Being an entrepreneur is exciting, challenging, and sometimes down right scary. But you know that you have something special to share with the world. What you offer is going to affect many people. And, hopefully, effect positive change in society.
When you start out you are filled with enthusiasm and eagerness. But at some stage in the entrepreneurial game you will hit your first road block. It might be a small hurdle, or the size of a mountain. Until this time your energy is likely running at an all time high.
Suddenly, you find yourself in a slump. It possibly feels like you are stuck in thick, thigh-high, mud. You can’t wade your way out, no matter how hard you try. Or, you’ve stepped into a vat of quicksand. Your sinking fast and you feel like you can’t stop it.
So, how do you keep that motivation going when everything just feels like really, really hard work?
Keep That Motivation Ignited
I’ve put together 7 simple steps that you can revisit every time you find your motivational spark dwindling.
Here they are:
1. Keep a journal. Write in it every day. Include your thoughts, aspirations and wins. Write down your business and personal goals. Set long-term and short-term goals. Map out the steps you will take to reach your goals. When you have breakthroughs, or positive experiences, note them in your journal. As a result, you have a resource you can re-visit time again to remind of you of your bigger picture, or your reason WHY.
2. Hang out with people who provide a positive influence. This might be friends, family, business networks or some other community. We are the sum of the people we spend the most time with. Positive and supportive people will inspire you and help keep your motivational spark alive, even during those dark and difficult times.
3. Tap into other fields of inspiration through podcasts, books, courses or conferences. Keep your mind engaged and curious. This helps to spur on inspiration and motivation.
4. Look after your SELF. Never overlook your well-being. Are you eating nourishing food? Exercising? Sleeping well? Life tools such as yoga and meditation offer you the ability to manage stress, overcome adversity, and expand your inner vision.
5. Never ever give up because something failed. Embrace failure. Failure is the wisest teacher you can welcome into your business. View failure as a learning experience. When something doesn’t go to plan, try not to fall in a heap. Dust yourself off and analyze why it didn’t work out. Perhaps you need to re-tweak a process, your mindset, or your entire business plan. It’s all OK and do-able. Go back to the drawing board. Go back to point one above. Read your journal. Review your goals.
6. Celebrate your successes. Even the smallest win is a win. By acknowledging your achievements you keep that motivational spark ignited (and this boosts your confidence levels too). Every little breakthrough is a big deal. Go on, reward yourself.
7. Visualize. Create an image of what your success looks like for you. You can do this by putting together a vision board, writing or drawing in your journal, or through daily meditation. Both mindfulness meditation and visualization practices will help you create a clear vision of the future your desire. When you find yourself in a motivational slump, these practices can shift you back towards your goals.
Honestly, I can’t tell you how many failed attempts at business success I have endured!
I’ve learnt a lot, and often the hard way.
Therefore, sharing my experiences and learnings with you is something I need to do.
In the past my automatic reaction to anything going wrong was to close down. Shut myself off completely. Slam that door shut.
After a decade or so of slamming doors shut, and starting new ventures, I eventually realized that the issue was not my business venture. The issue was that I had no framework in place to manage the highs and lows. When things went wrong, and I lost all motivation, I had no idea how to get back up. So, I closed up instead.
What I didn’t realize at the time was that every time I slammed the door shut, I was in fact, slamming it shut in my clients’ faces. I had been there supporting, guiding and working with them. And then BOOM. I wasn’t available to support them, because I didn’t know how to manage the ‘failures’ and support myself through the tough times.
I took the long, hard road
I’ve learnt from my mistakes — finally! What I can teach you is this: Your motivation will ebb and flow. That’s life (and business). So, keep your eye on the big picture. If something’s not working out take the time to analyze what’s going wrong and approach it from a different angle. Keep learning, surround yourself with good people who inspire you, celebrate every win, and embrace every failure as an opportunity to do something differently.
Remember, what you are doing is changing the world
No matter how small you might consider that change to be, it is never insignificant. I encourage you to explore every avenue to tap back into your motivation and keep it ignited. Why? Because someone in the world needs the skills, knowledge or experience that only you can offer.
That’s my thoughts for today.
I really hope that someone who needs to read this, sees it. When you find your motivation dwindling, revisit the 7 steps above.
Here’s to your success
Silva x
P.S. How do you keep yourself motivated when things don’t go to plan in your business?
*Photo by Ergyn Meshekran on Unsplash