Even The Bad Times Are Good

By Steven Foster, director George Thomas International

Albert Einstein: We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.

Times are tough and they’re getting tougher, it’s getting more and more difficult to do business, might as well pack up and go home, right?
Wrong. Very wrong indeed.
In fact, this is the perfect moment to make 2011 the year you start getting things right.
Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) need to look at the current economic climate and realise this is the biggest opportunity they’ve ever had. Make a success of things now and think how well you’ll be doing when the wheel turns again – as it surely will do – and everything picks up.
Too many businesses focus on current results and get mired in negativity, they end up stuck in a rut and condemn themselves to repeating the same results over and over again.
Instead of focusing on what you don’t want to happen, focus hard on what you do want to happen. And feel optimistic about things in general – going about your business in expectation of positive outcomes is half the battle. All too often businesses begin a project with all their hopes pinned on a single factor, if that doesn’t come to pass, those hopes fade and negativity sets in.
Far better then to adopt a positive outlook and trust yourself to see your optimism pay off. Self-belief drives optimism so while your competitors are focusing on how bad things are for their business, look for the opportunities to further your own business and be assured you will be able to take advantage of them.
The Law of Polarity teaches us that there’s no left without a right, no inside without an out, no bad without good. So, if the economic situation is bad there must also be something good about it. Trust in your own ability to find that opportunity and to make the most of it.
Of course there will be problems along the way. Problems are inevitable, it’s in the nature of things. So the key to successful business is to become a better problem solver; and a positive problem-solving approach is far more productive and effective for your business than a negative, problem-raising attitude.
It’s important not to ignore a problem, sweeping it under the carpet is not the same as dealing with it. Attack problems with a razor-sharp focus and a real passion for solving them. Having understood the problem you’ll find you are halfway to solving it already and if you’re going about your business expecting positive outcomes you’ll know you are going to work through it.
It’s not as if you’re alone. There are hundreds of thousands of SMEs at the moment all in the same boat. Get to know your business peers at networking events, go online and join business forums, find out how other businesses are faring, share your positive ideas and listen to what others are saying.
Having built up a fuller picture of how things are, draw up a plan for your success. Work out how to turn the recession into the best opportunity for your business, then take massive action. Work hard and diligently to make your business a success, often to the exclusion of other things. Your goals must be matched by your actions and if your business goals are massive, then so must your actions be massive.
And enjoy it. Nothing is achieved in misery so have fun while you’re working hard; take pleasure from your work and be happy about the success that will follow.
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Steven Foster, MD of George Thomas International, explains the Law of Polarity and says the current economic downturn is the perfect time to be starting a business

Steven Foster knows a thing or two about thinking your way to success. Having left school at the age of 16 without a qualification to his name, by the time he was 30 he had built and lost a business that was turning over millions. Undeterred, he took stock and reordered his life, shaping the future according to his own Principles of Positive Business. He now runs GTI, the successful creative agency responsible for ground-breaking digital lifestyle products. greatideas@george-thomas.com

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