Working for myself and being able to do it from home is fantastic. But there are some downsides of course, and one of them is a lack of motivation on the odd occasion.
By Steve Manning
The surf might be calling or the kids hollering, but you know you need to bunker down and keep working. After all, that thing called ‘income’ is kind of important!
So in this article, I’ll share 5 tips that I use to motivate myself when lack of motivation strikes.
Everyone has their own way of pumping themselves up on days when you struggle to get going, but here are some of the things that I like to do when I feel a little unmotivated:
- I read an old email from a satisfied client, a valued colleague or a supportive friend. They always seem to put a smile on my face and motivate me to get back to work.
- I re-visit my business goals or dreams and really take a moment to think about what they mean to me. I focus on how I’ll feel when I achieve them and that’s usually enough to get the blood pumping again.
- I grab the nearest picture of my loved ones and remember why I’m working so hard towards a certain goal. I think about how proud they are of me. This then motivates me to get cracking again. After all, there’s nothing more important than family.
- I look at my last mortgage statement. That always motivates the hell out of me!
- I write a motivational statement at the top of each page of my diary.
Think big and re-ignite your motivation
In regards to tip number 5, I read a brilliant book a little while ago called “The Magic of Thinking Big” by David J. Schwartz. Schwartz uses proven methods to show that you don’t have to be highly intelligent or have innate talent to attain great success and satisfaction. What you do need however, is to adopt the habit of thinking, believing and behaving in ways that will get you there.
In short, there were so many positive and motivating tips in the book, that I summarised a whole bunch of them into a list. When I bought my new diary for 2009, I wrote one positive statement at the top of each page to read at the start of my working day. And believe me, it works a treat.
So next time you find yourself lacking a little motivation, try one of the suggestions above to get you back on track. After all, most of us don’t bound out of bed every single day yelling “C’MON!!” and pumping our fists in the air like Anthony Robbins.
