Developing an Entrepreneurial mindset Part Ten

When self-esteem is strong, you have the ability to think logically and move through any challenges. When your self- esteem is low, you tend to freeze and have trouble moving through your challenges. On another note, when pride is strong, you tend to stubbornly rely on yourself and may close yourself off from opportunities offering education or support. When your pride is hurt, you might tend to lick your mental wounds and look for outside reinforcement. This is when you are the most teachable and open to new ideas. Don’t lose the teachable moments—especially with employees.

Words, when coupled with emotion, lead to powerful results. Whether good or bad, our words trigger pictures, pictures trigger emotions, and emotions trigger behavior. I remember hearing about a manager who had a sign above his desk that read, “Firings will continue until morale improves.” Talk about sending a poor message. Another saying I've heard is, “In order for things to change, we have to change.” If it's true that all great things must first start with an idea, then shouldn't that idea be built on a solid foundation, free of negative influence from the past? I will show you some ways to ensure that your thoughts or ideas take on a positive nature.

Some steps for changing habits and beliefs:

• Awareness: We need to know which habits or beliefs to
• Understanding: We need to know where the habits or beliefs came
• Reconditioning: We need to replace old habits or beliefs with new, better

Our minds are more complex than any man-made machine, yet it’s as simple as that computer on your desk. If you put good stuff in, then good stuff will come out. If you put bad information in, it won’t run efficiently or effectively. Monitor what you say to yourself and what your employees say to themselves. Start putting more good stuff in!