No matter what your professional situation was when the scale of the COVID-19 pandemic became apparent in early 2020, there’s a strong chance that the following weeks and months stretched your patience as far as it would go. It’s extremely difficult to be optimistic about much of anything when so many lives (and livelihoods) are being lost around the world.
At this point, though, we’ve become somewhat accustomed to this terrible situation. We’ve accepted that there’s no sense in dwelling on the negatives — particularly as far as business is concerned. People still need to make money to support themselves and their families. And if you’ve been in a funk recently, it’s time for you to get out of it.
That’s easier said than done, though — which is why you should look to the following tips for building (and maintaining) a positive business mindset as we contend with this pandemic:
Invest in some professional therapy
One of the best trends to reach the mainstream in recent years is the increasing acceptance of mental health as a key concern (and something that mustn’t be stigmatized). This trend has only become stronger during the pandemic, as so many more people now understand how difficult it is to live with extreme anxiety and issues with self-confidence — two things that are relatively mild as far as struggles with mental illness go.
If you’re going to improve your mindset, you need to work on your mental health. And while you can do this alone through activities such as meditation, you should seriously consider getting some help from a professional therapist or coach. If you’re feeling stuck in a rut and can’t get out, trying some breakthrough coaching might be the next step you’ve been looking for: it’s all about addressing the various small issues that can hold you back from achieving your potential.
Focus on realistic goals
Looking too far ahead isn’t a good idea right now, because you can’t know what the future holds — but that doesn’t mean you can’t set goals. Just choose some objectives that are realistic and short-term. For instance, you might set a target of growing your revenue by 10% in the next six months. If you reach it, you’ll feel accomplishment — and if you exceed it, you’ll be even more motivated to press on and see what you can achieve in the following six months
Eat better and exercise more
Building a positive business mindset isn’t all that different from building a positive mindset in general. Now more than ever before, our professional and personal lives blur together, and if you’re struggling with life overall then you won’t be able to make meaningful progress in your career. The aforementioned therapy will help — but so will looking after your physical health.
This is particularly worth noting because so many of us have spent so much time indoors recently, and it’s ruined our exercise routines. Now is the perfect time to get back to good habits. Choose your preferred exercise and get back to it. At the same time, improve your diet. Giving up junk food will be hard due to the stress, but it’s all in service of helping you in the long term.
Look at the success stories
Lastly, a key way to improve your mindset during this difficult time is to keep reminding yourself that not every business has fallen apart. Plenty of companies have been able to endure during this pandemic, and many have even managed to grow throughout it. This is particularly true in the ecommerce world where retailers have done huge business, being able to rely on robust online infrastructure and influencer marketing. Just look around you and think about how many companies and merchants are still going. If they’ve been able to survive this once-in-a-generation disaster, there’s no reason why you can’t go on to great success.