How To Stay Positive During Difficult Times (Explained)

You are going to hear me say this often and I make no apology for it…

Being in the real estate investment business or any other business for that matter is tough!

Things will always go wrong and people will let you down.

It doesn’t matter how experienced you are or how long you have been in the business.

I have been involved with real estate investment for many years now and I still have really bad days where nothing seems to go right.

In my early days as a real estate investor, things going wrong used to really bother and upset me. I would even accuse people of deliberately trying to sabotage my success.

They weren’t of course, but it certainly felt like they were.

I had some really dark days in the beginning where I was seriously contemplating giving up.

Thankfully I didn’t give up, and nowadays I use a number of techniques to stay positive when all around me is not going as I want it to.

I will share these tips for staying positive with you here so that you can remain positive no matter what is happening.

The Importance of Staying Positive in Tough Times

Remaining positive can literally mean the difference between success and failure. When you are positive about a project for your business you will be so much more productive.

You cannot give everything you’ve got to a project if you feel negatively about it.

Making plans for your business is certainly the right thing to do, but a plan is really a “best guess” and it is highly unlikely that everything will turn out how you planned it.

It can be really tough for you when the unexpected happens and you need to be prepared for this.

The alternative to staying positive when things get tough is to be negative about the situation. It is essential that you do not let anything overwhelm you as this will increase your stress levels.

Not only is this dangerous for your health, but it will cloud your judgment and you will not be able to think clearly.

How do you stay strong in stressful times? It is all about your mindset and your ability to see the positives in any situation. This is not easy to d and you will need to practice this to make it an empowering habit.

8 Tips for Staying Positive

Over the years I have developed ways to stay positive no matter what situations I am facing. Some of these I learned from others and I came up with some of them myself.

They always work for me now, so I urge you to use these tips to ensure that you always have a positive outlook on your business and your life.

  1. Always look for the Optimistic Viewpoint

When I have been on the wrong end of a negative situation, I will always ask myself questions to find an optimistic viewpoint. You have probably heard the term “every problem is an opportunity” and I firmly believe this to be true.

So, I always ask myself:

  • What is the positive thing about this situation?
  • What opportunities exist from this situation?

Asking yourself these questions will calm you down and prevent you from getting into a negative thought spiral blaming yourself for everything. Yes, this is your business and the buck does stop with you, but telling yourself what a loser you are will not help believe me.

If a process has gone wrong then you have the opportunity to change it and make it better. When someone lets you down there is the opportunity to find someone else who is more reliable.

I am sure that this makes sense to you.

  1. Avoid Negativity as much as you can

Negativity is everywhere. Some of your family and friends will tell you that you are mad for getting involved in real estate investment or any other business.

None of the people that normally say these kinds of things have had any experience of running their own business. A lot of the time it is jealousy. They cannot handle the fact that you may become successful.

It is not always easy to avoid these people but do your best. One thing that you can control pretty well is your exposure to negativity on the TV and the Internet.

News programs are all doom and gloom and so are many of the stories online. You may not think that these things will affect your positive outlook but they can.

Reduce the amount of time that you spend on social media. These days, too many people are glued to their phones waiting for the next meaningless notification to arrive.

Social media can really be a haven for negativity. Gradually reduce the amount of time that you spend on it. Believe me, not seeing those notifications as they happen is really unimportant.

  1. Stop making Mountains out of Molehills

I used to be a champion of this. The smallest problem could send me totally over the edge and make me think negatively about the whole business. Do you do this?

It is very easy to lose your perspective if you stress out over small things.

I now deal with these “molehills” by doing the following:

  • I tell myself to stop – if I am in the grip of a small problem making me negative then I tell myself to stop. I actually shout this in my head. I tell myself that I am not going to go down this path again.
  • I take some deep breaths – once I tell myself to stop, I just sit calmly and take some deep breaths. I focus on the moment and the things that are around me. This is a great way to calm your mind.
  • I refocus with questions – ask yourself “will this matter in a year’s time?” or even “will this even matter tomorrow?” 
  1. Don’t let Irrational Fears hold you back

Succeeding in any business is all about taking risks. If you want to embark on a larger project with a bigger profit potential then you may find that some irrational fear will hold you back.

This happens to me even now, and the way that I deal with this irrational fear and remain positive is to ask myself “what’s the worst thing that could happen here?”

