We are all very aware of the impact of positive thinking ideas on our success in life. But how to avoid deadly sins is another matter, isn’t it? How have you ever used checklists to improve your productivity … or perhaps your positive mental thinking? How well did they work for you?
We often use checklists to achieve our goal to create positive thinking that can see opportunity in every difficulty.
After college, I spent almost 2 years training as a naval aviator. An important element of that training was the use of checklists in the learning and refresher process. Checklist utilization remains an important part of my business life. It is always a good idea to have a helpful checklist for reminders of improvements for your business or your personal life.
You will perhaps have heard this very old story illustrating the difference between positive thinking and negative thinking:
Many years ago two salesmen were sent by a British shoe manufacturer to Africa to investigate and report back on market potential.
The first salesman reported back, “There is no potential here – nobody wears shoes.”
The second salesman reported back, “There is massive potential here – nobody wears shoes.”
This simple short story provides one of the best examples of how a single situation may be viewed in two quite different ways – negatively or positively.
I keep a stack of 10 or so checklists that I rotate and update occasionally. I pull out one checklist to read and contemplate for five minutes as a way to start each day. I find it puts my thinking in the right frame of mind. Here is one checklist example of simple reminders to improve the odds of success in any task that I or my team may be doing:
Savor life’s joys
Deep happiness cannot exist without slowing down to soak up the positives all around you.
Be forgiving
Harboring feelings of hate and meanness is horrible for your well-being.
Avoid social comparisons
Comparing yourself to someone else can be a poison to your positive thinking.
Express gratitude
When you appreciate what you love, what you love appreciates in value. If you aren’t thankful for what you already have, you will have a hard time ever being positive.
Nurture your relationships
The most positive people we know are the ones who make friends easily and work to build deep, meaningful relationships.
Develop coping strategies
It always helps to have healthy ways to cope in your arsenal.
Increase flow experiences
We define flow as a state in which it feels as if time is standing still. It occurs when you are so focused on what you are doing that you become one with the task. In this state, nothing competes for your attention.
Become an optimist
People who think as an optimist see the world as a place packed with endless opportunities, especially in tougher times.
Practice acts of kindness
Selflessly helping someone is a super powerful way to create a positive attitude.
Commit to your goals
Magical things start happening when we commit ourselves to do whatever it takes to achieve our objectives.
If you are in a business where you deal with people on a regular basis, like we are, your motivation and positive thinking need to be in ‘top gear’ (as it will usually impact most issues of the day). By spending 5-10 minute reading and thinking about the items on the checklist, you will be better prepared for the events of the day.
Do you consider your company a social commerce business? While there has been considerable hype about social commerce in the last few years, we don’t consider it new … it has been around as long as commerce. These days there are just more channels to engage customers and be social. Positive thinking is everything in this regard.
We like to discuss the importance of positive thinking tips on the success of any business, particularly those that engage with the public to a great extent. Here is a story about a nursery in our region. It is a story we like to tell because it contains some simple secrets for connecting positive thinking to employee and customer engagement.
A nursery gardener ran a business that had been in the family for two generations. The staff was happy, and customers loved to visit the store, or to have the staff work on their gardens or make deliveries – anything from bedding plants to young trees.
For as long as anyone could remember, the current and previous owners were extremely positive-thinking people.
Most folks assumed it was because they ran a successful business. In fact, it was the other way around…
A tradition in the business was that the owner always wore a big lapel badge, saying Business Is Great!
The business was indeed generally great, although it went through tough times like any other company. What never changed however was the owner’s positive thinking and attitude, and the badge saying Business Is Great!
Everyone who saw the badge for the first time invariably asked, “What’s so great about business?” Sometimes people would also comment that their own business was miserable, or even that they personally were miserable or stressed.
Anyhow, the Business Is Great! badge always tended to start a conversation, which typically involved the owner talking about lots of positive aspects of business and work, for example:
The pleasure of meeting and talking with different people every day
Reward that comes from helping staff take on new challenges and experiences
Fun and laughter in a relaxed and healthy work environment
Fascination in the work itself, and in the other people’s work and businesses
Great feeling when you finish a job and do it to the best of your capabilities
New things you learn every day – even without looking to do so
The thought is that everyone in business is blessed – because there are many millions of people who would swap their own situation to have the same opportunities of doing a productive meaningful job, in a civilized well-fed country, where we have no real worries.
And so the list went on. And no matter how miserable a person was, they’d usually end up feeling a lot happier after just a couple of minutes of listening to all this infectious enthusiasm and positivity.
It is impossible to quantify or measure attitude like this, but to one extent or another it’s probably a self-fulfilling prophecy, on which point if asked about the badge in a quiet moment, the business owner would confide:
The badge came first. Great business followed.
Key Takeaways from this story
Remember, this is the time to create remarkable experiences in order to create lasting relationships with customers. Lead with initiative … own the moment. Remember attitude is everything.
Want to see some additional tips on how to build customer relationships?
Being social with great positive thinking and attitude isn’t a new way of marketing; it’s a way of doing business.
All you get is what you bring to the fight. And that fight gets better every day you learn and apply new ideas.
When things are not what you want them to be, what’s most important is your next step. Call today.
Test. Learn. Improve. Repeat.
Are you devoting enough energy continually improving your continuous learning?
Do you have a lesson about making your learning better you can share with this community? Have any questions or comments to add in the section below?
Mike Schoultz is the founder of Digital Spark Marketing, a digital marketing and customer service agency. With 40 years of business experience, he blogs on topics that relate to improving the performance of your business. Find them on G+, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Digital Spark Marketing will stretch your thinking and your ability to adapt to change. We also provide some fun and inspiration along the way.
More reading on continuous learning from Digital Spark Marketing’s Library:
10 Ways Personal Development Can Improve Long-Term Success
Creative Ideas to Build Collaborative Teams in Organizations
The Story and Zen of Getting Things Done
How to Take Charge of Your Peace of Mind