As a business owner or entrepreneur, you carry a lot of stress on your shoulders. You’re ultimately the one responsible for the success or failure of your business. It requires constant motivation to help push yourself through the ups and downs of the startup journey.
Personal motivation can help you remain focused on your goals and become a better entrepreneur. So, what’s the best way to remain motivated at all times?
Here are eight ways you can stay motivated, regardless of what obstacles and challenges you face:
1. Use daily motivational quotes to inspire you.
There’s a reason some of the most popular Instagram accounts post motivational quotes multiple times a day. Something as simple constantly reading motivational quotes can help keep your thought process in a positive state of mind.
You can print them out and hang them on your office walls, follow motivational Instagram accounts, or get free daily motivational quotes delivered to your inbox. It’s a very simple way to light a fire under you when you could use the extra motivation.
2. Write out your plan.
Without a plan, there is no way to know what micro-goals need to be established that will help you achieve your ultimate goal. You can say, “I want to build a successful SaaS product,” but without several smaller goals and milestones established, you’ll spin your wheels.
Writing out your plan allows you to see the entire picture and map out the most logical path to accomplish your goals.
3. Surround yourself with like-minded entrepreneurs.
You feed off the energy and vibes of the people with whom you surround yourself. One single negative person can act as a cancer, completely derailing your focus and motivation.
If you want to win, surround yourself with winners, not those that are content with being mediocre. If you need some new sources of inspiration and motivation, start attending networking events and connect with people that share your same goals and ambitions.
Everyone can benefit from networking, even introverts.
4. Always remain positive.
As an entrepreneur, you have to accept the fact that it’s not always going to be smooth sailing. There are going to be setbacks and you are going to be faced with difficult decisions.
If it was easy, everyone would do it. Learn how to let the difficult times roll off your shoulder, rather than let them build up on your back. Allowing too many of those difficult times pile up will eventually cause you to collapse.
5. Reward yourself for reaching milestones.
When you reach specific milestones that you identify, make sure you reward yourself. It doesn’t need to be outrageous or something of high monetary value.
Something as simple as going out to lunch at your favorite spot, or buying a new pair of gym sneakers can give you the satisfaction needed to keep pushing hard. It feels good to hit milestones, as you know it gets you closer to your end goal.
Little rewards can keep fueling your fire along the way.
6. Have a daily routine.
You become much more productive when you have a daily routine established, and you follow it to the best of your ability. When you know what you need to do at all times, it eliminates wasted time trying to figure out what to tackle next.
For example, if you set three times throughout the day to check and respond to your emails, it eliminates the time wasted in your inbox throughout the day. You can then apply that once wasted time to other areas of your business on a day-to-day basis that ultimately helps you reach your goals.
7. Use vacations to recharge your batteries.
There is so much talk about “putting in the work” and logging 18-hour workdays. Sure, those days happen and you need to be willing to work outrageous hours in order to be successful, but that doesn’t mean you have to live at your office.
Taking a vacation now and then allows you to completely disconnect from your business and recharge your batteries. More times than none, you will come back with better ideas and even more motivation than you previously had.
8. Carve out time for yourself daily.
If you want to work out daily, make time for it. Adjust your schedule to allow for an hour before or after work, or combine it with your lunch break.
You have to make sure you allow for “you time” every day. If not you will experience burnout and it will have a direct impact on your business. If you have a family, include them in your daily plan, as well as your friends. A balanced work-life ratio is key.
The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.