-You do not really need self-motivation to succeed in your business. You need these 8 tips- and a dose of hard work.
People approach the way they conduct business in different ways. The key methods are offering yourself consistent motivation to succeed versus having systematic, methodical, and planned actionable insights into your business.
I have been there, done that.
I cannot count the pots of coffee I have downed, the motivational videos and podcasts I have listened to the past few years. And all for what?
The moment I decided to stop motivating myself to do what was required of me in my business was the day I started achieving some form of success.
It was a boring, mundane sequence, day after day. I would wake up early, close my eyes, try to meditate, and listen to a motivational podcast.
Then I would try to motivate myself, telling myself how the day would be great…How I got that inner energy to keep it all together… How I would succeed in every venture I got into…
Needless to say, it never completely worked out that way. There were days I would be ecstatic with joy after accomplishing something great and on other days I just felt like breaking down and crying. Yet both days started with the self-motivation ritual in the morning.
I decided to stop the motivation ritual and adopt a new approach to my day. As business picked up, I learned a number of lessons.
1. Work with a timetable or daily schedule
Motivation will make you jump into your day with zest and there is so much you can accomplish. However, without a timetable or daily schedule, you might become pretty busy doing all kinds of wrong stuff.
Be systematic. Plan your day as soon as you wake up.
Factor everything you know you need to do within the day and start checking these chores off your list one by one. There will be no time to feel sorry about something you did not do and you certainly do not need to keep yourself motivated to do these tasks.
It might seem like a boring ritual, and it probably is. However, if you have every minute of your day planned out in advance, you are better off than someone who is trying to look for activities to fill their timeline. You’d have no time wastage, no time to feel sorry for yourself, and whether you accomplish what you set out to do in the morning or not, your day will be well spent.
You will have taken one more step closer to achieving your goals.
2. Invest in systems and structures
Motivation alone is not enough to create a perfect work environment or propel any business to success. Your business idea needs to have a rhythm, a plan, and a specific way of doing things.
That’s why it is more important to invest in systems and structures to ensure there is perpetuity in your business.
What would happen if the motivation triggers failed or the motivation model stopped working? Would the business crumble and die?
Let’s say you are a blogger looking to make a living from blogging. It’s hard but people still pull in very decent figures every year from their blogs. It requires strategy and investment in systems (hosting, content management, keyword research, etc).
If you treat it like a business, you have to give it your best. Sooner or later, you might see the fruits of your labor.
3. Invest in training
If you have several people on your team, do not shy away from investing in their training. Motivation is okay, but to succeed, you should go a step further. Motivated employees who do not possess the skills to work are like sleeping giants.
What your business needs most is investing in the training of employees to enable them to execute their roles effectively. Well-trained and well-cultured employees are a great asset, and they do not need much motivation to get things done – because they are wired to do what it takes without the need to be pushed.
4. Adopt a winning mentality
On a personal level, if motivation is the main driving force in your business, you will find yourself switching on and off more times than you wish. There were days I would jump out of bed ready to conquer the world. On other days I felt like a sloth, snoozing the alarm clock more than 3 times before I could open one eye.
What you need is a permanent mentality shift that allows you to always keep working towards accomplishing your goals. A good mentality shift keeps propelling you forward.
With a new mindset set to achieving success, you do not really need to keep playing motivation videos to get the ball rolling. You become intrinsically motivated. It won’t matter whether you are feeling motivated or not. You do what you have to do.
5. Learn from others who are doing better than you
Motivation just limits the power to succeed to one person; yourself. If you are not careful, you might not accomplish what you wish because you are competing against yourself and it’s not hard to lose that battle. You will not be able to compete at the level you desire.
Learning from others who are better than you allows you to be on your toes and keep working towards a specific goal. If you want to be a successful blogger, look for people who have accomplished what you want to do and follow their tips and advice. They have built their business through trial and error.
You do not have to do the same. By learning from others, you can save yourself a ton of time and energy.
6. Have an accountability partner
When you are feeling motivated, you can accomplish a lot. What about the days when the motivation level is on the floor? Nothing gets done, right?
What you need is an unbiased accountability partner who tells you when things are not going okay.
It will not matter if you wake up in the morning feeling demotivated. You already know exactly what you need to do for the day and there is someone to ensure that you do exactly that.
7. Keep your sanity in check
Motivating yourself might propel you to keep working but will it be enough drive when chaos sets into the business?
Your sanity and mental well-being are important when running your business. You need to know how to deal with different kinds of pressure and challenges that come into the business.
8. Keeping oneself motivated is tiresome
Motivating yourself every single minute of the day becomes a burden soon enough.
You certainly do not want to feel like you are in a pressure cooker. You are always on the edge and things do not feel right if you are feeling somewhat demotivated.
Learn to live free and still accomplish whatever you wish in your business. Life is too short to worry so much anyway.
Final thoughts
Motivation is not a bad thing to have – most people push through life because they are motivated in one way or the other. However, hard work always beats motivation any day. If you can combine both, heck, you are assured of a winning strategy!
As a recap, here are some tips on how you can achieve success in your business without the need for constant motivation:
- Work with a timetable or daily schedule
- Invest in systems and structures
- Invest in training
- Adopt a winning mentality
- Learn from others who are doing better than you
- Have an accountability partner
- Keep your sanity in check
- Keeping oneself motivated is tiresome
