Staying Motivated to Develop When Business is Going Well

Back in August, I asked you for your problems. I wanted to know what big questions you have, what challenges you’re facing, and what you’d like to read about here on Aliventures.

Colin, an intelligent and thoughtful chap who I had the pleasure of meeting back in June at the IttyBiz seminar asked the first question – and it’s one I’ve been mulling over for a while. Here it is:

When my business is ticking along reasonably nicely – just like right now, I’ve got enough clients to be comfortable – I find it very hard to convince myself to spend time on branching out into other areas. Any advice on how to motivate yourself when you’re not terrified you’re going to starve?

Like Colin, I’m in a comfortable business situation at the moment. Most of my income comes from blogging for a number of big sites. I love to write, and (being something of a chatterbox) I love to have an audience, so it’s a fun way to make a living. But I’ve made the decision recently not to take on any new jobs: I’ve got all the work that I need to keep my landlady happy!

So why don’t I apply for more gigs, take on more clients, and fill up my schedule?

Probably for the same reason that Colin isn’t trying to cram every minute of his day with maths tuition: you can love the work you do without it being your only passion. And, when you’ve succeeded in meeting a long-term goal – especially the crucial goal of making a living (not necessarily a fortune) doing something you enjoy – then it’s sometimes hard to see where to go next.

What Do You Dream Of Doing?

I’m with Sid Savara when he says there’s a difference between dreams and goals. I’m all for having goals – but they tend to lead us towards the prosaic and the practical:

This may just be semantics, but I always feel like the word “dream” is more liberating than “goal.” I enjoy having and day to day focus on my goals – they tend to be concrete, discrete and (for me) more short term.  Dreams remind me why I’m focusing on short term goals – you may have a goal of visiting Australia, but you dream of traveling the world.

(Sid Savara, How To Get Motivated – 8 Tips to Break Your Motivational Funk, SidSavara.com)

If you’ve achieved some of the goals you’ve set – if you have a career you enjoy, if you’re contributing to the world, if you’re financially okay – then ask yourself “What are my dreams?” Don’t self-censor. Don’t tell yourself that something’s “impossible” or “silly” or “unrealistic”. (The seminar I met Colin at was called Fuck Realistic, so I’m hoping Colin’s nodding along here…)

Choose dreams that make your heart quicken. Choose dreams that make you catch your breath. Choose dreams that scare you. These are the dreams which will really bring you alive.

When Your Business Is Your Dream

Now, perhaps your business, or some particular venture or project, is your dream. Maybe you’ve reached a comfortable level, like Colin has, but you want to go further. You want to write a book, or be on television, or reach hundreds of thousands of people. You want your life and your work to have a major impact on the world.

So how do you stay motivated to grow and develop your business, to put in the hours and to try things that might fail? How do you keep going when it’d be just as easy to settle back and enjoy what you’ve already achieved?

Hang Out With People Who Inspire You

One of my biggest sources of motivation is other people. Hanging out with friends who’re focused on doing good stuff in the world gets me encouraged and inspired. It doesn’t matter if their goal is to be a million-dollar life coach and mine is to write a best-selling novel … we share the same sort of energy, passion and commitment.

Find people who challenge you a bit. Find people who make you think “Wow” and then “Maybe I could do that too…” Get enthusiastic about one another’s goals: I tend to start throwing ideas about when I hear about other people’s ventures – and it’s great when fellow students enthuse about my writing.

Being with inspiring people can help you take your thoughts and dreams to a new level. You’ll get new insights, or new “What if…” moments.

Take On a New Challenge

When you feel that your business (or your college degree, or your art) is going fine but not going forwards, then it’s time to take on a new challenge. Perhaps you’ve mastered the art of writing short stories – how about giving a poem a try? Maybe all your web design clients have been local businesses – is it time to go bigger?

If you’ve got an okay-but-static business, how about:

• Writing a book or ebook
• Producing a new product, or improving an existing one
• Getting featured in the press – or appearing on television
• Tithing 10% of your work time: donate your skills to a charity for free (for me, this means maintaining some websites and doing some writing for church groups)

Grab a bit of paper and brainstorm some ideas for your business or project. How can you take it forwards?

If you’re really stuck for ideas, figure out how to make more money in less time! This could mean hiking your prices, delegating low-level admin work, or simply finding ways to work more effectively. If you’re happy with your current level of income don’t start chasing more. Extra money won’t make you any happier: instead, go for extra time to spend with your loved ones, or time to work on projects purely for fun, not profit.

Finding Your Vision

What’s your business for? Who do you help – and how? Why did you start your business (or a particular venture)? Would you do what you do if you didn’t get paid for it?

These are tricky questions, but it’s worth spending some time thinking about your vision – where’s your current journey taking you? Give yourself some time to explore this.

If you don’t have any idea of where you’re trying to go, how do you know if you’re getting closer or further away from that destination? Without vision, it’s easy to get caught into the trap of not knowing what to do, so you do a lot of things half-ass or you do nothing out of confusion. Figure out which direction you’re headed (for now), and make small steps in that direction everyday.

(Charlie Gilkey, The E-Factor: The 10 Traits of Successful Creative Entrepreneurs, Productive Flourishing)

As a freelancer and student, I know how easy it is to get caught up in the day-to-day of work – especially when it’s work that you enjoy. Your focus naturally tends to be on the level or stage that you’re currently settled at. In my case, it’s easy to default to looking for new writing jobs when I’ve got a bit of extra time … instead of stepping back and trying to grasp the bigger picture. Do I really want another weekly blogging gig, or do I want to get an article in a magazine … or have a book published?

What’s your grand vision? Take a big step back from your daily work, and look at where you want to be in a year, or two years, or five. (I’ve found that setting aside some interruption-free, internet-free time really helps me to do this.) If you’re feeling comfortable at your current level, that’s a sign that you’re ready to take a big stride forwards into something new. Like Charlie says, if you have no idea where you’re going, you’ll just end up spinning your wheels – doing things which don’t really matter to you.

If you’re at a comfy point with your career, your business, your relationships or other big areas of your life … how can you take things further? Do you need to step back and find your vision? Do you need to dream some bigger dreams? Do you need to give yourself permission to explore?