3 Ways to Keep Motivated
In business, one of the greatest challenges a business owner faces is their own motivation.
starfish (Photo credit: hodgers)
If you have staff, you need to keep them motivated.
If you have clients, you need to keep them positive and believing in you and that means somehow staying motivated.
But keeping yourself motivated is HARD work when things are tough.
So here are some simple things to consider for keeping motivated:
- Remember that this too will pass so reframe problems into challenges and find a way through the situation
- Remember that your clients are the key to everything. Talk to them. Ask them how you are doing, what they like about you and more importantly ask them how you can help them more.
- Look at the language you use. Are your thoughts and words supporting you? Are you with people who support you? Change one word. Eliminate the (k)notty words in your life, one at a time.
Anger, Pettiness and Business
One of the greatest challenges a business owner deals with is emotions.
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An angry owner or employee can destroy a business relationship in minutes.
An owner or an employee who want to get even or who want to get some form of justice from their clients or their community can sabotage relationships
And any company or group who has someone who creates disharmony through bullying or abuse, will have problems with absenteeism and mistakes.
So what can a business do to prevent this from happening.
- Listen to both sides in the situation. Use the 3 As – Acknowledge that both parties have the right to their opinion, feelings and viewpoint. Accept that the disagreement or problem exists because as human beings we all have a different viewpoint. And finally appreciate that there is an opportunity to help everyone understand each other better and move forward.
- Put in writing a plan of action with review steps and consequences for not following the course of action. Ensure that everyone is clear on the what is expected and what they have agreed to do.
- Check in regularly to ensure that people continue to be heard.
And when you are a solopreneur, it is CRITICAL that you stay aware of your own emotions and sit yourself down and hold both sides of the conversation.
You need to learn to recognize the triggers for your anger and what happens in the angry state. Once you identify both your state and the triggers, you need to find at least three activities you can do when you are angry to diffuse your anger but still express yourself clearly.
The challenge around anger is that the fight or flight reaction happens. We want to run or we want to fight. We feel threatened so we experience changes in our body. And when that is happening we need to have a way of changing our state before our anger causes us to act in a way that is inappropriate, dangerous or destructive.
Do negative strong emotions have a place in business?
Yes but only when they allow you or your staff to dig deeper to make things change in a positive creative way forward. There are situations when you will feel anger. There will be times when you will be disappointed. There will be times when life seems unfair.
And you need to be aware of how you react and what you do in those situations. Be aware of your emotions in business so that you keep control and avoid sabotaging, detonating or destroying relationships.
AND remember, you are the one responsible for the outcomes of your actions. Watch out for the pettiness and anger each and every business day and on the non business days, remember you meet new prospects everywhere.
Keep breathing – it does help when dealing with anger and frustration in business.
Tell me what you do to deal with your anger?
Roberta
Simplifier, Presenter, Mentor
5 Tips to Mind Your Decisions
In business, as in life, it is critical that you manage your decisions
Doubt happens.
Bad things happen.
Super success happens.
Overconfidence happens
And each one of these can affect your ability to make good decisions.
And stress occurs when decisions are difficult to make.
So here are 5 tips to mind your decisions and keep your thoughts able to make those decisions that support your business.
- Perfection does not exist in business. Aim to make a decision based on current available information. Focus the decision on your buyer. Make sure your decision lets the buyer know that you care. Make decisions so that your staff stay on track to achieve your business purpose. Your decision to keep your word is more important than doing something right according to someone else.
- Listen to other people’s point of view and ask what they expect you to do. Then ask what they would settle for. Always do your best. Your best is all you can ever do. Make a decision based on what you can deliver that meets your buyer’s expectations.
- Stay open to feedback. Ask questions and avoid assuming you know what the other person will think or do in that situation. Your decisions need to be made on what is known rather than what you assume to be relevant.
- Take nothing personally. It’s all personal but only to the person talking. Learn to listen to your heart (or gut) and act responsibly when you make a decision.
- Regret nothing. Make everything a learning exercise. Decide to never repeat mistakes.
This will keep you focused on what matters most. It will help you find a better way of moving forward and give you an opportunity to achieve your vision on a daily basis.
Decide today to always work on purpose for the greater good of your buyers.
That will be better for your business in the future.
Roberta
Simplifier, Presenter, Mentor
#8 Passion
What are you passionate about? 
Passion is that feeling that gives you energy. Passion helps you push through obstacles. One reason many people love doing their jobs is because of passion.
You know the feeling; now you need to identify all those things that you are passionate about. Take out a place to write – manual or digital and create a list of your passions.
Write down first the people you are passionate about and then write a few words about why you are passionate about them.
Now write down all the activities you are passionate about and write down what it is about those activities that keep you passionate about them.
And finally, look at your list and decide if any of your passions align with your business. If you can find two or three then you are on you way to success with your idea.
Your passion will help you push through the tough times.
Your passion will give you energy to get up early or stay up late to meet deadlines.
If your passions have little alignment with your business, you have a couple of choices to make.
First, you can look for more passions.
Or you can look at your business ideas and decide if you can find another business that you can get passionate about.
You can start a business without passion but most businesses without passion stumble along and eventually die or change.
Identify your passion early and then create this business with your passion.
Until tomorrow
Roberta
Simplifier, Presenter, Mentor
This blog is part of the 30 minutes 4 30 days successful business start-up
#5 – Your Resources
If you have ever taken on a DIY project, you know that whatever you think it is going to cost, the reality is it will cost
you at least double.
If you are going into business, it is similar to a DIY project.
So today you are going to spend your 30 minutes looking at your physical, emotional and mental resources
Look at the following:
- Your computer, software, on-line and off line presence.
- You family and their support and needs
- Your bank balance and how long you can go without your business returning the initial investment costs and giving you a salary
- Your physical resources – where will you work – desk, phone, printer, fax. copier, pens, paper, filing cabinet, chair, interview place, etc.
- Your emotional resources – how resilient are you when someone tells you no?
- Your mental tenacity – what do you do when you lack the knowledge about something and how will you decide what is right for you or not?
This list is about identifying what you have. It will help you start to figure out what you need and when.
No shopping required yet. You will check on your mental, physical and emotional resources.
The last blog helped you created where you are going, your vision.
Today you are looking at the start position.
Be realistic. You may need very little more than what you have right now but the finance and emotional and mental questions are critical to your sustainability.
Be really honest. And then once you figure out the cost. Double it. Now we can start figuring out how to get to your vision from where you are.
Roberta
Simplifier, Presenter, Mentor
This blog is part of the 30 minutes 4 30 days successful business start-up
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Guest Blogging with Jon Morrow
