The downturn in the economy has been dragging on for quite some time now. We keep reading and watching the news reporting that things are starting to turn, all very slowly they add. Many large businesses have announced improved earnings. Although many of them have cut costs instead of increasing sales in order to report improved earnings.  Washington keeps saying things are improving. It’s not easy to tell if these statements are strictly political posturing or facts. But most of the people I talk to who are running smaller businesses have not seen an improvement. They have been waiting month after month now for business to take an upswing and yet nothing seems to change. It’s down right depressing. Many have started to take the attitude that the glass is half empty instead of half full.

Having a half empty attitude usually is not very productive. A negative attitude will hold you back from achieving your goals. Think about it, what good has ever come from thinking negative thoughts? It can damage your belief system and even your self-esteem. And it only gets worse like a downward spiral. A bad attitude will feed on itself. Low expectations become reality only because those were the expectations. So how do you get yourself out of the funk? Here are some ideas.

Focus on the Future — What has happened in the past is done. We certainly want to learn from the past but not dwell on it. Think about what goals you have and what you want to achieve. Then consider what actions are necessary in order to get there.

Focus on Solutions — Far too often we worry about the problems. What they are doing to us and why they are there. You should spend more time thinking about solutions and how to solve the problems. Rehashing the problems becomes a waste of time and only reinforces a bad attitude. 

Associate with Positive People — Having a positive attitude can be infectious. Surround yourself with positive thinkers— people who are upbeat. It will rub off on you and impact the way you think.

Read Motivational Material — Reading books or listening to recordings about positive thinking will only reinforce your thoughts. Seek out this material and become an avid reader or listener.

Positive Self-Talk — Every negative thing we say to ourselves about ourselves only creates more self-fulfilling prophecies. Talk to yourself about the good things you can do. About your strengths not your weaknesses. This is not easy but try to set aside time each day for those positive affirmations.

Look Around — Even though things may seem bad look around you. Try to find things that you have, not things you don’t have. Also look at others. There are plenty of people who are worse off than you. Be thankful for the positive people in your life and the things you have.

Business will turn around. It always has in the past and there is no reason to believe it won’t in the future. Maintaining a “half empty” attitude or complaining about the situation won’t help. And don’t look for the quick fix. Anything worthwhile requires effort to achieve and having a positive attitude is part of that effort. Having a positive attitude is a choice. All we have to do is choose to look for the good. If that’s what you are looking for that’s exactly what you’ll find.