The startup landscape is replete with instances of how positive thinking allowed entrepreneurs to overcome adversity, challenge and even failure. Reframing negative thoughts (stories) can be a powerful tool to overcome them. In her article, "Three Negative Stories Entrepreneurs Tell Themselves (and How to Reframe Them), Sherry Walling, PhD, provides a useful guide on how to do just that.
We tell stories to make sense of our experiences. Presentations lead with anecdotes, and data is accompanied by narratives about real-world implications. We also tell stories to ourselves — about the competence of our peers or projected project outcomes. Since entrepreneurs are prone to big thinking, good stories become inventions.
Bad stories can be just as big ... and destructive. In my experience, three negative stories tend to plague entrepreneurs, stalling productivity and collaboration.
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