Winston Churchill: "Success is moving from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm."
Our thoughts play a significant role in shaping our intentions and ultimately achieving our goals. Optimistic thoughts drive us to achieve high results and success, while negative thoughts depress us and hold back our progress. Hence, the importance of education for optimism.
Bill Gates: "I can do anything I set my mind to."
The importance of positive thinking is not a recent invention. Back to the sources, we were taught that already in the book of Psalms 34:12, it is written: "Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days."
Lenny Ravitz, in his book "Eternal Optimism," explains what positive thinking is and how you can adopt this mindset:
"Eternal optimism means knowing that every action we do, at any given moment, is a kind of choice, and what happened to us up to that given moment is part of our journey that we needed to learn, to develop, to get to where we are and become who we are."
The Entrepreneur
Optimism is a valuable tool in the palm of the entrepreneur, as it helps them navigate the numerous challenges that arise during the project setup process. The entrepreneur's positive thinking helps them cope with obstacles and find solutions to achieve success. Sometimes these solutions are the result of creative thinking that stems from the entrepreneur's optimism.
Optimism drives action: When an entrepreneur believes their venture will succeed, they are willing to work hard and exert effort, which helps them achieve results.
Example of Entrepreneurs:
Dr. Rafi Yoeli - from Urban Aeronautics Company, which is developing unmanned helicopters to evacuate the wounded and to deliver ammunition and food supplies to combat zones, once said about the ambitious project: "We will succeed. It is clear to me. There's no other way - this attitude of optimism is necessary for the success of the enterprise."
Optimistic people are friendly to be with. Therefore, optimism also helps create social relationships.
There is a tendency to think that optimism is an inborn trait; some say, 'I was not born an optimist, so can I become like this?' Many things bother me; I see a lot of evil actions, and those don't inspire optimism in me.
But it turns out that one can learn to think positively. There are exercises designed to train us to think positively. It is also worthwhile to surround ourselves with optimistic people because optimism is contagious.
The difference between a pessimist and an optimist lies in their approach to difficulties and problems: We become pessimistic when we encounter issues we do not know how to solve, and we are optimistic as we find solutions to problems and even turn them into opportunities.
Attention to parents:
In the Entrepreneurship for Kids Program, during a meeting that deals with humor and optimism, the children are asked to answer the question: 'Do they think you are optimistic or pessimistic?' (This is, of course, after they already understand the meaning of the terms.) Some children consider themselves to be optimistic, but in the same breath, they say that one or both of their parents have a pessimistic attitude, particularly concerning them.
An Example of Positive Thinking Activity:
Provide a piggy bank in which we'll put one penny for each negative thought we have. The purpose of this is to be aware of our negative thoughts. The accumulated money can be used for another purpose (perhaps for charity).
At the end of the given time (day/week/month), we will receive a vivid estimate of the number of negative thoughts that have passed through our minds. This method trains us to avoid negative thoughts.
Educating Children for Optimism:
As with other issues, the model we use for our children is the most meaningful learning method for them. Therefore, we as adults serve as a model for positive thinking as well.
And if adults among us find it difficult to be optimistic, it is recommended to watch a video about Nick Vujicic, a man without arms and legs who embodies relentless optimism.
Positive Thinking Activity with Children
When a child talks about a bad thing that happened to them in kindergarten or school, we will listen and share our thoughts on the matter. However, in the end, we will ask the child also to tell us about two good things they experienced or witnessed that day.
The Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur who wants to launch a venture directs his actions to success, but also wonders in advance: What would happen if the project fails? - As part of a process of taking calculated risks.
This spirit of positive thinking and an optimistic approach enables the entrepreneur to understand the benefits they will generate from the process, even if the project ultimately fails.
This way of thinking encourages action and allows the entrepreneur to enjoy the process and achieve success.
The fear of failure deters us from trying to achieve our goals, but thinking about the benefits we will gain from the process encourages us to realize our dreams and helps alleviate the fear of failure.
Understanding that the process itself is contributing to us allows us to act and advance.
To encourage entrepreneurship in every field, it is advisable to write down what would happen if we succeed. What will happen if we fail? And what would we gain from the process, regardless of the outcome?
Often, we will find that even though we may fail, along the entrepreneurial journey, we will learn a lot, enjoy doing things, we'll get exposed to new ideas, expand our circle of acquaintances, and gain relevant experience. All these factors will be paramount to our future success.
The Advantage of the Experience:
As published in TheMarker IT, Dr. Eli Gimon conducted a study to examine the personal resources that contribute to the success of startups, and he found, among other things, that: "The prevailing belief among venture capital investors that there is no reason to fear investing in a failed entrepreneur is true. The study shows that whether the entrepreneur failed or succeeded in the past, the fact that he/she has experienced is a significant component of his/her success."
Activity with Children:
We will ask the children to write in anonymous notes a challenging goal for the near future. We will collect the notes and then randomly select one note at a time. Then discuss with them: How can we achieve the goal? What are the chances of success? How will the process of the goal benefit the achiever, whether they reach the goal or not?.
