Are you an optimist or a pessimist?

Which is better if you want to build a yoga career or business?

Just before the dot-com bubble burst in the 1990's, Alan Greenspan, the then Federal Reserve Board chairman, called the optimism about the dot.com market "irrational exuberance", which was interpreted as a warning that the market might be somewhat overvalued.

Of course, we all know what happened - the bubble burst, and hundreds of entrepeneurs and businesses lost millions when the market crashed.

But it can happen anywhere - even in aspiring yoga teachers!

Irrational exuberance is the over excitement you feel when you sign up for a yoga teacher training programme thinking it's the start of changing your life (for the better, naturally!)

Fired up with your passion for yoga you start to dream about how life could be if you did what your yoga teacher did.

How chilled you'd be.

How you'll give up the job which is getting you down/boring you/stressing you out - and leave the rat race for a different sort of life, where you glide, swan like into your yoga classes, full of students eager to learn from you. Where the income you need to sustain you and any partner or family will come from doing what you love.

Whoah! You glossed over the word "irrational"!
You're having so much fun being exuberant and optimistic you forgot being rational!

Of course youll need exuberance, passion, energy and enthusiasm to build your yoga business and career. Building ANY business or career takes time, energy, money and levels of commitment you may not realise or believe if you've never given the world of the entrepeneur a go.

But.....

 You also need your feet firmly planted on the floor.

Think warrior!

Think Tadasana.

Heck - just STOP AND THINK!

That's not pessimism - that's seeing things how they are, not with rose coloured glasses!

I know this is a drum I keep banging - but I can't over-emphasise how important it is to have a good dose of "seeing things as they are, and acting accordingly."

Because irrational exuberance usually ends in tears, frustration and a huge sense of failure which can feel very painful.

Trust me - I've been there!

And I don't want that for you.

Which is why, doing your research, knowing your strengths, working out how you can best use your own unique blend of yoga skills (and other talents) and having a sharp eye on the business maths can be the best thing you can do to assure your success.

I'd call that RATIONAL exuberance!

Here's to having BUCKETS of that!