How to Stay Motivated?

22 replies
Hey Guys,

As someone of you know my business went belly up last year and I have had to start again pretty much from scratch.

Last November I raised some funds to start a new project and have been working on it since.

5 months of working in solitary confinment (my spare room lol) with little social life due to lack of money are starting to take their toll and I'm finding it a real struggle to keep focus and feeling really frustrated everything has taken so long.

I have had several setbacks during the period that has delayed things a lot and been quite stressful, but now I have overcome most of the hurdles and I just need to get my head down each day and finish off all the coding and sales copy. If I apply myself I am pretty sure I could go live within a month.

Being so close to the finish line I should have twice as much entusiasm but for some reason I dont. I think I may be subconciously afraid of actually getting to the finish line. I have borrowed a lot of money to get this thing going and I don't want to let people down.

I really enjoy what I do and have been putting in 8-14 hour days no sweat, but now I am procrastinating really badly and putting off difficult jobs until they are well overdure. I'm hardly sleeping either. Right now its 5am and I haven't slept a wink and I have meetings to go to in a few hours. I really need to do something to get myself focused again but I am not sure what.

Any time I had a motivation problem when I was working sales I used to listen to some brian tracey cd's and that would get me fired up for selling and hitting my targets. This is different as I have much less interaction with people and just my willpower to get up each day and continue to work on code and marketing. As I am a salesman at heart, having an empty salesboard all this time adds to the frustration. I have some blogs making me some pocket money but I am ignoring them completely so I can get this job done.

There isn't an excuse for doing less than 8 hours of solid work each day and I'm getting PO'd at myself as Im not doing it. So close to the finish line! Maybe I need to hire someone to beat me with a stick any time im not working.

Sorry for the long ramble. Does anyone know a good way to get myself back to full efficiency? Any good motivational CD's for motivating you to work alone on a pc everyday?
#motivated #stay
  • Profile picture of the author jedz
    Banned
    I only had one reason to stay in line be motivated and its my family.

    I've experienced a lot of things to lose hope, but every time I think of my family, they have given me all the reasons to stand up and face the life again.

    Hope this helps.
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  • Profile picture of the author awyne
    Think for your goals. Work not for your own but for you and for your love ones. That's enough to make you motivated.
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    • Profile picture of the author dirtyjazzhands
      I'm a bit odd here, I think... I listen to one style of music for weeks at a time. Sometimes, just one CD! I don't know why, but when I hit the one CD that does it for me at the time, I stick with it till it stops "putting me in the mood."

      The problem here is that I have thousands of choices and so when I don't find something in the first hour... Well, you get where I'm going!

      Other than that, I have several spreadsheets that I use to track things that I'm doing. It helps me stay on track because I can see what I've done and what I need to do. I have a few that I designed to show my efficiency, too. Those ones can sometimes be just what I need to get going. Of course, they can also really depress me at times as well.

      --Josh
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  • Profile picture of the author Jim Gillum
    Walk away for a day or so..........reboot your mind.....
    Go to a park or the beach or anything that will change your focus....(free stuff is fine)
    Try not to think about the business......
    Do something that requires you to focus......(lightly)......

    Works for me....
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    • Profile picture of the author Seattle Mike
      How long has it been since you took a day or two off? You are working too many hours every day. I did the 14 hours a day for 6 months and got the same way.

      Turn off the computer for a day. Just burned out I bet.

      If you want a great motivator. Set your alarm for 7 a.m. tomorrow and get up, shower, get dressed for a job and drive to work in rush hour(find the worst traffic in your area). Go sit in a traffic jam. Five days a week of this only to get a rather small wage while the Business Owner gets rich.

      You will quickly remember why you are doing what you are doing. That gets me very motivated. Remembering some of your worst bosses and what they did to you is good too.

      How much feedback have you gotten on your project? Maybe put it in pre-pre-launch and let a few people check it out. Without feedback, you start doubting yourself and your ideas.

      Your brain loves to worry, question and doubt. What if...? Is this good enough...?
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      • Profile picture of the author Jeremy Morgan
        Originally Posted by deverell View Post

        If you want a great motivator. Set your alarm for 7 a.m. tomorrow and get up, shower, get dressed for a job and drive to work in rush hour(find the worst traffic in your area). Go sit in a traffic jam. Five days a week of this only to get a rather small wage while the Business Owner gets rich.

        You will quickly remember why you are doing what you are doing. That gets me very motivated. Remembering some of your worst bosses and what they did to you is good too.
        This is some of the best advice I've heard. Work hard, starve and struggle but don't forget why you're doing it. To be working for yourself and achieving your dreams. Take a long walk or a break from time to time because burnout is really easy in this profession, and it won't help you in the long run.
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      • Profile picture of the author GuerrillaIM
        Hey Guys,

        Thanks for all the positive comments. Funny thing is that last few weeks I haven't been listening to my music, will give that a try.

        Went out with my brother today and watched him buy a nice shiny BMW 330ci. He told me he is only working a couple of hours a week now his business is on autopilot. It was a nice motivator.

        Originally Posted by deverell View Post

        How long has it been since you took a day or two off? You are working too many hours every day. I did the 14 hours a day for 6 months and got the same way.
        I take sundays out to have a meal with family, thats about it. I think this could be why im getting demotivated. I have called the guys and arranged a poker game to chill out and also going to visit my brother in devon for a week.

        Originally Posted by deverell View Post


        If you want a great motivator. Set your alarm for 7 a.m. tomorrow and get up, shower, get dressed for a job and drive to work in rush hour(find the worst traffic in your area). Go sit in a traffic jam. Five days a week of this only to get a rather small wage while the Business Owner gets rich.

