Being motivated is a large part of being a successful small business owner. Staying motivated all the time, however, can be a challenge, especially when you’re dealing with the inevitable ups and downs of running a business. Here, Tom offers insights into how small business owners can remain resilient and motivated to move forward, even during tough times.
Embracing the Journey
When you run a small business, progress can often feel like two steps forward and one step back—maybe more. Challenges that you can’t control like economic downturns or the COVID-19 pandemic have pushed many small businesses to their limits. Small business owners, however, are resilient and tend to be up for the challenge. When setbacks happen, there are ways to stay motivated to help you power through.
- Dig In: When you hit a rough patch, it’s important to push forward. Small business owners are typically very determined and do not see failure as an option.
- Focus on Progress: Recognize that setbacks are just a part of the journey. Whenever you take a step back, look at it instead as an opportunity to reassess your situation, adapt and move forward again.
Starting the Day with Gratitude
One of the most effective ways to stay motivated, both personally and professionally, is by starting each day with gratitude. This simple practice can transform how you approach challenges and shift your perspective toward positivity.
- Morning Gratitude: Start your day by reflecting on what you’re thankful for.
- Workout Reflection: Combine your gratitude practice with physical activity. Use this time to think about good things in your life and prepare mentally for your day.
- Big Picture Perspective: Gratitude helps you put negatives in perspective, which makes challenges feel more manageable and less overwhelming.
Finding Joy in Life’s Ups and Downs
An important lesson for everyone, not just small business owners to learn: appreciate both the highs and the lows in your life. Accept that challenges are part of the human experience and that, even in moments of grief or struggle, there is something to be grateful for.
Building Resilience Through Perspective
Motivation is all about mindset. Embracing gratitude, finding beauty in challenges and refusing to give up helps you find the resilience you need to thrive.
Our team at Dunn CPA Firm understands the unique challenges that small business owners face, and we are here to provide you with the financial guidance and support needed to navigate the ups and downs of your business. Reach out today to learn how we can help you achieve your goals with confidence and clarity.
How do you find motivation as a small business owner? That is really critical and crucial to the hunk of success of a business. Um, small businesses, you know, it’s two steps forward, one step back, two step forward, one step back. And that’s at best, honestly. So you’re going to face adversity as a small business owner in, um, in, you know, I saw this especially during the pandemic, which was so hard on small business owners, but they almost all behaved in the same way.
They would take these two steps back, maybe in the pandemic, it was three steps back, but they dug their heels in. They reused to, you know, perpetually, uh, and it’s just, uh, it’s just, uh, something that, you know, is in a, or develops in small business owners because they don’t want to fail. They don’t want to go back to working for other people.
So. So when the two steps back happens, you dig your heels in and you push forward to, to, um, to, to move forward. So that’s the first thing. Um, the second one for, with motivation is the best tactic I’ve ever learned is to start my day with gratitude intentions. It makes a huge difference in how you approach the day.
So I wake up, first thing I do is be thankful that I’m actually going to get to experience this day. You know, I know, People in my profession who are no longer on this earth, and they don’t get to practice, uh, with the CPA, uh, you know, just, you know.
I, I look for things at the beginning of the day as I’m getting up to be, to be grateful for, to be thankful for, and
I start, I start my day by working out, and while I’m working out, I’m thinking of gratitude intentions. And what that does is it puts the negatives That you may be anticipating for that day in perspective. It’s not so bad. The negatives are not, they’re not that big a, they’re not that big a deal. You put them in the, in the big picture scheme of all the good things that are happen that day.
Um, so, um, then this one is, is is gonna be hard for people, I think to, to, to, to kind of grasp. But, um, I learned, uh, in my life, uh, that y you have to enjoy, you have to learn to accept and enjoy. The negatives in life. Okay. Life is a roller coaster. You’re going up. You’re going down. And if you only, you know, uh, enjoy the times in your life when you’re going up, well, you’re missing out on half of your life.
So, you know, life, that is almost the beauty of life is that it’s got its ups and downs, you know, if you live in a climate that has winters and summers, you know, it’s that there’s a union that you get to see all the, uh, all the seasons. And so, um, so, and then when you, when you look at maybe the downsides, the negatives that are happening, you know, with your gratitude intentions to start the day and you, you just realize they’re, they’re not that big a deal, you know, and, but even if something is happening and death in the family, those kinds of things, you know, it’s just part of life.
And then you have gratitude. That I get to experience that. So it’s it’s just a different way of thinking about it, but then you I no matter what i’m facing that day It doesn’t bother me because i’m i’m going to enjoy the experience of the day And most of the time something negative i’m looking at It doesn’t turn out to be anything all that big a deal A lot of times it turns out to be a positive or it never even happens so people can get themselves worked on So That that is a Higher level skill I think to be able to actually Come to appreciate the negatives in life, but but I think it’s a it’s a huge part of keeping your motivation
