When you run your own business the buck stops with you, and that can sometimes be difficult because you feel as if the whole world is resting on your shoulders. You may be going through a bad patch with sales and are left struggling to get up in the morning, or the latest business deal has collapsed leaving you unsure of the future, but whatever the situation it is important to try and clear your head so that you can see the wood through the trees. Things are never as bad as they first appear. Here we will take a look at the best ways to stay motivated in business.
Set goals
It is important to set goals along the way otherwise you have nothing to aspire to, you need to have those moments of success, no matter how small, so you can feel those little hits of dopamine that make you feel good and help to keep you motivated. Goals come in two forms, you should have one that is like a mission statement for your company, setting out its ethos and what it wants to achieve. The second should be personal targets, little achievable milestones for each week or month so that you can see real tangible progress. If you set these targets it will allow your mind to declutter and you will able to be more focused on the task at hand, leading to heightened productivity
Look for the bigger picture
Whilst it is to be encouraged to set small goals to help motivate you along the way, it is very important not to lose sight of the bigger picture. What is the end plan, what do you really want to achieve? How does this relate to yourself and others around you? If you have employees they have suddenly become a much bigger part of your life as you have a responsibility towards them. This in itself is a great motivational tool as no one wants to let people close to them down. Always keep the end plan at the back of your mind, so that you have something for all those little targets to add up to.
Listen to others
Doing everything your own way is a sure-fire way of failing at business. There are always people more knowledgeable and experienced than you, so why not tap into that experience for help and guidance? This could be done in many ways, there are podcasts to listen to written by experts and covering every different facet of the business, or you could join a local entrepreneurial group and listen to how others have adapted to the needs of their business. The very act of listening to other people is motivating, as it will naturally induce you to strive harder, so download that motivational podcast today!
Stay positive
Staying positive is a great personality trait to have, whatever your walk in life. Being happy and positive is also highly infectious so if you adopt this approach around your team or your colleagues then it is likely to rub off on them fostering an extremely efficient workplace. It is also great for your mental health, as those negative thoughts will be banished and instead you will be seeking solutions to the problems in a proactive manner, allowing you to think clearly and achieve your goals.
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Get some rest
It can be difficult to take a step back in business, but sometimes it really does pay off to walk away and forget about things for a while. Why not take a 15-minute walk during every working day to allow your mind to refresh? Nature can do great things to the mind, and you will come back to work full of inspiration. There is no point working 15 hour days, 7 days a week, as you will be constantly stressed and most likely incredibly unproductive. You need to be taking a weekend, it is what it’s there for, take two holidays every year. If you can get it into your head that these breaks will enhance productivity by allowing your brain to revitalize, then you will be motivated to look forward to these breaks thereby allowing yourself to work harder in the interim. It is all about incentivization and working smart.
As we have discovered it can be difficult to stay motivated in business, however, if you set clear goals and look at the bigger picture then rather than having a myopic viewpoint your eyes will be opened to an array of possibilities. Talk to people, they have more experience than you, and most of all, stay positive and take a step back and have a break every now and again. After all, you deserve it!
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