How To Stay Motivated

I have never been an entrepreneur. I have spent my whole career either working in the service industry or as an assistant. Essentially, I’m really good at following instructions.

However, I realized in doing this, I was playing small. Because creating your own business, your own brand, is incredibly intimidating. You can ask for advice, but no one is telling you what to do. You have to figure it out on your own. 

I’m really proud of what I’ve accomplished so far. I’ve been getting over my fear of posting on social media (I’m a troller, not a poster). I have signed clients, I’ve created my first workshop. Things are actually happening, but it took many many months of work to get here. Many many months of seeing nothing come to fruition despite the amount of time and energy I’ve put into this. And staying motivated during those lulls is incredibly difficult. 

There are times when I feel in the flow, where I can see the future I’ve been dreaming of. But what happens during these lulls? How do you stay motivated even when you can no longer see why you’re doing any of this?

Here are some techniques I’ve found during this journey to be the most helpful:

1. My WHY

I go back to the notes I started to take when I went down this journey. I wanted to help people, I wanted a job that felt meaningful, and I wanted something I could do from anywhere. When I check back in with my original reasons for going down this career path, it’s an excellent reminder to keep moving forward.

2. Small Steps

Sometimes looking at the big picture just feels too intimidating. I try to think about something small I can do today - is it a blog post like this one? Is it research or reading a book on coaching? Anything that supports my business can be considered a productive use of my time.

3. Change Your Environment

I have realized I have a really hard time working on my business from home. Probably because my day job is remote, I associate that job with my desk at my house. Simply putting myself in a cafe and changing the environment can get my creative juices flowing. 

4. Seek Inspiration

I’ve started to have “co-working” dates with friends who are also working on building their businesses. Not only is it dedicated time to work on my projects, but I have someone to bounce ideas off of as well!

5. Rest Without Guilt

Life can get in the way and daily priorities (like my day job) sometimes just have to take precedence. And that’s OK! Rest is part of the process. I remember last year I was feeling major burn out and my coaching group told me NOT to work on my upcoming trip to Italy. I had to give myself permission to take time off, and to try to not feel guilty about it. And you know what? It worked! I came back more refreshed than ever and inspired to continue creating.

6. Work With A Coach

I was in a business coaching group for 5 months. I accomplished more in those 5 months than I had in the year + since graduating my program. Working with a team of other coaches with the same dream, and an experienced life coach, gave me the tools I needed to stay motivated and accomplish many of the goals I had set out for myself. 

What are some of the techniques you use to stay motivated? I would love to hear from you!

*And if you’re interested in working with a coach as well, feel free to book a free coaching call today using this link.