Only The Upside

Hello Friends!

As mentioned in last week's edition, it's been a busy few weeks. In the past month, I've held workshops at Harvard Business School, Rutgers University, Bentley University, University at Buffalo (several of those Universities more than once) - and a few more coming up. I'm also launching something new and exciting: a leadership academy building confidence and communication skills for middle school and high school aged students. I ran a pilot program over the summer as a 5-day summer camp and it was a success. Now, I'm building off that, implementing an annual academy that will run during the academic year, with a one-hour class once a week.

I'm no stranger to starting businesses or new ventures, and while working on this one, I thought about a necessary mindset required for success:

"Always focus on the Upside, never the Downside!"

The Downsides

It's easy for me to think about all the ways the new venture can fail:

"What if no one enrolls their kids into the program?"

"What if the kids don't like the program?"

"What if I don't have enough content?"

"What if it isn't effective?"

Most professionals tend to live in the world of downsides. It is one of the biggest demotivators that can severely hamper productivity and self-confidence. If you constantly think about the downsides of future actions or decisions, then you lose opportunities on seeing the upside. In other words, when you aren't thinking about the good, you are only thinking about the bad. Studies have shown that consistent negative thoughts train the brain to remain in that state. The results are limiting beliefs, low confidence, risk aversion, inaction, and/or analysis paralysis, to name a few.

Avoiding the downsides does not mean ignoring it when strategizing and planning. It is important to prepare for worst-case scenarios, as long as you do not become fixated on those scenarios and make it your mindset.

The Upsides

When you think about the positives, the possibilities, the benefits, the advantages or anything else that can result a best-case scenario, you are then filled with motivation. You start seeing what can be and that way of thinking will allow you to embrace the mistakes and failures along the way. For my new venture, my mindset has been:

"What if I have too much demand?"

"What if the parents want classes twice a week?"

"What if I have neighboring towns asking for this program?"

"What if I need to hire help? What would that look like?"

Whether or not you believe in manifesting a desired future, thinking about the upsides will help you get there much quicker because your actions will always be based of that. The upsides are never a guarantee, but they can become a reality and that in itself should be a driver and motivator. 

Corporate professionals can learn a lot from this mentality. Rather than thinking: "I have so much work on my plate.", ask yourself what would be the upside to this? Maybe the thought is: "Having a lot of work means I'm needed, and that being needed gives me a path to career advancement."

Parting Words

There's a movie from the early 90s titled "A Bronx Tale" starring Robert De Niro. In the movie, Robert De Niro's son is mentored by a local mob boss. There's a scene in which the son chases a person that owes him $20. The mob boss calls the son over and questions him about this scenario. The son mentions that he doesn't like the person he lent the money to. The mob boss tells the son "If you don't like the guy, think about it this way. For $20, this person will be out of your life for good.". In other words, don't look at the downside that the money wasn't repaid, but rather the upside that a crooked person will no longer be a bother. That scene always stuck with me and made me realize how important it is to think positively. It made me recognize the value of perspective shifts. Give this perspective shift a try and see how it might change your viewpoint.

Enjoy your week friends!!

If you are interested in improving your speaking, communication skills and confidence, schedule a call with me or learn more about communication coaching here.

Thought Of The Week

A weekly thought to meditate, ruminate, and/or ponder on:

“Keep your face always toward the sunshine—and shadows will fall behind you.”

- Walt Whitman