        You will quickly remember why you are doing what you are doing. That gets me very motivated. Remembering some of your worst bosses and what they did to you is good too.
        Thanks man, that is some good advice. I prefer being my own boss, this is why I am doing this. I could be working on a cushy salary right now but I am in this for the long haul to make my fortunes. Sometimes getting a job seems like the easy option but I like being my own man and not answering to anyone.

        Thanks everyone, I am going to take a break and see how I go. he project has certain contractual obligations regarding volume of sales so I really have to finish everything to a good standard before i push the button and go live. Just gotta keep my nose to the grindstone
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  • Profile picture of the author Juan L Costa
    Set some goals and imagine that you already reached them, for example, if one of your goals is to buy a new car, sit down and imagine that you are driving it, it sounds a little weird, but it works, trust me
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  • Profile picture of the author downloadvyp
    be positive ! when you are positive,you can stay motivated
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  • Profile picture of the author poker princess
    I had a hell lot of problem since the recession period and I was completely broken within me. I started eating only instant noodles for dinner and never actually had lunch for almost 3 months..
    But in all my hard earned days, I use to play and listen to a song which I think is the song of my life
    "Like A Rock " by Bob Seger...
    A great song and words which really brings an energy within you to get started with a new start and enthusiuam.

    I have recovered myself long back now and was very much interested in your thread when I first saw the heading about "motivation"
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    • Profile picture of the author jstnmarsh
      I has also to pass through some rough patch, but I got out of it quickly. I diverted my mind to music and used to devote a lot of time playing different instruments. This used to get the pressure of me. I also used to meditate and do lots of yoga which provided me the peace of mind and thus I could keep myself calm and composed.

      This has really helped me to have a drastic change in me for the good. The most important thing is to talk about your problem to others, or else speak about it sitting in front of a mirror. This has worked for me hope this works for you guys too.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jimian
    I keep a plaque in front of me...

    "You Don't Have To Get It Right, You Just Have To Get It Going!"

    Whenever I get stuck on something, I look at that and ask myself,

    "Can I get things in MOTION... and I always find a way to work it out.

    Even better... a small paperback edition by my side...

    "God's Promises For Your Every Need."
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    OFFLINE Marketing Strategies For The OFFLINE Warrior
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  • Profile picture of the author neo3006
    Keep the big picture in thought, here I am yesterday with some help of another thread set up a blog and blogged with some drip feed, my motivation is my first check from where ever I make the money, you hear about any success stories and its enough to motivate you, if you have family then keep them in mind, you said you dont want to let anyone down, then don't, be the all mighty one and kick this problem in the butt and take command of your destiny, for me alot of days is listening to music, some of the best music to me to listen to is the lord of rings soundtracks, its motivation for me, remeber the big picture and hope things work out.
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  • Profile picture of the author Troy Trump
    I often find I start to lose motivation on projects when I am tweaking and refining things too much (borderline ocd... expecting perfection). Be sure to keep yourself in check when it comes to that. Because once you start making sales you will have all the motivation you need.
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  • Profile picture of the author tylerdrun
    MAN TRANSFORMATION BY DAVID DEANGELO IS THE KEY.

    Make success inevitable by holding yourself accountable in front of some other person. You can also go for:
    DEEP INNER GAME.

    Just get man transformation.

    PM Me: If you want to know, how to get it as it's hard to get.
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    • Profile picture of the author GuerrillaIM
      Originally Posted by tylerdrun View Post

      MAN TRANSFORMATION BY DAVID DEANGELO IS THE KEY.

      Make success inevitable by holding yourself accountable in front of some other person. You can also go for:
      DEEP INNER GAME.

      Just get man transformation.

      PM Me: If you want to know, how to get it as it's hard to get.
      Isn't he the guy that sells the "how to meet women online" training courses?
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  • Profile picture of the author MarketItAll
    For my motivation, I just try to think of my daughter, or I try to think of my future and the things that I want in my future. I don't want to have to worry about money, and that is something that really drives me to work harder and harder. I guess to each their own for your motivation.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jude.A
    Explore the immense power of imagination. Think of your goals, dream big, dream alot and think more of what your life will turn to when you've finally achieved your goals. Lots of great people went through this phase sometime or the other in their journey of life but they used the power of dreaming big and 'working the dream' to get to where they are now. You are not alone my friend, above all you must realize the FACT that God is always with you and He's not given up on you yet.
    You don't have any right to give up on yourself.
    Ciao.
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  • Profile picture of the author mlord10
    Keep your goals at the forefront of your mind while you are working, but also take some time off. What I do when I start to lose motivation on a project is to take a day off. When I say I take the day off I mean I don't touch my computer.

    Often times I will sleep in for a bit, and then I will go play 18 holes of golf. If you have any hobbies or interests outside of internet marketing then make them a bigger part of your life (without going overboard of course).
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  • Profile picture of the author Britt Malka
    I don't think you need somebody with a stick.

    I think you need to take some time off, where you're not even allowed to think about work.

    At least one day per week, you should take a rest, totally free from work. Yes, take a nice, long walk in the nature, play World of Warcraft, go shopping... Do something you like, and not something you have to do.
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  • Profile picture of the author oyruhere
    You may have lost a lot but you already know how to achieve great things. So many people in this business never realise their potential. Not only have you already done it but all the skill and experience you built upthen has led you the point of success once more.

    You can do it, you are already a winner. Believe in yourself and you will be yourself again.
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  • Profile picture of the author KenJ
    I understand where you are completely. When I am in this state (Not very often) I find that Led Zeppelin's Kashmir at full volume works every time.

    No idea why but this piece of music sets me up to refocus

    Good luck
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