How do you boost your energy when unavoidable challenges of being an entrepreneur take a toll on you?
Whether we like to admit it or not, we are creatures of habit only when that habit is fulfilling some immediate gratification. We will easily ditch our routine and push ourselves out of our comfort zone the instant we sense that pleasure (or the least amount of pain and resistance) may be somewhere else.
Boost Your Energy With Purpose
What few business experts will tell you is that one of the most important factors for success as an entrepreneur is not really your idea, how much capital you have, or who you know. It’s not even how much money you are making. These things are important for sure, but having sense of purpose—a personal mission that you will not compromise on no matter what—is guaranteed to boost your energy despite the hard times.
It doesn’t matter what that mission is. What matters is that it is very important to you. You just need to figure out what corner of the world you really want to change or improve (even if that corner is your own quality of life) and commit yourself to doing it.
Stuck on the Little Details
Some entrepreneurs make the mistake of getting stuck on the little details: who is talking about them, how their marketing campaign performed, how much revenue they generated that week, how much market share they are gaining. Of course, goal planning is a vital part of business development. Those small wins along the way are important to help you monitor your progress and keep your eye on the ball. But once things do not go the way you hoped they would–and often they won’t–these wins alone will not be enough to keep you motivated.
Sense of Purpose
Once you have a sense of purpose, you will find that your whole mindset shifts. Those setbacks and challenges may still be difficult to get through, but they will not be able to shake you from your mission. They will boost your energy. That is when the doors of opportunity and success start opening.
With Purpose Comes Responsibility
Once you identify your “why,” then you have a personal responsibility to fulfill it. Resist the urge to ignore it or not even look for it in the first place.
As the late Steve Jobs once quipped:
“I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself ‘If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?’ And whenever the answer has been ‘No’ for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.”
Will you have the courage to look in the mirror? Will you have the courage to change or to persevere down the more difficult path?
If the answer is yes, then you will be successful–in business and in life. Even if that success does not come now, it will come in the future. Why? Because you’ll have the energy to chase your goals.
How Do You Know You’ve Found Your “Why”?
What does finding your “why” look like? Entrepreneurs on a mission are very clear about the purpose of their business and the impact they want to make. Not only do they have a clear mission statement, but they routinely take the time with their staff to focus on what truly motivates them instead of the end-goal–a collaborative energy-boosting exercise.
When it’s time to scale up, they figure out how to extricate themselves from the daily operations of the business so that they are free to focus on the bigger picture.
A Faithful Beacon
But most importantly, when mistakes are made or things get off course, their sense of purpose is a faithful beacon that helps them decide where to stand firm and where to be flexible. These entrepreneurs never get tired of their business. Armed with their “why,” they have the power to come out of a difficult situation with their passion, enthusiasm, and confidence intact.
Author Bio:
Dinesh Kandanchatha is a founder, mentor, speaker and—above all else—entrepreneur. He encourages business partners to ask the right questions, navigate challenging decisions, and find those tough answers that are sometimes difficult to face. As someone who has built, exited, led, and invested in over 13 companies, he knows what it takes to transform your business. And it all starts over coffee.
