Ways to stay motivated for the self employed

by | Jan 31, 2020 | Business

4 ways for the self employed to stay motivated
Starting a business and keeping the motivation and dedication going can get tricky. Life tends to throw curve balls and sometimes that fire that was roaring starts to burn out. Below are a few ways to help keep those ideas generating and the passion and buzz for your business alive.

1. Absorb the knowledge around

There are so many ideas out there and all it takes sometimes is one bright spark to get you going. Watch TED Talks, enrol in a course (there are lots of free online courses available like Future Learn, and also reading a book.
Here are 3 TED talks I recommend if you haven’t watched them yet.

2. Meet new people

Get out and meet new people. There are always networking events taking place, conventions, and Meetups. These can be social or professionally focussed, but either way by getting out there and meeting new people it can provide great opportunities for motivation fire fuel.
If you’re in the northern Melbourne suburbs ‘The Creative Darebin Networking Breakfasts” might be for you.

3. Revisit and focus on your Mission Statement

If you have a Mission Statement read it. Write it down and put it in a visible place you see daily. If you don’t have one, focus on and come up with one. Your Mission Statement for your business is the underlying core belief and reason to do what you are doing. The Mission Statement never changes. Ultimately making it a powerful tool for you to come back to for reminding you why you have chosen to do what it is you do. I have Revolutionary Drones Records mission written on the back of the business cards and have one tacked on my wall.

4. Praise yourself

Reflect on your achievements and give yourself a pat on the back. Acknowledge the hard work you have done. We tend to take for granted the effort and time that is put into being self employed and unlike most you don’t have a manager that is going to tell you job well done. Sure a client might say thanks or give you a referral but acknowledging the dedication and had work you have put in can do wonders for your personal morale and motivation.
Looking over my to-do lists of the last weeks work is a simple way I can reflect and see what I have done. (Trying not to get too caught up on the un-ticked items of course. )

This was originally written MARCH 2017 for and posted on Melbourne Polytechnic’s blog as part of an alumni guest blogging series. They have since removed the blog section of their website.