Latest Posts by birdnhand20 - Page 4
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If you want what the 1% have, you must work harder than the other 99%!
- PSG (via tolle-folien)
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HOW TO STAY MOTIVATED AS AN ENTREPRENEUR
I believe motivation is highly subjective and that each person has a unique motivational catalyst. So this post isn’t actually written to motivate you (LOL). What this post will do, however, is give you 3 distinct suggestions on how you can generally stay motivated by yourself. These are based on observations made in my brief time working with entrepreneurs. Of course, like with anything, this is not a closed list.
1. Have Passion For What You Do:
You’ve heard this plenty of times, I know, it’s annoying to me too. But we wouldn’t hear it so often if it wasn’t so important.
Steve Jobs, when addressing a crowd at his alma mater, famously said “You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers.”
Do what you love, and not in an airy fairy, kumbaya kind of way. If you derive actual pleasure from what you do, you are likely to be more motivated than the average person. It follows that people who do what they love will approach their work with a guaranteed level of enthusiasm. I don’t think this needs a great deal of explanation.
2. Find A Suitable Co-Founder:
Some of the best companies in the world were started by co-founders (e.g. Apple, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, etc.). Often, a start-up is launched and maintained through a combination of expertise, which, for complex projects, is hardly ever held by a single person. Sometimes it takes 2 or 3 people to start a project. So the importance of compatible co-founders cannot be stressed enough.
Like with every endeavour, there will be challenges that dampen the passion. The honeymoon period WILL end, and co-founders need to understand their effect on each other because this can serve as the necessary spark to push each other forward. During a slump in motivation, if you don’t feel more motivated after speaking with your co-founder, he or she may not be the right person for you to work with.
Some questions you should ask about your co-founder - When you are not feeling your best will they be able to take control? Do they create a mood which is conducive to productivity? How do you feel after talking to them about a hurdle you are facing? Do they actually have the capacity to perform the tasks that are needed to drive the project forward?
To achieve the best results, be brutally honest with yourself when answering these questions. Based on your answers, you may need to make some changes.
I left the first business I started at University because I could no longer work with my co-founder. The person whom I had originally chosen as my co-founder because of his technical knowledge of the (media) industry became the reason for my loss of enthusiasm. I am not sure what the root cause was, but my co-founder started developing a habit of killing the business relationships I had worked hard to build (and other bad habits, which are best left unmentioned). In turn, our reputation as a serious business began to take a knock. But this wasn’t yet the issue. The real issue was his inability to realise his problem, and then act in accordance with such realisation.
Needless to say, I was brutally honest with myself - I just did not believe that he had the capacity to perform necessary tasks anymore, so I cut all professional ties with him.
3. Figure Out Your Motivational Currency
I define motivational currency as: a positive response which fuels the desire to be productive.
For example, I run a consulting business. Now, as much as I love what I do, there are mornings which feel completely hopeless (because - life) and my reason for continuing has escaped me. However, my mood suddenly changes when I get up from my bed, check my mail, and find an email from an entrepreneur requesting my services. After viewing this email, I feel a new energy, a sense of purpose, which prompts me to keep going. I am motivated, and the email is my motivational currency.
If you are an outdoor event organiser whose event receives good reviews on social media and in the local papers, such reviews are your motivational currency because they prompt you to repeat the amount of effort put into your work, in pursuit of the same or an even better response from your market.
This type of “currency” is different for different businesses, and is usually controlled by external factors. We cannot determine when motivational currency will be forthcoming, but the more work we put in, the more motivational currency we are likely to receive. (i.e. the more good work I do for my existing clients, the more likely I am to wake up to an email requesting my services.)
Conclusion:
Staying motivated is, in my opinion, the most important thing for any entrepreneur. You can do anything you set your mind to with the right amount of motivation. Conversely, you can do very little without it. This is why it is crucial for entrepreneurs to find what motivates them, and have ready access to it whenever it’s needed.
So print this. Put it on your wall, and highlight the points which speak to you the most. Every time you feel demotivated, give it a quick read, and remind yourself of the ways in which you can regain your motivation.
As always, thanks for reading. I promise to make it a shorter read next time.
The Future is here. Get on the bus !
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There’s a new long-distance travel option on the horizon: a double-decker bus with pods for sleeping. It’s called, simply, Cabin. And it’s an overnight service — like a red-eye — designed for people who love going places, but hate being in transit.
The journey of a thousand miles... may even be across a rickety bridge.
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Does this shirt indicate that the wearer is not concerned about money ??
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If you don’t quit, and don’t cheat, and don’t run home when trouble arrives, you can only win.
Shelley Long (via beinchargeofyourlife)
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How are you working your brand?
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Introducing the new generation of beauty. Racial diversity? ✔️ Body diversity?✔️ Religious diversity?✔️ and she’s just getting started….. Rihanna worked for more than two years on #FENTYBEAUTY to make sure women of every color, race, sizes and culture could enjoy her line.
“Everyone has their shade, someone just needs to make it” -Rihanna
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5 Life Lessons To Unlearn - to be an entrepreneur
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22 entrepreneurs share the advice that made them successful.
Stay smart.
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http://72hourcashmachine.com/7stm
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How Mark Cuban Decided He Couldn’t Work for Anyone Else | Inc. Magazine
Gangsta.
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Bentley EXP 12 Speed 6e concept brings luxury ownership experience to electric vehicle sector
Think outside of the... cup.
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yknow what?
October is upon us!!
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i don’t have an ink pen or fancy paper so how about
minktober
The strongest people are not those who show strength in front of us, but those who win battles we know nothing about.
Anonymous (via wordsnquotes)
So true.
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Is it creativity or is it necessity that is the mother of all invention? Either way these things are cool.
Just imagine a world full of beautiful stained glass windows which also generate electricity…
[Oxford Photovoltaics]
Gotta love fall.
Portland Japanese Garden by Jim Lewis
Power. Nap. Follow me while awake; however.
Innovation? Why not?
Witness Me!
A worthy goal will do both.
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When life knocks you down, you realize how much power you have.
Might I offer a (my favorite) poem that speaks to this mental toughness... read See It Through, by Edgar Guest.
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10 Traits of Mentally Strong People
1. They are able to stay calm, and maintain self-control.
2. They have clear boundaries between themselves and other people.
3. They respect their own and others’ boundaries.
4. They don’t become defensive, or feel completely crushed, when someone is critical of them or their work.
5. Where appropriate … they are able to take their fair share of the blame, and are quick to apologize when they are in the wrong.
6. They are flexible, and willing to adapt or change.
7. They know their limitations, and are happy to be helped.
8. They forgive themselves willingly – and then move on with life.
9. They don’t bear grudges, or play games with people’s feelings.
10. They are responsible, persistent, and are people of their word.