It sounds very trite to say there’s only one thing you need to succeed. Of course there are many things you will need to succeed at an online business. You need the know-how/ability, training and a good strategy for the long-term. But there is one overriding thing which sets the achievers apart from the drop-outs. The key is your attitude. Your mindset will determine whether your business is a success or not and in this article I am going to outline why mindset is such an important part of your business.

Henry Ford

Henry Ford’s famous quote ‘Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right.” still holds true to this day. Belief is the controlling factor which determines whether or not you will even start out with a business venture. Without belief you will simply not even try. When things get tough remind yourself of this quote. Things will get tough. Those who stick it out for the long-term, no matter what this takes are the ones who reap the rewards. Everything starts with self belief, otherwise you will not even try. Not trying guarantees you to not succeed and you never fail until you quit, you simply learn (with the right attitude).

Mindset and Learning

Another popular quote is “If you keep doing what you have always done, you will keep getting what you’ve always gotten”. If you don’t think you need to change to bring about change, you will always be controlled by your attitudes and mindsets. Without changing yourself, it is very difficult to change your circumstances. Wise people don’t think they know it all. Having an attitude which questions your own beliefs is being open-minded. Having a mind closed to everything but what you already think you know, is being ‘set’ in your attitude. It’s very difficult to change if you think you know everything already. Empty your cup and see the world as a child again.

Your self-image controls you

A paradigm is a strongly held belief which controls your actions and thoughts. Many of our inner most beliefs control us without our awareness. Self-image is a controlling paradigm which holds us where we are in life. Unless we change our self-image, our circumstances are always bound to how we see ourselves. Whether it is a ‘poverty mindset’, a ‘poor me control drama’ or any other controlling paradigm, a poor self-image will always create more of what it believes itself worthy of. Self-image is often the stumbling block which stops us breaking through into the life we truly want. By becoming aware of our self-image, and changing it, we can shift this paradigm for greater success. Read Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz to learn more about self-image, and how to change it.

Attitude and Comfort Zones

Your business will also be controlled by your comfort zones. If your comfort zones are controlling your actions, you will find it hard to push through and attain more significant goals. Change happens outside comfort zones. Successful people know this and continually push themselves to new levels. Unless you are pushing yourself forwards, who is? One of the main goals of having your own business is to be autonomous and working for yourself. But unless you can also push yourself, you will always be constrained by what you prefer to do, rather than what you need to do. Again this comes down to your attitude and mindset. Are you motivated by success or stress? Whether you have a positive motivation ‘towards’ goal focused opportunities, or a negative motivation ‘away from’ stress, pain and fear, uncovering it can help you change and grow.

Positive Attitude

Having a positive attitude to what you are doing is obviously beneficial. You see obstacles as something to overcome which makes you stronger. It’s not that everyone is positive all the time. Quite the opposite. Everyone can become discouraged when things become difficult. It is how we deal with these difficulties which determines whether we will become successful or not at what we are doing.

Again this comes down to mindset. If you are discouraged, take a break and re-examine what is going wrong. Don’t just quit. Many people see roadblocks as insurmountable and just quit. Having the right mindset isn’t about always feeling positive. It is more about how you deal with your emotions and discouragements when they arise. The people who succeed with a online business don’t bury their head in the sand but instead see problems as opportunities for growth and to learn how to better understand their business and themselves.

Self Improvement

Self improvement can cover a wide range of things. But if you are in business for yourself, and are not improving yourself on a consistent basis, you can bet your business is taking the brunt of your lack of awareness. When you work for yourself, you are unaware of what you don’t know. How do you know the best practices for everything you are doing? Where do you get your inspiration and knowledge about how to effectively grow your business? Unless you are plugged into a community of other entrepreneurs and forward thinkers, it can be easy to rest on your laurels and fall behind. If your business isn’t going well, you can guarantee that improving your knowledge of your best business practices, is the best way to improve things. Everything comes from you when you work for yourself. You are the limiting factor in all the results of your life. People with successful businesses take self growth seriously and constantly invest in themselves, and not just in their business.

So although a successful online business also requires a lot of learning, tools, systems and technology, the main thing you can do to improve your business is to improve yourself. Having a positive mindset is not just about thinking positive and hoping for the best. There are a bunch of practical applications which can dramatically improve yourself and therefore your business too. This starts with mindset and attitude. Keep learning and never stop.

“A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer” – Bruce Lee

Motivation and Optimism

Keeping your motivation and optimism high is difficult to do alone. We are social creatures. Doing it all by yourself can become difficult over long periods. We need others to motivate us and to help us. Having a long-term focus for your online business is important for this too. Unless we can become part of something bigger than ourselves it is easy to fall into disillusionment and apathy. By regularly plugging yourself into a community or focus group of some kind you can keep up the momentum for your business.

Without keeping your motivation up, your mindset can dwell on the negative. You can doubt yourself and your business. Before long doubting friends can pull you down. Keeping your mindset positive is an important part of growing your online business. To do this you need to be around other positive people who have similar goals. If you are surrounded by naysayers who doubt you and don’t really want to see you succeed, they can easily get the better of you over time. Stay positive by being around other positive people.

Set goals and hold yourself accountable to them. Make the small steps you take each day lead you to your long-term goals and visions.