Why a Positive Mindset will Help Grow Your STR Business

November 3rd, 2020

“Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right.” - Henry Ford

I’m a big believer in positive thinking. When you think positively, good things happen.

Unfortunately, so many of us grow up hearing “you can’t do that,” or “we can’t afford that” and we start to believe it.

In fact, it’s become ingrained in our own brains--so much so that we’re holding ourselves back without even thinking about it.

Thankfully, there’s something called neuroplasticity that can help.

As children, we learn from our environment. If we grow up in an environment where we’re told there are limitations to what we can do and where we can go, it sticks with us.

As adults, we can make the decision to change our thoughts and our path, and neuroplasticity is what makes that happen. Neuroplasticity allows the brain to create new connections and re-wire itself.

Neuroplasticity literally means your brain is re-learning how to react to certain situations and environments, creating new pathways or repairing damaged ones. And the more you work on it, the easier it is for your brain to adapt.

Of course, it’s not as simple as telling yourself that you’re going to change your thinking; there’s a process to it. But it’s possible for everyone. Here are some tools that will help.

In your work to retrain your brain, start thinking about how your new positive perspective can help you grow your business. Because right now, my guess is that it’s those old messages that are holding you back.

Here are some ways that positive thinking can help you in both business and in life.

Open Your Mind to New Possibilities

When we’re having a bad week (or year, thank you 2020!), we start to adapt a fixed mindset. Because of the things going on in the world, we think that we can’t take action or move forward.

If you look at the tensions of this year and think about how you can grow personally and professionally in spite of the craziness of 2020, you can open your mind to creative new possibilities that you hadn’t thought of before.

For example, we have some students who lost their day jobs this year due to COVID. Rather than give up, they doubled down their investments in themselves to start and grow a thriving short term rental business. This wasn’t on their radar in January, but by mid-year they had taken action on something they didn’t know was possible before.

Law of Attraction

Have you ever had a really bad morning that grew into a horrible day? You woke up late, causing you to snap at your kids or partner. Because you were angry, you spilled coffee on your shirt on the way out the door--but didn’t have time to go back and change. On the way to work, you faced terrible rush hour traffic. So of course, your boss was (impatiently) waiting for you when you got to the office. Everything feels bad.

And the day just spiraled from there. What if you turned the day around from the moment you woke up and looked at waking up later than normal as a blessing? Your body was telling you that it needed more rest--which you got. Maybe the traffic on the way to work saved you from getting into a car accident.

You attract what you put out into the world. When you put out positivity, good things will find you. The same goes for negativity.

I know it’s easier said than done, but try to find positivity in each part of your day and your life. It’s really not as bad as it feels right now. I promise.

Bounce Back Quickly from Setbacks

It’s natural to experience negative emotions when something goes wrong. And we’ll always have things go wrong in life and business.

When you have a positive mindset, you’re able to make shifts and pivots that allow you to bounce back quickly from setbacks.

Let’s take 2020 as an example. There has been a lot of negativity in the world this year. And everyone has been impacted by it--from a global pandemic to racial tensions and social unrest to tropical storms to raging wildfires to the economic downturn. No one has been left unscathed.

When the pandemic closed down travel in the U.S., I lost the audience I was targeting in my short term rental business--business travelers. They simply weren’t traveling anymore. Rather than throw up my hands and give up, I looked at the positive: there were people still traveling. Nurses needed places to stay when they were helping out in another hospital. First responders who were assisting with fires or social tensions needed places to stay.

Even in the midst of all the garbage that was happening, I was able to pivot in my business and make it work. I was able to bounce back from setbacks that I had no control over.

At the end of the day, you may not be able to control what’s going on in the world but you can control your own mindset and how you react to adversity. Your mind is capable of so much, if you allow it to.How are you reacting to challenges? I encourage you to find the positive and watch your business grow!

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