Participants in the Entrepreneurship for Kids Program, who are setting up a project, are setting challenging goals and taking the required actions to achieve them. Similarly, some entrepreneurial kids have carried out their projects.
The Entrepreneur
The decision to become an entrepreneur is the result of seeing the glass as half full. Anyone who sees only the difficulties would prefer not to try, but focusing on the success drives them to action.
To succeed, you need to focus on your strengths and what you have because no one is perfect. The successful ones do not complain about what they do not have, but they use what they do have to achieve success.
Illustrative Example:
The State of Israel, as a state, is an enterprise in itself; the people who established the country could continue to complain about the swamp, the Jewish minority, Arab attacks, etc., but instead, they used every means at their disposal to fulfill the vision of establishing the state.
And long before the establishment of Israel in the Book of Numbers, we can notice two different approaches regarding the Land of Israel:
Those who chose to see the glass half empty said, "The people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large."
While those who chose to see the glass half full said, "The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us."
When it Comes to Kids:
To encourage children to succeed, we must state their strengths and tell them that we believe in their ability to manage. This is how we'll nurture them to have high self-esteem and encourage them to think positively.
The Entrepreneur
Being an entrepreneur means dealing with challenges. And when these difficulties shake the entrepreneur's spirit, they find, either independently, with the help of business consulting, or in a supportive environment, the ability to see those difficulties as an opportunity for growth.
Entrepreneurs are individuals who are prepared to face challenges; difficulties do not deter them. On the contrary, they view challenges as an opportunity. The difficulty serves as a kind of entry barrier, and the obstacles are that fewer people are competing in the same niche. And here lies the opportunity for an entrepreneur willing to overcome those entry barriers.
An example of an enterprise that turned the difficulty into an opportunity:
The Israeli Office Textile Factory took part in a complex and important project:
The Difficulty: In the Hiriyah mountain, waste has been buried for over 50 years, and through its natural decomposition process, biogas has been created. Until that project, biogas that had evaporated from the mountain polluted the environment.
The opportunity: Utilization of landfill gas from the waste mountain Hiriyah, and converting fuel consumption into green energy.
Although the process of realizing the project, including both bureaucratic and infrastructure construction, was fraught with great difficulty, the venture ultimately proved successful.
The success of the project demonstrates that biogas, used as an alternative energy source, provides a significant portion of the energy consumption of the Office Textile Factory, thereby making a substantial contribution to addressing environmental issues.
An example of an entrepreneur who saw difficulty as an opportunity:
Efi Arazi, RIP, Founder of Scitex, one of Israel's high-tech pioneers and a leading global color printing company, lost a critical project to the Defense Ministry to a company that provided a better solution. This loss motivated him to seek another growth engine, and thus, he reached the digital printing field, which led the company to success.
When it Comes to Kids:
Today's messages to children, especially in the media, are that success can be achieved very quickly and effortlessly. The stories of glory about successful people rarely mention the difficulties they faced before achieving success.
In reality, children learn that achieving success is not easy.
The contradiction between the messages conveyed to children and reality creates a feeling of "something is wrong with me."
Therefore, it is essential to talk to the children and let them understand that success is achieved through effort, consistency, focusing on the target, competitive advantage, expertise, and other key factors.
In everyday life, we will encourage the children to cope with difficulties. This experience is an opportunity to practice methods and strategies for overcoming obstacles, enabling individuals to deal successfully with more complex problems and view them as opportunities for growth in the future.
It is worth noting that many conversations with entrepreneurs reveal that they consider themselves capable of coping with almost any difficulty; however, bureaucratic challenges are the most frustrating for them. However, many entrepreneurs face bureaucratic difficulties and still succeed in their fields. This is how children's resilience can be built.
Example of an entrepreneur who sees the opportunity in difficulty
Dave Waiser, the founder and CEO of Gett, an Israeli company with international on-demand ride-sharing services by professional drivers, told the Gett's story at the "Birthright" event:
For those who are unfamiliar with Gett, we will explain that if everyone uses Gett services or similar collaborative ride services, many drivers would prefer not to own a private car.
Dave asked the audience: "Who has a private car?" And most of the crowd raised their hands.
Dave's positive response was: "We still have a lot of work to do. There's great market potential here."
Dave's optimistic approach also helped the company at the beginning, when they had to raise money from investors, and he said he had reached all investors in Israel. Still, no venture capital investor was willing to invest in the company. Only later, things changed.
How did one company turn difficulty into opportunity?
In 2021, Under Armor encountered a problem. In honor of NBA basketball player Stephen Curry's new record, it plans to release a special edition shoe. Due to logistical issues caused by COVID-19, the company had to change its plans.
The company decided to create virtual shoes for metaverse game platforms. The Genesis Curry shoes were launched on Decentraland, The Sandbox, and Gala Games.
This move turned out to be brilliant. The company has entered a new market of digital collectibles, which it had not previously been in. Virtual shoes are sold on this market using NFT coins, with prices reaching hundreds of dollars, targeting gamers as the primary audience.
