How do you motivate yourself?

[simonread]

I have been running my own business for many years, and luckily I have never lost enthusiasm for what I do. I still enjoy getting up in the morning and getting stuck in to whatever the day can throw at me.

On the rare ocassions when I feel 'low' I like to read about other people's achievements, and problems they have overcome (which are normally a lot worse than any problems I have ever had to overcome), which gets me focused again.

How do you motivate yourself?

How do you pick yourself up again when you feel 'low'?


Simon

www.innovationcentres.co.uk

 

[SillyJokes]

I spread all my money out and take a roll in it. Any that sticks to my body I'm allowed to spend on something nice.

 

[Desmond Brambley]

LOL!

I normally read the bankstatement, that really galvanises me to do something!

 

[RockLinks]

i just think of what i want to acheive in life and then im focused again straight away.

 

[RSL]

The major motivator is self-belief and the real happiness I get from knowing that this is what I want for myself and my life. Just knowing that in theory I can go on as many holidays as I like, though I have to please my clients I am not bound to them and I can create new possibilities for my firm.

Its just wonderful...even when things get low I still love what self-employment means for my life!

 

[Ozzy]

I share the same view as RSL, in theory I know I could take time off and do my own thing even though I never do!
After being self employed for around 6 years now I could never go back and work for someone else, I like to be in control of my own destiny.
I have low days, but when that happens I usually just pack in work for the day and do something else. Whether its going out shopping, a ride on the bike, or even watch a film. I find the best thing to do when you are losing focus on work is to get away from it even for a few hours. Once I have had that break I find I can sit back down at my desk and it all makes sense again.

 

[Bingo]

For me the best motivator is to love what you do! To love your job. of course not all the people love what they do and want to change their somehow their situation. In this case to motivate yourself you may look at your neighbour, at his fancy car, flat... etc and ask yourself : Why can't I afford myself what he can? I am not worse than he.... so i should gather all my strenght i have and make another step forward.
Also try to find in your job something that can spark your interest!

 

[philjeffs]

I've just bought a new motorbike on the strength of my self employment. When I look at it I get all motivated to start earning in readiness for when I change it again!

 

[Ozzy]

What did you get? I'll have to upload a piccie of my R1 somewhere that I bought myself last year I marked both my 30th birthday and the date my company paid off all its debts it ran up getting started!

 

[IMEX Sourcing Services]

This is an interesting topic, one that I can speak on. Self-Motivation is a major major thing in my life, and I think I spend some time every day thinking how I can motivate myself. I have lots of things around me, which help me motivate myself. I have even though writing some kind of an E-Book called "Motivation On The Wall" or something...lol

I think self-motivation depends on a lot of factors, for e.g. your experiences in life (good or bad), your ambitions, your hobbies, etc. I think there is scope for put sparks of motivation in everything you do, and in fact one can actually make it a hobby. Here are some things I do/plan to do to motivate myself.

On my wall, I have a poster, stating my ambitions (in code words - because no one else can understand them), and what I owe to my family, who have done a lot to me, which shows up right in front of my face when I open my eyes in the morning.

In front of my books/dairies etc, I have pictures of people I adore, and motivational quotes. I usually write something or the other on my hand before I leave for university, which comes in front of my eyes, quite a few times (suitable only for youngsters. lol). I have motivational poems and quotes on my walls as well, but I really think they don’t work as well as things related to your experiences & ambitions do. I also have pictures of people who I have challenged in life in some way or the other, on another side I have pictures of people to whom I have promised I will be something in life and on another side I have pictures of some girls I have had a crush on in the past .

I also maintain a little file, in which I keep, cut out newspaper articles, about people and things related to fame, for e.g. Mittal's daughter's marriage, things about bill gates, and other stuff talking of millions and billions.. hehe. When I am down and out, having a quick look actually makes a lot of difference.

When you are working on a particular project its also nice to note down, what you ultimately want to achieve from it and why you are doing it, when you seem to be running out of steam, going through it can be really helpful.

