleared.

You see, the difference is the mindset, the attitude. She is able to see the opportunities for what they are, while we see the problem. She grasps the idea of the "big picture", while we only see with our narrow vision the problem we have and how inconvenient and unfair it all is. We are focusing on the negative, she is focusing on the positive. What then, does she get back? Positive results!

When we spend our time and energy focusing on the negative, the only possible thing we can achieve is negativity. We spin our wheels but go absolutely nowhere, and if you think about it, really makes absolutely no sense at all. How can anything good come from being negative, angry, stressed or sad?

So how do we change this? It takes practice! When faced with a negative situation, practice thinking about all the good things that can come about from our situation. Think about all the possibilities big and small. Do this every single time you have one of "those" days, and soon you will be in the habit. It will show in your mood, your productivity, and your family life and social relationships. Soon, people are going to want to know what your "secret" is...and you can either smile, because they envy you, or you can share it!

So there it is, out in the open for everyone to see---the secret is out, are you going to use it as one of the tools toward your success? It is a very powerful force, just as negativity is a very destructive force! Which force will be with you?