6 Habits to Help You Stay Inspired in Your Business
Being a small business owner or entrepreneur means that the buck starts and stops with you. As head honcho, you’re in charge even when you might not be feeling 100%. So it’s important as a business owner to surround yourself with sources of inspiration that keep your creative juices flowing.
What we know for sure is that even if you’re not always at your motivated best, you can coax those Eureka! moments, as long as you create good habits that provide inspiration in your every day.
Take lots of time for YOU
You are an essential part of your business, especially in the start-up and growth stage. But pushing yourself 24/7 isn’t just detrimental to your business, it’s detrimental to you, too.
The solution? Taking plenty of time awayfrom your business regularly to let ideas percolate and allow yourself to have fun, so that you can come back to work refreshed and invigorated. Whole weekends off? Yes! A week’s vacation? Book it – and while you’re at it, make sure you turn on that out-of-office message and leave the laptop at home.
Commit to a vision that is greater than just business
Of course you want your business to be wildly profitable! But profit isn’t the only measure of success, and being driven exclusively by the bottom line becomes draining pretty quickly.
Take time to think about the deeper reasons why you started your business and your overarching vision for it. Write that down, and post it somewhere you can revisit it every day as a reminder.
Find inspiration in others
No one is self-motivated 100% of the time. Instead of being hard on yourself when you’re not feeling lit from within, try leaning on the inspiration of others.
Whether it’s attending a motivational talk, reading positive books, listening to interesting podcasts, or going to inspirational venues like art galleries, concerts, or shows, find inspiration in others and let it nourish yours.
Join a mastermind group
Pushing your business to the next level takes a village. Especially if it’s just you working it right now. Investing in an active mastermind group is like putting your business in a slingshot and pulling it back. You can’t help but catapult your business forward when you’re in a group of like-minded people who are all focused on helping one another!
Mutual motivation, camaraderie, building an intimate community of colleagues, and leaning on each other for support and expertise have a ton of benefits[C1] , and inspiration is just one of them.
Get physical
Inspiration and motivation feel a lot like a buzzing energy high, don’t they? That kind of energy is kinetic: it needs to be in motion. And guess what: so do you. The more you move, the more energy can work its way in and through your body and mind.
Shake off stagnation and get moving! Try starting your day with a 30- to 45- minute walk around your neighbourhood when the air is fresh and the birds are the only sound. Get up from your desk and take yourself for a 15-minute walk a couple of times throughout the day. Oh, and need we remind you to leave the phone at home?
Meditate
Spending time being quiet and still is just as important as being physical, because it’s often the only time we truly have to be with own thoughts. Spending even five minutes a day in solitude can give you the space you need to hear your thoughts, clear negative energy, and spark new ideas that could motivate and inspire you in business and in life.
We all need a little extra motivation and inspiration now and then. Which of these habits have worked best for you? Which would you consider adding to your day?
