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Reframe Negative Thinking to Ease Your Path to Success Positive thinking can take you a long way on the path to success.

By Allison Maslan

entrepreneur daily

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

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You lose your biggest client. Your dream team begins to crumble. Something has gone terribly wrong. This is the point when many entrepreneurs throw in the towel and call it quits. These trials are the make-or-break moments that business owners have to push through in order to succeed.

As entrepreneurs, we're so focused on solutions and reaching our goals. We're putting in all of our energy, and we're working hard. We're working long hours. We have all these hopes and expectations, and we risk feeling defeated, when things are not happening as fast as we want.

I'm not suggesting that we can stop these fears from piling up, when things go wrong. However, it is possible to reframe your thinking, and move forward without letting fear win. Things will go wrong occasionally. That's just one of the realities of being in business. The more you grow and the bigger you grow, the more you open yourself up to challenging situations. The key is to see it as just part of the process on your road to success.

Related: 8 Ways to Not Only Survive But Prosper Around Negative People

In my early years as an entrepreneur, I had many low-cashflow, panic moments and sleepless nights wondering how it was all going to come together. I realize now, looking back, that those times were necessary to get me to where I am today. I don't sweat the small stuff anymore, and I know now that ultimately, everything always works out.

Rather than getting into stress mode, get into solution mode. What creative idea can you implement to elevate your company? Your confidence grows through these experiences, and you gain thicker skin. So the next time a challenge rolls around, say to yourself, "I've got this!"

Related: Stop These 8 Negative Mindsets That Make Entrepreneurs Miserable

Look back to a tough moment in your life - whether in your career or personal life -- that resulted in pivotal growth for you in spite of any initial negative feelings or difficulties. We hear a lot about how our experiences shape us and make us who we are, and it's true. The caveat is to own our personal power, and make sure we're learning all we can from the tough times so we can have better times ahead. This is true for business and in life.

Consider the possibility that failure doesn't exist. The overarching mark of successful people isn't how many times they have failed, it's how often and how quickly they get back up, and keep moving forward. The word failure implies an ending, but it is only that if you make it so. Instead, take the opportunity to dig deep, and see what went wrong and how you can tweak things to create a better outcome next time.

Like attracts like.

The other thing to remember is that the more we focus on negativity, the more negativity we attract. Focus on positivity and solutions though, and you'll bring better energy into your business.

Negative thinking has a tendency to snowball, rolling one worry into another until fear and worry are larger than life. Imagine gathering all those worries up and putting them in a box on a shelf. Then, focus your energy on creating the solutions that will help you deal with the issues that arise. Before you know it, these worries will be handled or will dissolve on their own due to your positive forward momentum.

Related: 3 Ways Fear of Failure Blocks Your Path to Success

Training your mind to focus on positivity and solutions is like training a muscle. It takes time, effort and dedication, but it is well worth it. Here's a few ways to train your brain to reframe negative thinking.

  • Catch yourself in the moment.
  • Replace negatives with positives.
  • Listen to uplifting messages.
  • Work with self-improvement materials.
  • Surround yourself with positive people.
  • Work with a coach to keep you focused on moving forward.
  • Examine old stories that may be holding you back.
  • Speak positively.
  • Smile more, even when you don't feel like it.

In the moment when things are going wrong, it can feel very dire. The outlook can feel bleak, and the challenges may seem insurmountable.

Let that moment pass. Don't react, and make decisions based out of a place of fear. Give yourself the time you need to get to a place of gratitude for what is working and to find solutions to what isn't working. If you can reframe your negative thinking, you can achieve greater success than you ever imagined possible.

Allison Maslan

Serial entrepreneur and business mentor

Allison Maslan is founder and CEO of Pinnacle Global Network®, offering business programs to established business owners. Her book Scale or Fail (Wiley, October 2018) hit #1 on Amazon before its release.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

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