When you think about a successful business, you may think about an outstanding product or service or perhaps a marketing campaign that has impacted the way you think, and you may even think about business management and how to keep your finances in control.
But, have you ever thought about your emotional health?
It may seem weird for me to bring emotions to a business topic, but the way you feel has a massive impact on your business.
Don’t believe me?
Let’s imagine for a moment that you had a terrible day. Everything that could go wrong went wrong and even worse. You feel angry, down and depressed, and you have to attend a meeting with a possible client or business partner. How do you think perform at that meeting?
I know you would give your best to make it successful, but all the stress you accumulated through the day would weigh you down. The other person would feel that something is not going well or maybe think that you are not bringing the right energy to the project.
Remember, it’s all about how you make your customers feel. If you are not in a positive mindset, and your emotional wellbeing is out of whack, your emotions will propagate to your potential clients.
Now, let’s change the narrative, what happens if after you had a terrible day, and you knew you had this critical meeting later in the day, you decided to take 30 minutes to rebalance yourself.
Maybe journaling your thoughts and feelings, perhaps listening to some music that brings happy memories or taking the time for a quick walk around the block to clear your mind and bring you into a positive mindset.
How do you think you would perform?
Yes, you may feel that stepping away from your problems for 30 minutes would be a terrible idea, but it’s not true. You are gaining perspective and clearing both your mind and heart from the stress that could cloud your judgment.
And allow me to repeat it, it’s not just clearing your mind, your heart also needs to find balance, if you align your heart and mind with your purpose, there is nothing you can’t achieve.
As a small business owner, I can tell you that this is one of the things that have revolutionized my business. Keeping tabs and being completely honest with myself about my emotional health has changed the way I approach and interact with my clients.
If you ask them, most of them would tell you that I always come with an open and positive attitude to any meeting, and we may be facing challenges during a project, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t have fun while we walk towards our combined success.
This open and positive attitude I try to carry is by design. I devote at least 5 minutes before any meeting to center myself, take a few deep breaths and remind myself that I can positively impact the world through my work.
Yeah, it may sound a bit corny, but that helps me be in the right mindset.
I want you to try something similar the next time you get ready for a meeting, or to write a blog post or social media update. Take a few deep breaths, connect with your emotions and ask yourself questions like:
- How am I feeling right now?
- Is there something bothering me?
- What can I do to shift my energy into a more positive state?
- Do I need to take care of something before I do this?
- How can I positively impact my audience with this action?
You don’t have to run through all these questions, but you get the idea. You need to take time to connect with yourself in a meaningful way and make sure you are ready to give your best.
If you continue practicing this awareness, it will soon become a habit, and you will see how you can dramatically improve the way you do business. Because once you have a positive emotional state, it’s incredibly easy to share that with your readers and customers, and that will make them want to be near you.