Pollyanna, with her positive thinking has gotten a bum rap over the years. Most people say they have "tried" positive thinking and that "kind of thing," and it doesn't work in a negative world. For you who are growing a successful virtual assistant business, you may be wondering how Pollyanna's approach could possibly help you.
For one very important thing, you can be sure that whether you are trying to impress people at a business networking event or are interviewing with a potential employer or client to be their virtual assistant, your attitude - your "vibe" speaks as loudly as does your appearance. This is not only true when interviewing in person, but if by phone or Skype, the "vibe" or "energy" of your thoughts, feelings and attitude can be sensed by the other person. He or she may not be able to put their finger on it, but it could be the very factor that throws your application out and someone else's in!
Let's look at a fact about positive thinking which may surprise you. The Mayo Clinic has reported that optimistic thinking and optimistic people seem to experience various benefits to their health; such as lowering risks for heart problems, increasing life span and experiencing less depression, to name a few. In addition they say that positive thinkers manage stress better and have less of a tendency to engage in unhealthy behaviors. Equally important to note is that pessimism can have the profoundly opposite effect.
The fact is that positive psychology (as it is called in higher education) is a serious discipline that came out of scientific laboratories and the scholarly research of respected and established psychologists in clinical, developmental and social psychology fields.
The great news is that you have the power to choose precisely how you want to feel and experience life! At the basis of positive thinking is the understanding that you are the controller of your mind. You have the power to shift your thinking at any time.
This may sound simple in theory, but it isn't so easy in practice. However, it can mean all the difference for you as a professional virtual assistant. How you think and look at your business and your life will affect the kinds of clients you attract to you and how many. Just as the Mayo Clinic observes positive thinkers experience better health, a positive attitude is far more attractive of other good people, experiences and outcomes, and especially, potential employers or clients for your virtual assistant services.
What do employers look for when hiring or evaluating a potential employee? What shows up when a boss is doing an annual review of an employee? How do people experience and perceive others? The common denominator here is ...ATTITUDE!
In your virtual assistant business what do you tell yourself that brings you down or contributes in a negative way to your success, or lack thereof? Do you guard your thoughts and the words you say about yourself?
Life can get you down. There are so many challenges hitting people these days, from economic ones to health, relationships and more. So what are some things you can do to shift into a more positive mind frame when challenges in your life may seem dark, heavy and to overshadow the good?
- You have the power to change what you say to yourself about yourself! Practice positive self-talk to improve your outlook on life.
- Keep company with positive, upbeat possibility thinkers. It is contagious and powerful, and who you associate with does indeed make a difference.
- Stay away from negative and depressing video games, television, people and environments.
- Write down five (or more) things you are grateful for in a journal each and every night or morning.
- Spend time writing down the more positive phrases you would like to tell yourself that refute and turn
around those negative thoughts you have in your head.
- Make a list of all the good qualities, talents and characteristics about yourself that you can think of.
- Finally, honestly assess your virtual assistant business. If there are areas you need to improve then set goals to do so. Acknowledge what your business already has going for it and build on these things.
One additional resource is this article from the Harvard Health publication from Harvard Medical School has some great information and suggestions to help as well.
Happy Pollyanna-ing!
About the Author:
Rev. Dr. Christina Winsey is a women's empowerment and health coach, and author and speaker. Her clients recovery from food addiction, lose weight, reduce stress, gain confidence, improve health, and maximize happiness! See her blog at www.ChristinaWinsey.com, or her website at www.TheICanDoctor.com
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