Startup Guides > How To Overcome 3 Horrifying Mental Challenges In Business

Whether you're a startup or established entrepreneur looking to grow, you'll probably have to deal with common mental challenges along the way to success.

NEGATIVE THINKING

Slumps happen in business and life. Start asking positive questions when you find yourself thinking: "I'm not good enough. I can't do this. Nothing is going right." Try: "What's good about this situation? What tools and resources do I need to move in the direction I want to go?"

Asking yourself better questions can help you move forward. Perhaps the big client you lost wasn't the best fit anyway, and now you have the bandwidth to service a bigger, better customer.

EXHAUSTION

Even the most resilient business owners can get fatigued from putting so much into their businesses. Make sure you eat healthy food, get enough sleep, and take breaks ranging from a few hours where you disconnect to a few days away.


If that's not possible, take a psychological vacation. Get to a place where you'll be uninterrupted for five or 10 minutes. Breathe deeply and visualize yourself relaxing in a beautiful setting, like at the beach. Research has long shown the positive effects of meditation on stress levels, health, concentration, and productivity.

FEAR

When fear becomes paralyzing, focus on the moment. Don't think about the past or worry about the future. Instead, determine the very next thing you have to do to get the outcome you want.

If you're worried about closing a big deal, make a list of the tasks that will give you the best possible advantage, such as studying competitors' strengths and weaknesses, writing a killer proposal, and polishing your presentation. Then, tackle that to-do list, one-by-one.

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