I think breaking down your goals into little milestones and then treating yourself after achieving each milestone is also a good idea.

 

[philjeffs]

Ozzy,

RRY Fireblade - awesome!

 

[jon-at-skai]

Working for a specialist in Leadership and Mgmt dev't, I have roughly 1.2 billion tricks up my sleeve for motivation.
The one that works for me (and it's important to make that point since not everyone is the same) is a kind of warped version of the 7 Habits.

It sounds dull but . . .
I have a spreadsheet with 3 pages on it.
Page 1 has 3 columns showing my goals for 2 years time, 12 months time, and 6 months time. Some 2yr goals are broad like "Have a child", or "Final big holiday". Others are quite specific like "Audi A4" and "High-Spec Gaming room".
The 1 yr goals obviously precede those, so before "Audi A4" there's "Clear the car loan early". So each 2yr goal is linked to one or two 1 yr goals.
The 6 month goals are the most tightly defined (EG: "Open 6 new client accounts" and lead to page 2.
Page 2 has my objective and actions month by month. So I can see how June builds to July, and on through the year. In order to achieve 6 brand new clients I have to meet 30 prospects and make 12-16 proposals. THerefore, how many calls, etc.
The final page has my priorities and commitments for this week.

It all sounds very structured (and therefore dull), but there's tremendous satisfaction from crossing things off which you know are contributing to an overall set of goals. And it doesn't mean having every hour accounted for because there's loads of big empty gaps in the weekly page which can be used for fun if I'm ahead of the running, or for making up lost ground if I spend too much time on forums !

 

[VeryMark]

Wow!!

 

[Amber]

I'm really impressed with how organised people are with their motivation! I feel like I should have a spreadsheet now

Personally, I paid my way through university by working weekends in a call centre, and any time I'm lacking in motivation I sit at my desk and repeat the phrase "Welcome to XXX, Amber speaking, how may I help you?" about 500 times and remind myself just how bad that was. That normally does the trick...

 

[buying_it]

Hey jon-at-skai

You have just described the typical structured sales pipeline

I had never thought about using one for personal goals but I can now see from your description how it would work!

Never liked sales pipelines though, I prefer the free spirit effect - well okay the completely disorganised effect followed by huge peaks of mind crushing effort as I haul the work through in time to pay the bills. Much more entertaining

What keeps me motivated is talking about businesses and ideas for making money - I sometimes wonder why on earth people are wage slaves - the world is full of so much opportunity!

Andy

 

[Ozzy]

philjeffs, if you're ever near Northampton we're going to have to wring the necks of our overpowered rockets Likewise if I'm passing suffolk way !

Back to motivation ... when you work for yourself you need to keep motivated to keep your business running, when you have staff you need to keep motivated to keep your staff motivated, hence a good structure if needed!

 

[philjeffs]

Ozzy,

actually finished up with a 2001 RR-1 after dealer mix-up on stock available. Yeah I'd love to meet up when I've got the hang of the thing (if I live that long). What you got?

Back to the topic - just looking at the blade makes me want to get out and sell my services. I never got that in class one emplyment as I always figured I was simply lining someone else's pocket.

Phil

 

[jon-at-skai]

Yes, I suppose it is an adapted sales pipeline - I'd not thought of that analogy before .
However, it's one which directs you in the direction you want to take rather than being reactive, which is what I find motivational about it.

Day-to-day there's other things I do. Like walk round shops full of stuff I'd like to buy and then sit down for a couple of hours cold-calling.

And Amber - many many years ago I had one of those crappy jobs (production line work amongst non-English speaking immigrants. Dull, repetitive mindless work with no-one to talk to!).
I can't say the memory is necessarily a motivator, but it does provide a benchmark when I'm tempted to think that I'm having a bad day.

 

[winton50]

Personally I can vouch for the motorbike effect.
also the BMW effect

not sure about the spreadsheet effect though!