This article is one in the multi-part series entitled The Entrepreneurial Mindset.
Remember the days when your small business was nothing more than a dream? You spent hours, days, weeks, and months getting ready to make the move into self-employment, working sun up to sun down (and then some), in an effort to turn that dream into a reality. Everything was going smooth, your energy running high and then, for one reason or another, you hit a wall.
What used to come easy now requires a lot of work and effort. Every morning, instead of bounding out of bed excited about where the day may take you, you roll over and hit snooze, praying that some natural disaster will strike so you don’t have to work that day. Sound familiar?
The good news is, we’ve all been there. The bad news is, we’ve all been there. So, what can you do if you are there right now? Here are seven motivation-boosting options:
Visualize Your Small Business Goals
One of the best things to do when you feel like you’re lost and not sure whether or how to continue is to remember what you want in the first place. Visualization is a great way achieve this goal by honing your focus, which is why Olympians like Gymnast Gabby Douglas reveal that they use it to earn top medals. Simply sit for a moment and think about what you are working toward. Envision what life will be like once you achieve that goal and, often, this is enough to begin to rekindle the spark.
Schedule in Some “Me” Time
It is possible that your lagging motivation is due to doing all work and having no play. Therefore, something as simple as scheduling a massage or a game of golf may be all you need to reestablish your desire to work even harder. If you have limited time, at least sit for five or ten minutes at lunchtime with your eyes closed and think about someplace that makes you happy. Let your mind rest and rejuvenate itself so that it is ready for round two.
Take Smartphone Breaks Throughout the Day
Research recently released by Kansas State University suggests that taking mini-breaks to play games or engage socially on your smartphone may improve your well-being. In this case, participants who played a game of Candy Crush or browsed their Facebook News Feed reported higher levels of happiness than those that didn’t, possibly due to giving their mind a much-needed break. The key, of course, is to not let a couple minutes turn into a couple of hours.
Take a Whole Day (or Weekend) Off
If you can, take a whole day off and commit to not thinking about work at all. Admittedly, this isn’t always easy, but it can help increase your motivation which makes it worth it if it is possible. Plan a day putzing around in your garage, hanging out at the beach, or sitting in your favorite coffee shop reading. It will be like a mini-vacation for your mind.
Do Something that Invigorates You
It also helps to become involved in an activity that invigorates you, such as going for a run, taking a dance class, climbing a rock wall, or anything else that makes you want to scream, “I love life!” Make time regularly for these types of activities and give yourself something to look forward to when work has you feeling down in the dumps.
Work on Something Different
If you’re the kind of person that tenses up at the mere thought of taking time off, then you can always work to increase your motivation while still getting things done. Simply work on something different for a while so that your mind become re-stimulated. For instance, if you’ve been struggling with budgets, skip over to scheduling for a brief time. Maybe your mind just needs different scenery in order to get excited.
Call In Help
When you’ve tried everything on this list (and then some) and yet you still can’t find your motivation anywhere, then maybe it is time to call in help. This can be by way of hiring someone to take care of tasks that you dread, or it could even mean speaking with a therapist to figure out why you’re having such a hard time. Bringing someone else in will make you feel not so alone.
Motivation comes and goes, but hopefully these seven things help you get yours back. What do you do when your get up and go has got up and left? Feel free to comment below because I’d like to learn what tricks you use as I may want to use them too!
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