Once I have the answer to this then I spend time thinking about how I can avoid this thing happening. In my experience these “worse things” never happen, but thinking about avoiding them always provides clarity and will keep you in a positive frame of mind.

The best way to deal with irrational fear is to tackle it head on. This is not going to be easy, especially if you have been harboring an irrational fear for a long time.

But it is something that you must do because it is holding you back. Irrational fears usually trigger negative thought patterns which you want to avoid at all costs.

  1. Add Positivity to another person’s life

When you give you get back. This doesn’t work all of the time but I have found that it works most of the time. If I am able to inject some positivity into someone else’s life then this always makes me feel good whether they give me anything back or not.

Here is what you can do:

  • Help others – if someone asks for your advice then give it to them. Even if all it takes is a simple Google search then do it anyway.
  • Listen to others – a good listener can always have a positive impact. Sometimes people don’t ask for advice directly but just want you to listen to what is going on in their life.
  • Give them a positive boost – tell people that you are happy to see them or speak with them. If you are meeting them in person then smile. If they tell you a tale of woe then give them the assurance that they are great and can overcome any problem.

I help others sometimes. I am a real estate investor and not an agony aunt or therapist! So, be careful that people do not abuse your time. One of the other advantages of helping others is that it changes your focus.

You will not be experiencing negative thoughts about your business or your life when you are concentrating on helping others.

  1. Get a Positive Start to the Day

If your day starts in a negative way then it can set the tone for what lay ahead. So, start your day right by listening to something uplifting or having a positive conversation with your partner or another member of your family.

When you are travelling to your office listen to some inspiring audios on your phone or MP3 player. You can purchase these and there are many available for free.

A good dose of Tony Robbins for example, will make you feel positive and start your day off right.

Read your WHY statement out loud every morning and read your goals. Make sure that you have a list of the tasks that you need to complete for the day so that you are in no doubt what you need to do.

I have created positive affirmations for myself and I read them every morning. This provides me with a very positive start to the day.

  1. Exercise and Eat Well

This may seem obvious but a healthy body will lead to a healthy mind. Get as much exercise as you can and eat the right things. Avoid alcohol as this can bring you down and lead to a lot of negative thoughts.

Take breaks during the day. Don’t sit in front of your computer for hours. Get up and go for a short walk. Don’t be a slave to your phone either. Very few things are really urgent.

Don’t stress because you do not instantly reply to a friend on social media.

When you are exercising you will ground yourself in the moment. This is a great way to stop dwelling on past mistakes or worrying about your future. Being in the moment will clear your head and enable you to think clearly.

I have experienced some of my best ideas when I was working out.

  1. Negative situations turned to Positive

You need to learn to transform any negative situation into a positive one. Most people have no idea how to do this and just let negative situations overwhelm them.

This results in their head being full of negative thoughts and will not help you in any way to solve the problem.

Your thoughts determine who you are.

If you let negative thoughts dominate your life then you are going to have a pessimistic outlook. You want to develop an optimistic outlook when you have your own business and one of the most effective ways to do this is to look for positives in every situation.

The first thing that you need to do is to neutralize the negative thoughts that are swirling around in your head. You need to counter each negative thought with a positive one.

So, for example, if you experience a negative thought like “I will never get out of this” then you can neutralize this with “I can solve any problem and learn from it” or something similar.

Reframing the negative into the positive is something that you need to practice all of the time. When you experience a negative thought about anything, immediately counter this with a positive thought.

It doesn’t matter what the negative thought is about.

When you are consistent with this you will gradually notice that you experience less and less negative thoughts. If you are in the middle of a tough time then you will be a lot calmer and much more positive about it.

This will help you to look at the situation rationally and come up with the right solutions.

My Final Thoughts on Staying Positive During Difficult Times

My aim with this post was to provide you with tips on how to stay positive in the worst of times. The first step to success with this is belief. Tell yourself that you know how to stay positive during difficult times and that you have the mindset to do this.

I didn’t find this easy to do at first.How To Stay Positive During Difficult Times

But I was determined to have an optimistic outlook with my business and my life so I persevered. Through my consistent efforts I was able to significantly reduce my negative thoughts in in the toughest situations.

You can do the same by following my tips for staying positive.

I would love to read your thoughts and experiences around how to stay positive during difficult times, so please add them to the comments section below. Thank you and have a great day.

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