I just listened to a great video from my coach, Michele Scism (that’s her picture on the right). It was all about motivation…and keeping motivation. Michele shared a few ideas that made me think about “what motivates me?” One she shared is competition…she and another woman I admire and follow, Caterina Rando, are in a friendly competition to see who reaches $1M in revenue first. Michele also shared an idea I just love: she keeps a Gratitude Book…it’s a binder full of great success stories, emails, cards and other notes that keep her going. The third idea that Michele shared that I really love is helping others…when you’re having a tough time of it, reach out and help someone, answer a question or help them problem solve a situation.

For me, I think I have a combination of the items Michele shared above–and I didn’t realize it was my ‘support network’ I had in place to keep me motivated! I keep an electronic Gratitude Journal in which I post twice a day via email–it keeps me mindful of that which I’m grateful. I also have friendly competition with a few other business owners to make it to 6-figures first…or to create a product first…or whatever it might be at any given time. The third idea mentioned above is reaching out to help someone…I am fortunate that I have a team who is always willing to learn new things. With that, I get questions on a regular basis about things team members would like to learn or a task that someone is having a challenge with…it keeps me on my toes and my skills sharp–I love it! I also love when I attend networking functions and I’m fortunate to sit at a table where I’m able to share my expertise or wisdom to support someone in achieving a breakthrough–it’s a great feeling.

When the going gets tough, and business is hard…what keeps you motivated?