Now, more than any other time in our recent history, is as important that we find ways to stay positive -- no matter what. In these uncertain economic times, your success depends on your mindset, not on the economy or on the marketplace. When you maintain a positive attitude, even in the face of perceived adversity, you thrive, rather than just survive.

Over the years, I’ve interviewed hundreds of top producing sales people all over the USA and Canada, exploring the secret to their success. These were top producing salespeople in business for 10, 20, or even 30 years. They’d been through up times, down times, and all kinds of market fluctuations.

Unquestionably, and independent of one other, they all said the same thing, "My mindset."

When times get tough, people too often look outside of themselves for answers. They tend to be outward, when they should really focus inward. They need look inside and ask, "How can I stay positive? How can I stay hopeful? How can I stay optimistic?"

A positive mindset is the true secret weapon behind successful people and the proven way to recession-proof your business. Here are some tools to make it easier to be in a positive mindset, no matter what.

#1: Stop watching, listening to, or reading the news:

The news, by its very nature, is based on negativity. And the media amplifies fear to capture more listeners, readers and viewers. The media is a business that lives by the mantra, "If it bleeds, it reads."

The more scared the media make you, the more likely you’ll buy newspapers or tune into the evening news.

Bad news keeps people fixated. Because they’re fearful, they tend to contract and further constrict the flow of business coming to them. On the other hand, if they ignore the news and focus on the details of their business and keep imagining what they want to manifest, they become a magnet for the Ideal clients they desire.

#2: Stop spending time with negative people:

Your colleagues may constantly talk to you about how bad it is. Maybe clients or prospects complain to you about how bad it is. Even friends do the same thing.

Surrounding yourself with perpetual naysayers is extremely counterproductive. It can lead to an internal echo chamber of negative self-talk when everyone around you focuses on how bad the world is, instead of looking for opportunities to succeed in challenging times.

As much as possible, avoid people who are negative. If you find yourself stuck with a negative person in a meeting, elevator or car, simply tune them out and say, "Well, that may be true for you, but that’s not true for me."

This simple statement is like an inner mantra. You create your own inner environment.

#3: The Stop Technique:

For the past 12 years as a successful business coach, I’ve used this 3-step technique with my clients. The 3 steps are as follows:

The first step is called "Stop." When you find yourself succumbing to negative thoughts that bring your energy down, simply be vigilant and intervene on your own behalf, then say, "Stop." Saying the word "Stop" either inside yourself or out loud interrupts the negative thought pattern.

The second step is to take a deep breath. This gives you a chance to slow down and regroup.

The third step is to put in an empowered, uplifting belief, such as, "I am totally capable of creating the success I desire."

It’s important to have a ready-made arsenal of positive new thoughts to replace negative statements about yourself. So, when you hear yourself say, "I’m not good enough," or "I’m not experienced enough," you can diffuse these statements with something positive, such as "I approve of myself unconditionally."

Another common self-limiting belief is that work must be a struggle, manifesting itself as, "To succeed, I have to sacrifice, stress out, and I won’t have a life." If that’s your primary belief, you need to say to yourself, "I’m not going there," take a deep breath and have a positive new thought like, "I’m committed to working smarter, not harder."

One of the great things about this technique is that it forces you to become aware of what you’re thinking from moment to moment. If you continually think negative thoughts, you easily fall into a negative mindset. When that happens, what you believe tends to come true, and negativity becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

For example, if you tell yourself "I don’t have what it takes to succeed in today’s market" over and over again, your thoughts create your reality. The result? You’ll find that you don’t have what it takes.

Henry Ford said, "Whether you believe you can or you can’t, either way you’re right." The way to create a positive mindset is continually bringing your thoughts back to "I can do it!" You need unwavering faith in your ability to be successful. It begins by retraining your mind.

The stop technique is the most powerful technique for retraining your mind, but it requires a conscious commitment. You may need to apply it a few hundred times a day at the beginning because your mind has been going down that negative track in a very undisciplined way for a long time. Like wild horses that have run over the place, you have to rein them in, which requires a lot of vigilance at the beginning.

But with persistence and diligence, the Stop Technique can gradually be used to "train your brain." The results are a positive mindset, and a huge increase of success in your business, with people often doubling or tripling their income.