I wasn’t always a positive person. Being pushed around as a kid made me pretty angry. I hated being shoved into lockers, I hated being terrible at sports, and I hated not fitting in.
At the same time, I was driven to prove myself. When I was introduced to entrepreneurship, I realized I needed to change if I wanted to find success. I was tired of being angry. I needed to focus on the upside of things, so I made the decision to change. That was the key word: decision.
So how did I go from being a broke college kid to a 24-year-old self-made millionaire in just a few short years?
I began reading books daily, I became a student of positive people, I opened a high interest online savings account, and I started attending a weekly leadership conference. One day, I heard the speakers say, “Your thoughts and beliefs got you to where you are today, so are you happy? If not, you need to make a change.” I wasn’t happy. I wasn’t where I wanted to be. It was at that moment that I revamped my view on how I should operate in the world. Within a few months, my friends – and my clients – started calling me “Mr. Positivity.”
And here’s the hard truth: If you don’t buy into a bulletproof wall of positivity, you won’t make it as an entrepreneur.
Buy into Positivity
Business is a world of ups and downs. You can’t let a bad day drag down your entire month. You can’t let a bad month impact your year, because soon it won’t just be one bad year; it’ll be five. If your mindset is negative, then only negative things will happen; if your mindset is confident that better times are coming, great things will happen. What you think shapes how you feel, which dictates what you do, which determines what you get, which results in what you become.
Shift to a Positive Mindset
Previously, I was radiating negative energy. Once I became a more positive person, my energy changed – and so did my attractiveness to others. When my first six-figure investor approached me for a domain name, he said, “I’m not investing in this project – I’m investing in you.” And that is exactly how each investor, partner, and prospective client is thinking about you as a business leader.
There are three things you can do right now to create a bulletproof mindset – and become more attractive. They might sound hokey, but all of us can benefit from more positivity, and subsequently more success, in our lives. Make these three habits part of your daily life, and I promise that you will have a prosperous and successful entrepreneurial career.
1.) Write down ten affirmations that you aspire to achieve on a piece of paper. The idea is to figure out what you want or have not achieved yet, and write these goals down as if they’ve already happened: “I am an incredible entrepreneur,” “I deserve all of my success,” “I am a millionaire,” and so on.
Upon waking in the morning, read your affirmations out loud with pride and confidence. Really believe in what you’re saying. Try it for 30 days, and see how your mindset becomes more upbeat.
2.) Take a few hours to write out your perfect day if money and time were not obstacles. Be as descriptive as you can, from sun up til sun down. This will expand your vision and erase your limitations. Read the entire thing out loud daily for 30 days. Envision it. Make it yours. Watch your life change.
I firmly believe that thoughts become reality. Your thoughts will lead you to take the correct actions to achieve your goals. Dream big and design your life.
3.) Surround yourself with positive people. Like it or not, the people around you have a big impact on your life. Author Jim Rohn says your success is directly related to the top five people you spend your time with. They can impact how much money you make and how far you get in your career.
Once I stopped associating with people who were lazy and negative and started spending time with people who wanted to find success, my own su
ccess soared. I sought out people I could learn from. When I passed expensive cars in parking lots, I would approach the owners, ask to buy them lunch, and pick their brains. Knowledge is everywhere; I just had to take the first step to find it.
Find Your Success
I started asking myself whether success or comfort was more important to me – those were the choices I was really fluctuating between. The final choice wasn’t hard to make.
Clients and customers want to invest in – and do business with – people who have good energy and people they can trust. Having a bright outlook will attract people to you, and it will earn you the reputation and foundation you need to be successful. It’s not something you can fake, and it’s not something you can learn in a day, but it can change your life.
Aaron Pitman is the president and founder of API Domain Investments, a domain name development firm. Aaron is an angel investor and an entrepreneurial thought leader, and he has built successful companies in the areas of voice over IP, health supplements, Internet investments, real estate and product placement consulting. A 24-year-old self-made millionaire, Aaron is a positivity nut on a mission to inspire others to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams. He welcomes anyone to reach out to him @aaronpitman.
