Entrepreneurial Success: 5 Steps to Staying Motivated
Learning to stay motivated goes beyond wishful thinking, it takes positive steps.
Motivating yourself to stay and excel at your demanding cleaning business can be example to your employees. It should not be something you do only when the spirit moves you. It's an ongoing process that should include every facet of your business life. This means your mental attitude, physical well-being and appearance, work atmosphere, your interaction with others (clients and employees alike), and your off-the-job environment.
You can pay a motivational expert big bucks to tell you that as a professional, you must constantly examine these factors. Here's how you can grow and stay motivated. Follow the 5 steps and watch your surrounding environment change from the inside out.
Keep a Positive, Ongoing Attitude - Let's realize that life is only 10% of what happens to us, but 90% is how we react to it. You are responsible for your own actions and attitudes, and changing them when you need to. When you're around people who are uplifting and positive, you will begin to feel that way too. You have more confidence in yourself, and know you can change whatever needs changing. If you can make your workplace such a place, you'll find happier workers and higher production. You might even find your employees look forward to coming to work. Now wouldn't that be a motivational uplifting for you?
Leave Personal Troubles Home Where They Belong - Everyone has problems, but they don't belong at work. Turn your attention and energy entirely to your business, and focus on daily tasks. This will actually be good for you because you'll get a mental break from your troubles.
Create Positive Affirmations Daily - The reason for writing goals for your business is the same as creating positive affirmations on paper. What your eyes see and ears hear, your mind will believe. Try it! After you've written them down, read them aloud to yourself - and do it every morning when you get into work. You'll be amazed at what happens. Come up with a set of new ones every other week or monthly. Statements such as, "I'm an important and valuable person," or "I know I'll make good use of my time today." Repeating them out loud every day at a set time will help reinforce positive actions. Always remember -- positive things happen to positive people. Believe in yourself by daily affirmations.
Make Sure Break Times Are Refocus Time - This is an area where most bosses or entrepreneurs fall short. You become so intense about the project you're working on that you don't ease up. Thinking that you will solve it in the next few seconds, pretty soon you'll get a cup of coffee and realize it's quitting time. Regularly adhering to a break schedule, even if you're the boss, releases the tension. If you work on a computer, this is even a greater problem because before you realize it - you've been working in that same position for hours. The best answer to this is to set yourself a reminder on your appointment calendar for every 2 hours, and let the computer reminder chime send you the alert to move around.
Exercise, Exercise, Exercise For A Better You - I know that lately it seems that "exercise" is the cure-all to every physical ailment or your love life, but despite that, there is some truth to that ugly word. By "exercise" I don't mean that you should go out and join a gym and spend your lunchtime there, 3-days-a-week working out. What is really beneficial and workable is that at those chiming alerts from your computer, get up and walk around your desk or room. Maybe go outside and get the mail and enjoy the sunlight (if you're an entrepreneur that has a home office), or just get up and do a few stretches.
Concentrated, tense thinking, typing, plotting plans, or whatever your work, makes all those muscles tighten and knot up. Then when we move we "ooh" and "ouch" because we've knotted up into a ball of tension. Periodic stretching, even at our desk, or just getting up and walking over to the window and getting a different view can help. One of the greatest disservice modern business décor has done to us, is making our offices pristine, sleek, unencumbered spaces. There is nothing more relaxing than getting up from your desk and walking over to a peaceful, serene, seascape or pastoral painting and just drinking it in visually. Momentarily transporting your mind out of work and into that place does wonders. A few good paintings and less shiny chrome in offices would benefit us all.
It only takes a little concentrated effort on our part to keep motivated and productive, which leads to success. I know you're going to hate hearing this, but it's true anyway - and that is, you've heard of this before "WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU LEMONS - MAKE LEMONADE!" It's more than a cliché. Stay fit mentally as well as physically and see your business spiral to the next level.