The Business of Gratitude

The Business of Gratitude

The past year and a half has been a crazy time and whether it has affected your business or not, I’ve learned that being grateful and focusing on small wins is a terrific shift in mindset (and coffee and/or chocolate, but that’s more of a short term fix).

It is so easy to get caught up in the comparison game, whether on social media networks or seeing a competitor’s work and get lost in a negative thought spiral. I have experienced this numerous times over the past twelve months. Feelings of being inadequate or why didn’t I do this and off to the races I go!

So many people and businesses are deeply struggling and suffering with all the change to the economy and social restrictions.

On the Scale of Awful, the things I am worried about are often a far cry from what others are dealing with. In the heat of the moment though, it is hard to break out of that spiral and my thoughts feel justified.

I try to remind myself to pause when this is happening and think about the good things that have happened, they normally far outweigh the bad. The simple things like a home, water, food, love and support. A lot of people lack even those.

It’s the same with business, there is undoubtedly more of an ebb and flow with things.

A lot of business owners agree that it is trying to stay balanced in the boat when the waves come and to keep paddling that will help get you through the rough times. There is that definite hunger and drive to succeed and figure out all of the unknowns that keeps you pushing.

There are a lot of small wins too along the way and it’s important to celebrate those; accomplishing a certain goal for the day, pushing out new content, finishing a project or getting a new client (yay!).

Whenever an agreement is signed with a client, I remember to do a huge happy dance and smile because it is an amazing opportunity to help another business grow and more time to do the design work I am passionate about as a career.

Working out, reading, listening to music, petting an animal or talking to a friend or family also helps but working on the mind is often the quickest way to shift, but also the most difficult. We are what we think and the mind is a powerful thing.

Yoga and meditation have also helped me to relax and shift my mind away from negative thinking because it forces me to concentrate on other things. Yes, I will have to refocus ten times to try to meditate or do some deep breathing but I eventually get there if I keep trying.

How have you stayed grounded during this unconventional time? Share your thoughts in the comments below. :)

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