I am only just starting on my own path to becoming a successful entrepreneur, but I have noticed one of the biggest things that leads to success or failure of entrepreneurs. It relates back to one of my last posts, the post on motivation.

When you have a normal 9-5, its easy to know when to start, what you need to work on, and when you go home. Most people don’t even need to think about work when they are home, and while at work its relatively easy to focus on what you are doing. I would relate it to trying to teach yourself physics, compared to taking a college class. When someone else is holding you to getting your work done, setting deadlines and enforcing your time at work, you can just do your job and go home.

The struggle for many entrepreneurs is nobody is holding their hand, telling them what to do, and when to do it. This has been my biggest struggle so far as well. I have a normal job, and run this website on the side for fun, but if I want to make this website somewhat successful I need to continuously put out content, and be consistent. While I do enjoy writing for this site, when I have a day off it’s hard to get myself to sit and do work when I could just watch YouTube or Netflix for hours on end.

Finding the motivation to progress your own personal goals and work is very difficult for most people. It is so easy to distract yourself, that we often end up doing it without even realizing it. So for those out there struggling to be self motivated, or thinking of becoming an entrepreneur, ask yourself how you can motivate yourself.

One recommendation I have seen a lot is to have something physical with you, that motivates you to keep working. Get a photo of your dream car, one that when you can afford it will mean you have “made it”. If any of you have watched some of the videos made by “Mr. Wonderful” you may have seen a video where he interviewed a man who bought a fancy Rolex as his motivational tool.

I don’t recommend everyone going out and spending thousands of dollars to buy a watch that might motivate you to work harder, but the concept is very solid. Having something that you put on everyday that reminds you what you are working for is a great motivational tool. What I do is look at vacation homes, not crazy ones, but local small ones on water front. I imagine myself owning one someday and being able to sit out front staring at the water as I write posts like these.

Having this image in my head helps to motivate me to keep going, to get to work when I am not feeling like doing anything that day. I think all people need to have something like this to get themselves moving each day, especially if they are self employed.

Images:
https://live.staticflickr.com/4237/35632459152_c0587f5d9c_b.jpg