How to Deal with Negativity in Your Environment?

I encounter clients daily who come to me for coaching due to a lack of support and understanding from their environment. We all know how powerful suggestion is, and if you are bombarded daily with bad news in the media and negativity from your immediate surroundings, many lose faith in themselves and their entrepreneurial endeavors.

The power of those around us is so strong, so gradual that at first, we do not even notice how it affects us. I am sure you know people who can enter a room and drain all your energy. Are there people in your life who constantly criticize and complain about every action you take? Are there people in your life who, by simply calling you on the phone, bring tension, stress, and chaos into your day? Along with this, fears often arise, what and how to proceed? With fears come excuses that initially seem very logical to us. Then you start to find yourself in a vicious circle from which you see no way out. The worst thing you can do is give up.

Even successful entrepreneurs feel fear, indeed. The difference is that they have learned to face fear and act and take all necessary steps despite it. They try to turn it to their advantage, see it as a challenge, an opportunity to do something new, something they have not done before, and that fear motivates them to lift their heads and move forward.
Instead of looking at obstacles and how something cannot be done, they seek opportunities and find solutions for every obstacle. They constantly ask themselves, ‘What else can I do?’ By focusing on solutions, fear slowly dissipates, and in its place come feelings of satisfaction and fulfillment that they have accomplished something. Results then appear on their own. They do not succeed in everything, but if they manage to turn just one thing or situation to their advantage, they have achieved a lot. The worst is to do nothing. In this way, they build and strengthen their self-confidence and self-esteem. Instead of giving up when difficulties arise, when they do not have enough money, when they fear they will not be able to cover all expenses, they have the courage to move forward, think clearly, learn, read, attend various trainings, seek advice from other entrepreneurs, seek help from coaches, advisors, come up with new ideas and new actions. They have the courage to do whatever it takes to find solutions and new ways of acting.

My client faced this problem. Nataša has been an entrepreneur for four years, dealing with the wholesale of a natural cosmetic line for facial and body care. She had already considered closing her company because wherever she turned, she encountered only criticism and condemnation, even from her closest friends and some colleagues. She did not have the support of her family, and in such an atmosphere, she almost faltered and gave up on her dreams and goals. Almost daily, she heard phrases like: ‘These are tough times, no one has money’, ‘Who buys expensive cosmetics now?’, ‘You won’t be able to collect payment for your goods’, ‘You’d better do something else’, ‘You will fail like others’, etc.

The first thing I did with Nataša was to change her focus and way of thinking from what she does not want to what she does want. This helped her reawaken her reasons for wanting to become and be an entrepreneur. What does she gain from this? What benefit does she and her company have? How will she be different as a person when she achieves her goals? How will she behave and feel then?

Therefore, it is very important to return to the beginnings of your entrepreneurship and remember the enthusiasm, passion, motivation, and values for which you started your own business. Once you rediscover your personal ‘why’, you will be much more prepared to confront your environment and all negativity because your reasons will give you the necessary motivation to persevere on the path you have chosen. They say that passion is a combination of love and hate. If we do not have passion for what we do, it will be hard to succeed in it. Passion gives us the energy for life. If you want something you do not have, discover why you love what you want and why you hate that you do not have what you want. When you combine these two opposing thoughts, you will gain new energy to get moving and overcome difficulties.