It’s easy to be excited about your business when you start it – it’s like getting engaged: you have unlimited energy, you are full of anticipation for the future, and you feel unstoppable!

Then reality sets in (sometimes) and “the thrill is gone,” to quote the old country song.

If you were employed in a j.o.b., you would just slough off for a while and hope your motivation returns. But as a business owner, your business doesn’t move forward (or not very quickly) unless you do!

So here are some keys to reviving your motivation when it lags due to setbacks – of whatever kind:

1. Revisit your vision statement. (You have one, don’t you?)

When you “can’t see the forest for the trees,” it’s time to get some distance from the daily flow of emails, phone calls and tasks to do – and remember why you are in business in the first place. If you don’t already have a vision statement to use at such times, it’s time to write one! Tom Watson, Founder of IBM, talks frequently about how they used their vision of what the company would be like “when it was complete” to gauge their daily results. And it is also a great tool to bring your groove (or motivation) back too!

2. Take a break.

Seriously! We are human beings, not human doings…and as such we are designed to move in and out of concentrated work through the day. If you’re feeling stale – or that computer screen is getting out of focus (and it isn’t your glasses!) then it may be time to take a walk, pet the cat or dog, enjoy a cup of tea on the patio, or call a friend. Stand up, breathe, stretch, and change your environment. (Oh, and don’t forget to eat lunch too!) You’ll be amazed what a difference it will make.

3. Do a 3-minute brainstorming session.

Take out a clean piece of paper (NOT the computer screen – your creativity works best with pen to paper), set your timer, and “go!” Write down all the ideas you can think of that could possibly solve the problem you feel stuck on – or all the new ways you could approach your marketing – or all the possible new product or program ideas you could implement in the next 6 months.

Cash flow a problem? Brainstorm 25 ways you could raise money in the next 30 days. Then DO as many of the items on the list as you can – and STAY in action. This will create energetic momentum toward your desired goal. (And you’ll feel better too!)

For more tips on motivation, mindset and more, join us for our FREE teleseminar July 15.

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