Owning a business is a challenging endeavor. If you're like many novice small business owners, you've taken numerous risks with your time and your money, only to see all of your efforts producing little or no result. This can leave you frustrated and ready to give up. That's no surprise. The more we focus on the negative parts of owning a small business the more negative results we will attract. Learning how to deal with obstacles is the key to avoiding failure. Those small business owners who never learn to deal with obstacles will often become overwhelmed and end their business. Negative thinking is the center of the small business failure scenario.

So how do you stop being so negative? By consistently staying focused on success you can start attracting in your life the results you desire. Now if you've ever read a self-help book or watched a talk show you've heard all this before. And you probably feel like it's all talk. But there's a reason why you have heard so much about changing your outlook. Quite simply, there's truth to how our own thinking impacts our environment.

It's often difficult to hear super-successful individuals talk about thinking positive. Inside you feel like it's easy for them to say because they're successful. But many successful business owners today have built their businesses from the ground up. Many of them started with little or no money, which may be your situation as well. What makes them different from the countless number of entrepreneurs that try and fail each year is one thing. Their belief in themselves. So take some time evaluating that inner-voice that's always telling you that you're not going to make it. If you tell your self you won't make a successful business, you're absolutely right. If you tell yourself there is no way you will fail, you're still absolutely right. Below is a quick guide to changing your outlook and which will help you change your results.

1. Take note of any negative thinking and immediately correct yourself.
2. Focus on all you've managed to accomplish:Write a daily to do list and continuously praise yourself every time you've managed to check something off. Think about other accomplishments as well such as obtaining a new customer or creating a new product.
3. Create a new set of realistic goals: Re-write your business plan based on solid research. For example, the average click through rate for a banner is 1% - 2%. So you wouldn't want to set a goal of receiving 10% from your banner campaign.
4. Visualize your success daily:See yourself as having reached your goals. How does it feel? What would you do? How would you treat yourself? Keep this in mind every time you feel self-doubt emerging.
5. Retreat from negative people and surroundings: Log on to small business forums and talk with people who share your struggle. Offer and accept suggestion on time management, working with family, and minimizing costs.

Consistency is the key. Don't let a day go by when you don't put in practice the things listed above. Better yet, try adding things to the list above that you know will keep you in a good mood such as exercise, daily walks, and time with your family. You'll be able to change your business and see results immediately.