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Attitudes more
important than facts! I fully agree
with Peale that attitudes matter more than anything else does. Nothing
will help a businessperson if she/he thinks negatively. Piles of
money and the best contacts in the world can get you only so far;
if you believe in luck, she too will abandon you if you sport a
poor attitude. You cannot expect to do well at studies, housekeeping,
in politics, a profession or a business with a negative outlook
in life. An attitude
is a settled opinion or a way of thinking. No one comes into this
world with a fully formed set of ideas and opinions. Our experiences
and perceptions form our ideas. If your parents viewed life positively
and your teachers did the same, you would have in all likelihood
ended up a positive individual. As we grow
up and get exposed to the world outside, those experiences too affect
our attitudes. No one is hopelessly stuck with a poor attitude if
they only wish to change. As a lotus springs up through the mud,
we too surely can come out a mire of negative thought. I grew up with
positive thinking. When there are challenges in business, which
seem unconquerable, I draw upon that to sustain me through those
times. This ability to draw on inner strength is a must if you wish
to succeed. This view is supported by many that have reached the
top of the business world. "Don't
ever say 'No' and 'Can't" Deshamanya N U Jayawardena advises
small business people in the first issue of Athwela Business Journal.
"Don't accept the 'No's and 'Can't' others tell you either."
The former Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka and entrepreneur
extraordinaire reached those dizzy heights armed with such positive
sentiments. Or should we say insulated with positive thinking and
a firm self-confidence? You will certainly
need that type of insulation if you are dreaming of starting your
own business. I am not advising you to live in a fool's paradise
and ignore all about facts. But, after you know your foundation
is solid enough, you need to believe in your own dream stubbornly
and to hold on fast. Flexibility is also a necessary quality in
an entrepreneur. Around the world, in earthquake prone areas and
in areas where there will be typhoons, buildings are built with
flexible foundations that can withstand those pressures. If these
are solidly built as elsewhere, they will rupture and collapse under
pressure. So, leave room for flexibility to enable you to adapt
as you build the foundations for your business. You are setting
out on a long, unending journey when you start your own business.
So you need to be well prepared to face the best and the worst of
times. Difficult times as well as unprepared-for successes have
resulted in business failure. Remember that for each 10 small businesses
which succeed, ninety or more fail. This means
that there are more lessons of success to be learnt from failures.
Problems they face could be economic, market, financial or simple
lack of planning. But, it would be a pity if a good business idea
had to be abandoned because of impatience or lack of perseverance.
This is why a positive attitude is needed to sustain you in challenging
times. All this pep
talk, my dear reader, may look out of place in a business column.
It may sound like preaching. But, from my own experience in business,
I know that it may end up being the defining factor for your future
success. After all, everyone who starts the type of business you
are planning will operate under more or less the same economic and
competitive conditions. Each will have their challenges and financial
pressures. Some will have an easier time than others will. But,
finally, as a poem says, "sooner or later, the one who wins
is the one who thinks he can!" So believe in your dream and
in yourself. Let us remember
that "They Conquer Who Believe They Can" as we go forward
in the business planning process over the next few weeks. If you
need a regular dose of positive thinking, subscribe to Ezine Athwela,
the first email magazine of Sri Lanka. Subscription is FREE. Send
your request to ezine_athwela@sltnet.lk We invite you
to bring your concerns as an entrepreneur or a small businessperson
into this forum. Your views and ideas will help us give you better
value through this column. Please send your comments to btimes@wijeya.lk
or call us on 074-304100. The writer
is the Managing Editor of Athwela Vyaparika Sangarawa (Athwela Business
Journal), the only Sinhala management monthly targeting the small
and medium sized business operators and its English version, Small
Business International to be launched next month. |
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