Staying highly motivated and on track with your business goals is no small matter. When you are fired up, it’s possible to move mountains and rally the troops to do their bit. However, when you are suffering from low moods, fatigue, lethargy, and regularly falling behind or getting off track, it negatively affects your performance as a CEO.
Working to maintain an even keel and staying motivated are key factors in achieving business success. Here are five useful tactics and resources for business owners.
1. Read Inspiring Business-oriented Blogs & Books
Reading and digesting what business leaders are putting out into the world is beneficial. It can indicate when you’re doing some of the right things. But also, it serves to highlight new initiatives that hadn’t occurred to you. New business books are often mentioned in interviews by prominent CEOs; frequently these aren’t books you would have come across otherwise. Here are 15 great business blogs to consider. Some will be familiar to you already, whereas others may be completely new. Find the ones that either speak to how you think about and conduct business, or that will inspire your day.
2. Set Meaningful, Intelligent Goals
While there’s much focus on setting SMART goals, they’re not a panacea for every business ailment. Goals, when too vague, lack specificity. Overly unambitious goals are uninspiring to all. These types of goals aren’t worth setting in the first place. The objectives of the business must be significant enough to be highly motivational. If they’re too easily achieved, no one will push hard toward their attainment or feel good about succeeding with them. Instead, make the business goals intelligent, ambitious, and meaningful.
3. Talk with the Customers
Losing touch with what the customers expect and want to see from the business creates a fundamental disconnect. Subsequently, fresh business ideas turn out to be wrongheaded, regardless of whether they’re inspired or not. Turn a negative into a positive by asking customers what could be done better. See if they have suggestions for product improvements or ideas for new ones. Accept the feedback. Look for ways to learn, iterate product lines, and deliver well on customers’ expectations.
4. Take a Break
Stepping away from the business by taking time off, enjoying a staycation, or going on a vacation, can refresh and reenergize you. By returning to the business fully recharged, you’ll be happy to embrace challenges with full engagement. When you are no longer feeling worn down, it allows for bigger, more optimistic thinking about what can be achieved over the medium to long term.
5. Stay in Shape
Lastly, staying in shape can do wonders for your mental health, and consequently you will feel as though you have more energy to dedicate to thinking up new business ideas. While exercise sometimes requires taking time away from the business, it can be a source of renewal. Furthermore, it’s a chance to gain a meaningful perspective.
As a founder, if you find yourself struggling for motivation and the energy to push ahead, don’t just accept it. Use a collection of tactics and useful resources to bolster your confidence, open your mind, and re-orient toward the positive.
