Just A Small Town Business, Living In A Big Competitive World

Now let’s take everything I have told you so far about optimism and connect it to the business world. Being a new small business can be quite intimidating, I assume. Your business is surrounded by businesses that are larger, more powerful, and have more experience than yours. 

If you are a small business owner, this could be terrifying to think about! Yeah, starting up a business is easy, inexpensive, and you might think everyone will want your product or service because it is so brilliant, but when you face reality, your small business is up against a lot of big giants. Your business is like David in the story of David and Goliath. You might find yourself wondering if your business can even come near to these big giants, let alone survive in this competitive market. Don't let those giants scare you! I’m here to tell you that being an optimistic business owner is a great thing and will really benefit you. Sure, it will be hard to throw away the image of your business as David, and I'm sorry for painting that picture in your head, but if you do become more optimistic your business will conquer Goliath (the big businesses or competitors you are up against), or at least survive even though there is so much competition. 

If your business becomes more optimistic it will not let slight economic problems affect it. If you are optimistic about how your business will do or how the economy is, then you will not let small drops result in the firing of many workers. Recession will just be a word, and it will not scare you. Optimism will allow you and your business to take more opportunities rather than being nervous, conservative, and anxious. You will want to try and do everything you can to expand and improve your business and how you do business. So if you're a small or new business owner who is unsure about how well your company will do, stop, drop that way of thinking, and try the optimistic way. You do not know what the future hold, you do not know what the industry your business is in will be like in a couple years. There is no harm in trying to be optimistic when it comes to your small business, so why not? 

But Why Should I Be More Optimistic?

Well, why not? There are many benefits that come out from being optimistic. It can improve mental and physical health, and can drastically improve an individual’s quality of life.

 1. Mental Health: Everyone knows optimism is good for mental health, but it is a hard concept to really grasp. Being optimistic can decrease depressive and anxiety symptoms in an individual.

2. Physical health: There have not been a lot of studies done on this matter, but optimism really does improve physical health. Take it from me, pessimism can really drain you out, make you unmotivated and constantly tired. Optimism can reduce the risk of heart disease and keeps blood pressure normal.

3. Quality of life: Optimism improves an individual’s quality of life. People who are optimistic think positive things about the future, they do not dwell on the past, and life really is all rainbows and sunshine, for the most part. Studies show that people who are optimistic and realistic are happier and live a better life. 

Joel Birch Takes On Optimism

Joel Birch from The Amity Affliction

Can people learn to be more optimistic? Of course! Take a guy named Joel Birch for example. He is the lead singer of one of my all-time favorite bands, The Amity Affliction. He had a very dark past filled with depression, alcoholism, and even a suicide attempt. In an interview with Loudwire Magazine, Joel explained the meaning behind his song called “I hate Harley”. He starts off by talking about his suicide attempt in 2010 and what caused him to do it. Joel said “I was losing my grip on everything around me” (Loudwire), which lead him to his suicide attempt. After his experience in the hospital, he realized how selfish his actions were and how he would just leave his friends and family behind. He then says, “it took something that bad for me to turn my way of thinking around and seek help, and to really step back and take a look at everything that was going on and try to turn it into something positive” (Loudwire). At that moment, he knew he could not keep thinking negatively, that it would only make things worse. He had to change his mind set and try to be more optimistic and that is exactly what he did. In this song, there is a line that goes “on a life that's full of mistakes, but always searching for much more”. For me, this line means that we all make mistakes, it’s a part of life, but we need to learn from them and move on. One of the key steps in being optimistic is being able to leave the past in the past. Most pessimists will dwell on their pasts which makes living in the now not really worth it. Another line goes “I've got hope in my eyes, and dreams to aspire too”. This is also a powerful line that pessimists can learn from. Instead of thinking about all the bad things that MIGHT happen to you, start thinking about what you want in life, your dreams and goals, and then go out and make them a reality! Now, Joel is a part of a very successful band, has his own clothing line, and just recently got married. You might think that it is impossible to become optimistic after you have lived your whole life being a pessimist, but it is possible!

I Hate Hartley by The Amity Affliction

Read the interview here:

Joel's Full Interview

Every Little Thing Is Gonna' Be All Right... If You Follow These Four Simple Steps

Being a pessimist, whenever I have to face a challenge in life, the only things that flow through my head are negative thoughts. I do understand that anticipating undesirable outcomes is not good for my physical and mental health so I’m trying to be more optimistic. Here are some tips on how to be optimistic that I use to help myself:

1. Let go of the assumption that you were born with a grey cloud over your head

I hate to break it to you but you’re not the only one who has experienced pain and disappointment! You must realize that you are not alone in this world and there are people who would go out of their way to help you.  Bad things don't just keep happening to you for no reason. The world isn't set up to cause you pain. Every moment and situation is a chance to grow, learn, and overcome obstacles. It may seem like rainy days are upon you, and they are not going away but keep in mind that the best rainbows come after the heaviest storms.

2. Understand that what is in the past is in the past

Sure you might have gone through hard times in the past, but as cliché as it sounds, life does get better! You must learn to leave the past in the past and just focus on the present and the future. Don’t forget the past, just leave it in the past and move on and enjoy the now!

3. As the famous saying goes, “Be the change you want to see”

Stop thinking about all the bad things that are happening to you and start thinking about ways you can change them. Set goals for yourself and use your past experiences to make better decisions. Take chances, make mistakes, and then learn from it.

4. Be a rational optimistic

Don’t act like nothing bad is ever going to happen to you because that can lead to a lot of bad things. Doing this can lead to people using you and poor decisions. Always prepare for the worst and hope for the best and understand that not every day is going to be rainbows and sunshine. 

My Talents Include: Creating the Worst Case Scenarios in My Head and Worrying about Them for Hours

I'm more of a worrior than a warrior. What is a worrior, you ask? Easy. It is a person who worries about everything. I am probably the most pessimistic person you will ever meet. Negativity is the only thing I know. Did a really hard test? You probably failed. Did a really easy test? You probably managed to fail it. It’s a very strange mentality, I know. Always thinking negatively or thinking that you failed. If I think negatively and expect nothing good to happen, if nothing good happens in the end, I won’t be disappointed because I was not expecting anything great. If something good happens in the end, I’ll be shocked but impressed. I’m never setting myself up for disappointment because I never have high expectations for anything.  Instead of thinking about a desired future, I will make up endless scenarios in my head of bad things that could happen and 90% of the time, things end up being fine. In an unusual way, I get my positivity through my negativity. The only downside to this is that it is very stressful. Constantly thinking you did a bad job, you did not try hard enough, can really drain you out both physically and mentally. So that is why I’ve decided to try to be more optimistic. It is going to be hard, but I accept this challenge. College is stressful as it is with assignments after assignments, tests and exams, the last thing I need is more unnecessary stressing. I’m giving up this way of thinking and adopting the optimistic way of life!