Paula Jensen, The Community Coach

Living in a small town, we are often inclined to see change in our community as a threat to ourselves and our way of life. When we feel threatened by change, uncertainty rears its ugly head and our negativity often takes over. We say things like

“What’s wrong with the way we’ve always done it?”

or “Why do we need something new? The old one’s just fine.”

or “We can’t afford that.”

or “That will never work, we’ve tried it before.”

And, sometimes we just outright disguise our negativity as facts, experience, or helpful guidance.

Every day as a community coach I work with rural changemakers to develop their thriving small towns. These passionate people explore what’s possible and create local vision. They work diligently to engage more people in the process and listen with curiosity to make ideas stronger. They seek outside resources and partnerships to fund projects. But along the way, these rural changemakers always encounter one common denominator – negativity.

One rural changemaker stated this:

When the negative voices in our community start to make noise, it pulls us away from our purpose and each other… pretty soon people start believing what’s the loudest rather than searching for what’s possible.”

How to change the negativity habit

So, the overarching question is, how might a community change its negativity habit? James Clear, author of Atomic Habits writes:

The root of behavior change and building better habits is your identity. Each action you perform is driven by the fundamental belief that it is possible. So, if you change your identity (what you believe you are), then it is easier to change your actions.”

If you agree with James Clear that building better habits starts with changing your identity, then the answer to the question above is to create a new community identity. What if you became known as a thriving community of rural changemakers?

It can start with one. One rural changemaker – YOU – can master your own mindset and manage the negativity habit that exists around you. Then ask other rural changemakers to join you on this quest for a thriving community.

Practical steps to take

As you gather your crowd of rural changemakers and engage with others who are stuck in the negativity habit take these conscious actions to constructively engage

1. Show confidence in your skills, abilities, and your new identity as a rural changemaker.
2. Listen to others intently and with curiosity to shift from problem mode to solution mode.
3. Say, “I don’t have the answer right now.” Diffuse negativity by tactfully supplying a well-thought-out response later.
4. Redirect conversations by talking about what’s possible.
5. Ask for solutions that could resolve problems from the past.
6. Turn complaints into opportunities by brainstorming ideas.
7. Focus on what is within your control, not things you cannot control.
8. Test innovative ideas by implementing short 30-day action plans.
9. Celebrate your successes to create a community buzz.
10. Become stronger together by recognizing all the good things going on in the community and share those stories publicly.

Cutting out every bit of negativity is unrealistic, but we can learn to live responsively instead of reactively, being positive when others are negative. If we simply ensure our attitude as a rural changemaker aligns with our community’s vision, together we can and will thrive into the next generation.

Photo (CC) by Roland, on Flickr

Are you getting what you want out of your business?

Quite often, we, as people, get into a funk. We take a look at our surroundings and wish that things were different. This certainly holds true for small-business owners.  So what can we do to change our attitude and direction? Last month, I discussed one activity you might try during this time, finding ways to grow the business.

Another tack we can take is consider the negative habits you may have allowed to build that are now stopping you in your tracks.

One such behavior that impacts your effectiveness is negativity. Everything and everyone is against us. It’s doom and gloom and not sunshine and light. And the more we think that way, the more it seems to be our reality (whether it is or not).

A second habit that we may have is procrastination. None of us like to do all of the tasks we need to. It is much easier to sit than to force ourselves to start a project we dislike.  And the act of just sitting around may lead to a third non-productive behavior, boredom.

We may also be allowing complacency or procrastination to keep us from our goal. Finally, all of this may seem like to much to deal with so we simply look to find distractions. Social media and online surfing makes that easy to do today.

So what can the small-business owner do to move past such habits?

As you might expect, you must identify the habit and then determine how you will move past it. Your response will vary somewhat for each habit but remember that your mental attitude really is in control. Learn more about the ones you need to overcome. As you read and listen, methods of change will be provided and your mind will come up with others. Ask your mentors for how they might approach them.

Habits are a part of life. Good habits will help you grow your business while negative ones will slow or stop any forward progress. You’re in control.