Motivation, for most people, comes from within, but there are techniques you can use to get moving. Running a business requires a great deal of self-discipline, so it can be hard to maintain that all of the time. Here are some suggestions for getting motivated and staying the course.
- Set your goals and put them in writing. Identifying your goals is a great start to achieving your dreams and making them happen, but if you aren’t putting them in writing, they can lie dormant in your subconscious forever. The act of writing down your goals is a call to action that will drive you to take the steps necessary to accomplish them. Tip: When writing these goals, be specific about any numbers involved; also, include a completion date. For example, if your goal is to increase the number of times you share your opportunity every month, be specific about how much it needs to increase by. “I will share my opportunity 5-7 times per week,” is a much more specific and attainable goal than “I will share my opportunity more often.” The easier your goal is to visualize, the more motivated you will be to achieve it.
- Use benchmarks. Much of what is involved in a direct sales business requires long-term projects and objectives. It can be difficult to stay on track, so implement benchmarks to keep you focused along the way. Using the aforementioned goal of sharing your opportunity 5-7 times per week, create a benchmark of 1-2 per day. By doing so, you won’t let the entire week go by and feel like you have to cram it all in to meet your goal. Create benchmarks that are not impossible to meet, but challenge you enough that you feel satisfied with your work, and tailor them to suit the needs of your goal.
- Reward yourself. We all need and want something to look forward to. Many nutrition experts suggest that people who are trying to lose weight reward themselves in non-food related ways each time they achieve a goal. The anticipation of a meaningful reward can be a very effective motivator. Not only will it help you reach your immediate goal, but it will help you stay on the path to achieving any long-term objectives you have set.
- Read and/or listen to inspirational people. There are a ton of books out there written by motivational speakers both in the sales industry and not. Take some time each week to read a bit or listen to them on your iPod. You can learn a great deal from those who have been where you are, and sometimes all we need is a little extra push from an outside source to keep us on track and get us re-energized. Think of it as another form of professional development.
- Focus on excellence rather than perfection. If you set out to be perfect, you are setting yourself up for failure because nobody is perfect. Even the most successful people in the world didn’t get where they are without making mistakes along the way. So instead of focusing on perfection, strive for excellence. You will then be able to celebrate your own personal and professional victories, large and small, and continue reaching for more. You may be your own worst critic, but you should also be your own best cheerleader.
How do you find self-motivation? Please share your ideas in the comments section below!
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