Positive Affirmations Provide Business Encouragement

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“I’m good enough, smart enough, and doggone it, people like me.”

The fictional character Stuart Smalley would repeat this affirmation on episodes of the television show Saturday Night Live.

While the show poked fun at such mottoes, in reality, these assertions could be helpful.

Positive affirmations are statements that affirm positive things, provide support, and basically say good things about people.

Since operating a business (and life in general) could be difficult, such statements could offer some much-needed encouragement. Some examples of positive affirmations include

I am capable

Believing we can do something gives us the confidence to pursue it.

It relates to the old saying “fake it until you make it.” By believing in ourselves–or even pretending to believe in ourselves–we’re spending more time projecting confidence instead of doubting ourselves.

I am not my mistakes

Everyone makes mistakes, and no one is immune to failure.

After we fail, we should remember that we failed at a specific task. We’re not failures as people.

I have the ability to learn

No one knows everything.

There’s often so much to learn, from your office’s new computer software to ways to deal with your relatives and colleagues. Giving ourselves permission to admit that we don’t know something could be freeing. It allows us to learn and expand.

I can apply what I’ve learned

Learning doesn’t just happen in the present.

Recording what we’ve learned, or reading what we’ve written in the past, could help us apply our past lessons and improve the present and the future. Experience is often an excellent teacher.

I am advancing my career

Sometimes, while working to build and sustain a business, we lose track of the big picture.

Since we’re so fixated on handling day-to-day issues, we might forget why we’re working. It could be helpful to remind ourselves that all our work is enhancing our career. All of our tasks, big and small, could help us thrive.

I am making progress

Business success is ultimately personal success.

Advancing your career is also advancing your life. If you experience a setback, it could be helpful to remember that you’re still further along than you were. Progress doesn’t happen overnight, but it does happen, and it moves you forward.

I know that good things take time

When we’re progressing, we should remember that a career is a marathon, not a sprint.

Overnight successes happen, but they’re exceptions, not the rule. Building a career is usually an incremental process, so expecting to achieve all goals instantly could set ourselves up for disappointment. Embracing steady progress is more realistic and better for our mental health.

I can ask for help

Sometimes we need assistance.

There’s no shame in being assertive and asking for assistance. No one is self-contained, and many people are eager to help. You’ve also probably helped others as well, so you know that a little assistance could go a long way.

I am helping others

By being in business, you’re also helping others.

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You could be providing cleaning services, medical care, or other assistance, or you could be making or distributing a useful product. Whatever you do, remember that your business helps others as well as yourself.

I am grateful

Affirmations could also help you recognize the good in your life.

Gratitude could sustain us. Operating a business is challenging, and things won’t always go the ways we’d like. But being grateful for other things and people could counterbalance rough situations and less-than-positive people.

I am aware that everything is temporary

Such bad times–and good times–are temporary.

When times are bad, it’s good to remember that they usually won’t last. Similarly, being aware that good times are temporary isn’t pessimistic. It’s a reminder to prepare for things that could happen.

I have been successful in the past and will be in the future

In fact, reframing our thoughts could help us view the present and the future.

Instead of criticizing ourselves after setbacks, we could remind ourselves of other times where we’ve faced obstacles and triumphed. These reminders could help repair our self-esteem and restore our motivation.

I enjoy what I do

Most people don’t enjoy every aspect of their jobs.

But there are probably at least one or two factors that drew you to your business. Try to remember what they are and focus on them when things become rough.

I know that success requires effort

Enjoying our jobs is important, but so is working at them.

We don’t need to overwork ourselves or deny ourselves balanced lives. But we do need to acknowledge that good things occur because of effort, and that success is sweeter when we’ve earned it.

I have multiple opportunities

Even after putting forth effort, a project might not turn out the way you’d planned.

If you’ve created and worked for that opportunity, there are chances to begin other goals and work toward them. You’ve shown initiative in the past and could find it again to create additional opportunities.

I am allowed to be scared

Fear has a bad reputation, but it’s a common emotion.

Doing what frightens us could be exhilarating. It could be useful to remember that everyone is scared sometimes, so being scared doesn’t make you weak. It makes you human.

I can’t control what other people think

We might worry about what people think of us.

Again, that’s common, but we can’t control thoughts. We might as well do what we were going to do instead of twisting to conform to the ideas of others. Besides, people are usually so wrapped up in their own lives that they’re probably not thinking of us like we think they are.

I have the power to change

Change is constant, in business and in life.

When things aren’t working well or we want a new challenge, we have the ability to change our circumstances.

Leaving the old and adopting the new might be frightening, but so is staying the same while the world changes around you. You have the power to change your life and others’ in so many ways.