Entrepreneurs start their journey with different types of motivation. Being your own boss is a big motivator, which goes hand in hand with having control and freedom, but als having an impact and creating wealth are big motivators.
Staying motivated throughout the journey however, isn’t always the easiest, but here are 3 tips that will help you:
1. CREATE A VISION BOARD
When you feel the pressure of entrepreneurship starts to wear you down, a vision board can be one of the things that gets your motivation going again. It is a visual and physical reflection of the reason why you are doing what you are doing and will help you in the hardest times. However cheesy you think this might be, grab yourself a poster and find pictures or make drawings of whatever is important to you and/or your business. This can be long term business goals, family and friends, vacation spots you want to visit… And when you feel unmotivated, just look at it and feel what you are fighting for every day!
Don’t forget to set aside some time every day/week to work towards your vision to ensure you’re moving forward and not getting lost in details.
2. GET INTO A ROUTINE OF 3 HOBBIES YOU LOVE: ONE TO MAKE MONEY, ONE TO KEEP IN SHAPE, AND ONE TO BE CREATIVE
In contradiction to what many starting entrepreneurs think, setting a clear routine will help you out to stay focused and eventually save time. There are numerous ways of what the perfect morning routine for example might look like, so start experimenting as soon as you realise you need one. Start the day for example positively with writing morning pages, a gratitude journal, or a quick workout… Take regular breaks and find the time to keep in shape and to have a creative outlet.
3. ENJOY SMALL REWARDS
Set clear goals and define when you are allowed to celebrate and simply reward yourself! Make sure to set realistic goals and split up your big targets into smaller ones, possibly even into various tiers. An example hereof is: launching X product on all channels is the basic goal (level 1), having X people see the messages is the goal on level 2, having X people buy the product is level 3.
To reward yourself you don’t have to spend thousands of euros. Here is some inspiration you might use: go to a concert with a friend, go play pool, attend a sporting event, have a marathon of your favorite show on Netflix, treat yourself to a nice restaurant, order in, enjoy a at home spa day, get a manicure,… or ofcourse buy yourself that one thing that you have been wanting for a long time but found a little bit too expensive.