stay motivated! 3 simple steps

As busy women entrepreneurs, it can often be difficult to stay motivated in our businesses with all of the distractions of life, such as kids, significant others, home duties, meals, meetings, etc. It’s so easy to become preoccupied with all of those other aspects of life. 

As for me, I’m trying to get most of my work done at home when my girls are at school, which means that I need to somehow keep my focus on the task at hand without distraction. Does this always happen perfectly? Do I always ignore the critter hair piled up in the corner or the requests for belly rubs from my little mutt? 
Of course not. 
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Obviously, no one is perfect and we are all works in progress. We are all striving to do our best in this crazy world, right? That means that it’s more important to focus on progress, NOT perfection. 

I would like to share some simple (which doesn’t always mean easy) tips to stay motivated in your business (and in your life). 

Tips to stay motivated: 

1) Get up and MOVE! 
Seriously. This doesn’t mean you have to spend an hour breaking a sweat lifting massive amounts of weight or running 5 miles every day. I’m talking about just getting up and walking around either inside or out (bonus points for getting fresh air at the same time). Or doing 10 jumping jacks. Or maybe a minute of squats. 

Take multiple small breaks throughout the day and move around to get the blood flowing through your body and brain. Even just 1-2 minutes can make a massive difference in how you function the rest of the day. Movement doesn’t always mean a formal workout. We were created to move all day, but not necessarily with just strenuous activity. 

Think of it as incorporating mini circuits throughout your day. As an example, I set a timer for one hour while I’m working. After that hour, I step away from my desk and do some sort of movement for about a minute or so and then go back to my work for another hour. That way, I have programmed breaks and am much more effective and efficient in what I’m doing. Plus, those mini breaks also act as self care breaks, an extra bonus. 

2) Know your big WHY! 
This one is KEY! Think about it. If you aren’t laser clear on why you’re doing something, how are you going to stay motivated to do it when times get tough? When you feel like quitting. When you’re questioning if you’re qualified enough to do this. When you say “Who am I to think I can do this?” (the classic imposter syndrome). 

When thinking of your big “why,” be sure to keep it strong, clear and oriented toward the future. Be super specific about what results you want to achieve and how that will benefit you later on. Maybe you want financial freedom, so that you can take 2-3 months off during the year to travel. Perhaps you want to buy a house with cash. Or reach a hundred thousand women with your message (a dream of mine). 

Do you see how specific and powerful those “why’s” are? That is what is needed to keep you moving forward, instead of driving you backward. 

3) WRITE it down! 
Did you know that you are at least 40% more likely to accomplish something if you write it down? It’s true. The simple act of just writing them down, rather than thinking about them, creates a visual motivator of what it is that you want to accomplish. By doing that, your conscious brain and subconscious brain begin to work together on getting it DONE. That’s why it’s so important to write down your goals. 

You might do this annually or quarterly or monthly, whatever works best for you. I have started writing down larger annual goals and then smaller monthly goals. That way, I know what I’m working towards both in the short term and long term. 

When writing goals, once again, it’s important to be specific. Don’t just say you want to get more clients in the next few months. Say that you want to get ten more clients in the next two months. That’s a specific goal that can actually be measured and attained. 

You can write your goals down on paper, note cards, in a binder, in your notes on your phone, in a digital document, on a tattoo (just seeing if you’re still paying attention, LOL), etc. I would suggest having them written in multiple places, so that you can see them on a daily basis wherever you are. Maybe have them written/printed out by your desk and also have a reminder on your phone to view them when you’re out. The more you see your goals, the more likely you are to achieve them. 

Once you decide on a system that you’re most comfortable with, be consistent about it! That’s the only way you’re going to stay motivated. Review those goals you wrote down and decide if they need to be adjusted every so many months or so. Obviously, they aren’t set in stone and will likely evolve over time, as your business grows and changes. And that’s okay.
 
There you have it! Your simple tips to stay motivated in business. I would love to hear from you! Leave a comment and let me know how you plan to implement these tips, along with any others you have to keep yourself on track. 

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Heidi Ball, The Mom Coach, is a transformational coach who supports
overwhelmed moms to rock their life by taking back control of their time
and creating a plan that works for them and their families. She has been
married for 19 years and has two fierce, independent girls. She enjoys
traveling the world, curling up with a great novel and trying to
outsmart her escape artist chickens.
She can be found at:
[1] http://momsrockinglife.com/
[2] https://www.facebook.com/momsrockinglife/?ref=bookmarks
[3] https://www.instagram.com/momsrockinglife/
[4] https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidi-ball-219270180/