I love being an entrepreneur. Every day is different. I can (mostly) fix my own schedule. And thanks to the internet I can work from anywhere. Last summer I did a lot of work while at my sister’s cottage.
However, contrary to what you see on Instagram, being an entrepreneur isn’t all easy sailing.
There are ups and downs.
Some days everything is rolling along. Other days you’re ready to throw your computer out the window while crying hysterically.
So what do you do when you’re having a bad day and don’t want to even get out of bed?
For me, motivational quotes are the key. They’re like a mini shot of inspiration.
A great quote inspires creativity, sparks our brilliance, and elevates our mood.
Here is a list of some of my favourite inspirational quotes. I hope they inspire you as much as they do me.
If there’s one thing entrepreneurs have in common is there’s always more to do than time to do it. However, there are some ways to ensure you get more done.
First, understand your motivation. Are you trying to avoid something unpleasant that will happen if you don’t complete your task or are you aiming for something pleasant that will happen if you do?
The stick can be a powerful motivator in the short term, but the carrot works better in the long term.
Once you have your motivation in place, deadlines can help you stay focused. Remember, your task will fill the time allotted.
Think about how much you accomplish they day before you leave for vacation. Setting mini-deadlines for task can give you that pre-vacation productivity every day.
Have a plan. Break larger goals into smaller chunks and set deadlines for each of these pieces.
Are you a failure if you don’t meet your deadline? It depends. Did you miss your deadline because you were binging on the latest new series on Netflix? That’s not so good.
However, if you missed your deadline because you got a new client who paid your extra for a rush job, I’d say that’s a pretty good reason to change the deadline.
Another thing to consider is how close did you get to achieving your goal in the time allowed? If you can honestly say you accomplished more than you would have without the deadline, that’s still a win in my books.
I’m a compulsive list-maker. I create daily to-do lists, grocery lists, annual goal lists, Christmas shopping lists. What I really love is checking an item off a list. It feels very satisfying.
But I went through a period where I was getting very frustrated. I couldn’t complete my daily to-do lists. Not even close. Most days I didn’t get through half. I was mentally beating myself up for being lazy and unfocused.
Then one day I went through my daily list and added a time next to each item – how long I thought it would take. When I added up the total it came to 28 hours!
No wonder I couldn’t get it all done. Even if I gave up sleep, eating and spending time with my family I couldn’t possibly complete it all.
Then I got the idea of using file cards for my daily lists. File cards are much smaller than an 8½” sheet of paper so I would be forced to be more reasonable.
Guess again. I just started writing smaller, along the side, on the back.
Another fail.
Then I realized part of the problem was I was making it up as I went along. And I would add new items throughout the day. I decided I needed a detailed 3-month plan. So I created one and got to work implementing it, making my daily lists using the plan.
Better, but I still wasn’t quite achieving my goals. But I wasn’t sure exactly what to do about it.
Then in January 2015 my friend Yvonne told me about the 100 Day Challenge. She’d signed up and wanted me to join her. I hesitated because I’d taken programs before and didn’t really want to spend money with nothing to show for it at the end.
But I reviewed the information about the 100 Day Challenge, did some digging on Gary Ryan Blair and decided “okay”.
So we joined and at the end of my first 100 days I am amazed at the results (see my previous post about this).
I think there are four things that worked here.
The daily training/motivational videos kept me on track
The detailed 100-day plan I created
The focus on getting things done daily.
The weekly After Action Review and coaching
I really think number four is the biggest change. I’d been madly running along checking off items on my to-do lists without taking any time to step back and see how these tick-marks are helping me achieve my goals.
The weekly check-ins allowed me to stay on track. If I had a week where I didn’t follow my plan – bright shiny object syndrome – the weekly review gave me the motivation to be more focused the next week. I frequently caught myself thinking “no, Andrea, that’s not your priority. Stick to your list”.
Weekly self-assessment also allowed me to make a smart course-correction. I’d planned to start a podcast in March but part way through February I realized I needed to change my focus and put more effort into my list building efforts because the podcast wasn’t going to do as much to help me achieve my goals
Registration for the second quarter 100 Day Challenge is open from April 1st to 10th. If you’re interested in signing up, or learning more go to 100DayChallenge.com.
If you have any questions feel free to get in touch. I’d be happy to talk to you about my experience.
Yes, I will get a commission if you purchase the 100 Day Challenge using my link.
While this famous study by John Jost is 17 years old, I discovered numerous other studies showing similar results.
What got me thinking about this was a conversation with my sister.
Have you ever gone to a pool to swim lengths? Often they’ll have lanes designated “fast” or “slow.
My sister, a personal trainer, spends a fair bit of time at the pool. She noted that almost without exception women will go to the slow lane, men the fast lane, regardless of their fitness level and swimming ability.
It made me think. I do the same thing. I was a competitive swimmer as a teen. Although I’m considerably slower today than at 16, about 90 percent of the time I’m the fastest person in the pool when I go to swim lengths.
Yet I never choose the fast lane.
It got me wondering: am I doing that in my business?
Have I been working in the fast lane but charging slow lane prices?
I think I have. But no more. I’m going to be more aware of how I value my services. As part of the process I’m going to re-read Overcoming Underearning
by Barbara Stanny.
How about you? Are you undervaluing yourself? Are you ready to change?
Leave a comment and let me know if you’re ready to “swim in the fast lane”.
If you read my previous blog post, you know I’ve been participating in Gary Ryan Blair’s 100 Day Challenge and getting amazing results. That’s why I was so excited when he agreed to let me interview him for the blog.
The interview is only about 28.5 minutes but Gary shared some really valuable stuff. In fact, from about the 9:50 mark to about 12:15 Gary said something that blew my mind and caused a major paradigm shift in my thinking.
He said you can change your life. It requires a short period of time, a focused mindset and executing like you never have before.
Then he talked about thinking about how he can take his annual income and turn it into his monthly income.
Wow. I realized I’ve been thinking too small and that has completely changed! I went from thinking I might be able to triple my income from last year but now I’m thinking 10 times.
The thing is, it’s not pie-in-the-sky dreaming. In the short time it’s been since I interviewed Gary, I’ve come up with several pieces of the plan to get me there.
And I am so energized, excited and happy about how much work it’s going to take because I’m going to be getting massive results.
So please, listen to the interview. Then if you’re interested in joining me for the 100 Day Challenge for the next quarter, or just want to learn a little more go to www.TheBabyBoomerEntrepreneur.com/100Days/
Here’s a special discount group code that you can use to save $50 on your enrollment.
Group Code: group97
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