or simply don’ t believe in what you’ re doing are not going to help you succeed. Unless you minimize your exposure to their negativity, their attitudes will affect you and drag you down. You don’ t need to cut them out of your life completely( unless you want to), but move them outside of the realm of close contact.

The more time you spend around successful people, the more likely you are to take on their beliefs, and the more likely you are to be successful. This is the power of your circle of influence!

The next step in cultivating a positive mindset is understanding your“ why.”

A strong“ why” is your driving force. It’ s the reason you do what you do— the reason you want to be wealthy and successful. If you don’ t know your“ why,” it’ s easy to get sidetracked in life and business, or slide back into unhelpful patterns of thinking and circles of influence.

Whenever you are taken outside your comfort zone to a new thought process or a new adventure, it’ s going to be uncomfortable. However, if you have the anchor of your“ why,” you will be able to see through the confusion to the end result. A strong“ why” will always be greater than your fear.

When I first left my marriage, my“ why” was my desire to reinvent myself so I could feel worthy and lovable again. I was broke, deeply in debt, with no job and few prospects, living with my parents. More, I was suffering from the illusion that I needed a man to provide for me. In short, I was depressed, scared, and starting from scratch.

“ I’ m such a mess,” I would think.“ Who is ever going to love me now?”

Yes, my mindset was in the toilet. So, I had to start small. I started with the belief that, if I got out of debt, I could be successful, and therefore be lovable again. I believed that I needed to make money in order to get what I wanted, which was to feel valued. at was my“ why”— and I committed to doing whatever it took to creating a new reality for myself.

When we simply want something, we don’ t often follow through. But when we need something, we will do whatever it takes to create it. When I shifted from wanting to succeed to needing to succeed, I started to find traction. There were no limits as to what I would try in order to create the reality I wanted— including shifting my beliefs, mindset, and circle of in influence.

Of course, my“ why” shifted drastically as I learned more about myself, my capabilities, and my talents. I soon learned that I didn’ t need to rely on a man to support me; I could be a successful, single woman and create everything I wanted on my own. Nowadays, my“ why” is to be a role model for others, and to instill in them that they have the potential to be and do whatever they want. But in the beginning, I didn’ t have the confidence or conviction to support a“ why” like that. I had to start where I was. The more I worked on my mindset, the more my“ why” evolved.