Running your own business is not always easy: You have to overcome many hurdles as a start-up, insecurity as regards finances and business outlook, annoying authority visits, tax prepayments, payments of tax arrears, insurance payments etc. In addition to that, you have to deal with mostly long working hours, short breaks and relaxing times and a lot of mental energy that you have to invest into your business if you want to make it really successful. On the other hand, you probably earn more than you could ever earn as an employee, you are more satisfied and have the freedom of doing what you really like. For some people, self-employment even is the key to finding a "real sense" in their lives.
In order to be successful it’s very important to motivate yourself every day. All the energy you invest in your work has to come from somewhere, right? In this blog post, you’ll read about 6 tips that can help you motivate yourself when you run your own business:
#1: MOTIVATION FROM YOUR WORK
It’s obvious that your work brings you joy. Otherwise, you would not have chosen to do that specific job and have overcome all the hurdles in the starting phase. Often, people consider what they do as "very satisfying" and "meaningful". That already gives you positive energy. It also helps to recall the work day and remember what you have achieved that day. And when you get a positive feedback from a client, that motivates even more.
#2: ROLE MODELS
Let other entrepreneurs’ success stories inspire you. It’s good to learn from the best, isn’t it? Role models or positive examples motivate and keep you going. Let me give you an example: If you work as a presenter or communication coach, you could study famous speeches of US presidents. Just think of the "yes we can" statements of Barack Obama – what a good example for a successful speech. Look out for role models in your industry and learn from the best. And never forget: Your role models didn’t become successful overnight, but invested a lot of passion, brains and hard work in their success!
#3: THE RIGHT ENVIRONMENT
Build friendships with other freelancers. If you only have employees around you, you will face a lot of incomprehension. Nobody can understand your problems and you and your business will often be questioned - no matter how successful you are! You could earn more money than all your friends together and be much happier with your life then they are with theirs and you would still encounter comments like "Why do you work so much? You miss your whole life, how stupid" or "you are so successful, I’m sure you could work less". People often don’t understand that success doesn’t fall from heaven, but has to be worked hard for. "Work less" would probably not lead to lasting or growing success. Besides that, some people cannot imagine work to be satisfying and fun. Priorities in life and personal goals of self-employed people often differ massively from the ones employees have. The wrong environment can unfortunately damage a lot of motivation. So: Build friendships with other freelancers!
#4: THE IDEAL WORK LIFE BALANCE
Try to find your ideal work life balance. I know, it doesn’t sound very revolutionary, but a healthy balance of work and free time is very important to fuel up with energy that you need for your daily job. Plus, don’t forget that you work for yourself and your own goals. And quality definitely trumps quantity! Swimming in a lake at dawn for half an hour can be much more relaxing than sitting in front of the TV for two hours. Everybody is different. Find your very personal ways of relaxing, your very personal "energy stations". And if they are not too time consuming it’s even easier to include them in your everyday life, because regularity is important here!
#5: DIET AND SPORTS
Everybody knows that a healthy, balanced diet and regular sports have a positive impact on your body and mind. And even though it’s not always easy to implement that in your daily routine, healthy food and some exercise should definitely be part of your life. Replace chocolate and crisps with nuts, fresh fruits or vegetable sticks with a sour cream dip here and there. That provides your brain with healthy energy and you won’t feel tired after eating. That in combination with a little bit of exercise (take the steps instead of the lift, cycle to work instead of taking the car etc.) increases your well-being and you feel much fitter. Your daily contribution for more motivation in your life!
#6: REWARDING YOURSELF IS NOT ALLOWED, IT IS A MUST!
You work a lot, so you should really reward yourself. When you’re self-employed, you won’t get praised by your boss or your colleagues, because you are your own boss. If you don’t praise yourself, nobody will! So don’t forget to give yourself a pat on the back – especially after closing a new deal or successfully finishing a project. The reward could be going to your favourite restaurant, a weekend trip, a new pair of shoes or whatever. Celebrate the small and big successes in your life!