How Positive Thinking Leads to Success

By Sue Monhait |

Positive thinking can make all the difference when it comes to success in business … and life overall. If you’ve been hanging out with me a while, you already know I’m a big believer in the power of positivity. So, today I’d like to take a look at how positive thinking leads to success for you and your handmade product business.

We’ll explore how a positive outlook affects you, those around you, and what it does for your business. We’ll look at ways you can cultivate a more positive mindset and I’ll give you tips for staying motivated and believing in yourself. You’ll also find examples of successful people in the handmade industry who have used positive thinking to achieve their goals – to prove that you can benefit from its power too!

Ready to think positive? Let’s do it!

Positive Thinking Effects

Did you know that people who practice positive thinking feel more confident, make wiser decisions, are better at strategic planning and have stronger relationships with their customers?

And that’s not all. Research has shown that having a positive outlook can increase productivity, improve performance and boost creativity. It can also help you stay motivated and focused on reaching your goals despite challenges.

As I referenced before, positive thoughts lead to higher self-esteem and confidence, which in turn opens up opportunities that can lead to business growth. It also makes you more comfortable when communicating with business partners and team members, and promotes better decision-making when it comes to strategies for achieving goals.

And here’s something else really important, having a positive attitude helps you build stronger relationships with your customers. People are more likely to buy from you if you’re optimistic and enthusiastic about your products. Think of your own purchasing behavior. The energy projected from the creator of a product you’re considering buying can make or break your decision to follow through with the sale.

Research has also shown that positive thinking leads to increased job satisfaction, which in turn increases productivity for both you and your team. It’s been found to reduce stress levels, too, resulting in fewer sick days and an overall happier work environment.

Bottom line? Positive thinking can help you achieve more than you’ve thought possible and all along the way, feel great while doing it. So, what’s the secret to getting there?

How to Develop Positive Thinking

Developing a positive mindset starts with self-awareness. That means recognizing how your thoughts affect your behavior, attitudes and actions towards others.

Pay attention to your own self-talk

What goes on in that head of yours? When something goes awry do your thoughts immediately send blame and criticism back your way? Or do you have grace with yourself and learn from the situation so you can do better next time?

In essence, does your thinking naturally default to the positive or the negative? Consider too that we talk negatively to ourselves in more ways than one. There are actually at least 8 different types of negative self-talk:

Filtering – magnifying the negatives of a situation and filtering out the positives
Personalizing – automatically blaming yourself when something bad happens
Catastrophizing – anticipating the worst without evidence that it will happen
Blaming – shifting blame for things that happen to you
Saying you “should” do something – blaming yourself for all the things you “should” be doing but aren’t
Magnifying – making minor problems into a big deal
Perfectionism – trying to be perfect sets you up for failure
Polarizing – seeing things as only good or bad with no middle ground

Do you recognize any of these in yourself? Make a point to check in with yourself regularly to identify if any of these are cropping up.

Once you’ve identified the types of negative thinking that come up for you, start consciously replacing them with positive thoughts. Don’t discount this activity. It’s an incredibly valuable exercise to take the time to reflect on what thoughts you have and how they shape your actions and feelings.

Cultivating Positivity

An easy way to introduce more positivity into your day is to focus on gratitude. Dedicate a few moments each day to be thankful for all that you have in life. This will help keep your perspective and focus on the positive aspects of situations instead of getting caught up in negative thoughts.

I find it’s most helpful to incorporate gratitude into an already existing daily routine. Perhaps do this with your first cup of coffee, or as you prepare for the sleep at the end of the day.

You can also encourage a positive outlook by surrounding yourself with things that make you happy. Listen to uplifting music, watch inspiring movies, or read books that lift your spirits. Make an effort to engage in activities that bring you joy and peace.

If you’re curious, here’s my short list: My Happy List and Why it’s Important

Finally, try challenging yourself with small tasks you know you can complete but keep putting off. This will help as sense of achievement as well as knock some things off your “to do” list. Or do something that establishes a new healthy habit. Drink more water, walk outside in nature for 15 minutes a day, add time to journal or read as part of your regular routine. These are all things that will instill pride in yourself and boost your confidence.

Staying motivated

It’s necessary to consciously work at staying motivated and believing in yourself. You can do this by setting realistic goals that are achievable within a certain timeframe. A greater number of smaller snack-sized goals will make you feel more accomplished versus setting one super huge goal that will take months to complete.

And when setbacks occur, focus on the progress you’ve made rather than dwelling on what didn’t go the way you planned. Then create an alternative plan to accomplish the same task or goal. Remember, there is never only one way to do anything. If something doesn’t work, try something else!

The Power Of Positivity In The Handmade Community

There are many examples of people who have used positive thinking as a tool for achieving their goals. And that’s true in the handmade product community as well.

Listen to these makers whose belief in themselves led to their success:

These examples will inspire you to do the same in your own business!

How Positive Thinking Leads To Success

Positive thinking is a powerful tool that can help you reach your goals and achieve success as you define it. When you harness the power of positivity, you can become more productive, make better decisions and cultivate stronger relationships with partners and customers. And even more importantly, become more confident in yourself, your skills, and your ability to succeed.

It all starts with self-awareness and recognizing how your thoughts affect your attitude. From there, focus on gratitude to remind yourself of the positives in life. Surround yourself with things that make you happy and take small steps towards achieving your goals for increased confidence and motivation.

With a positive attitude, you can create the life you’ve always dreamed of.

Good luck and may the positive mindset be with you!

About the author, Sue

With over 30 years of business development and marketing experience, I've been fortunate to work with hundreds of companies of all sizes. Their needs range from start-up guidelines to advanced business building strategies. As current founder and owner of The Ribbon Print Company, we continue to recognize the need for these services ... not just for our customers but for the gifting industry as a whole. That's where the inspiration began for the Gift Biz Unwrapped Podcast and Blog.