It's important for entrepreneurs to stay motivated and on task, making it important to find the things in life which demotivate them.
Motivation is a central factor in producing the creativity, work ethic and drive required to be an entrepreneur. Motivation is what causes entrepreneurs to strike out on their own in the first place, because they feel instinctively that the business they want to create is the right thing. But there are also many different factors that can kick entrepreneurs off-course and cause them to lose that motivation.
The problem with demotivation is that it’s not a single problem. Demotivators can appear across a wide variety of categories, all of which may require different strategies to overcome. Finding ways to categorize the demotivators that are throwing you off course may help you identify the real reasons you’re struggling, so you can use the right tools and reactions to get motivated again. Here are some of the most common demotivators.
1. Fear
When you’re afraid, a part of your entrepreneurial mindset is under siege, because a part of your brain is determined to avoid moving forward in order to protect your whole self. Fear slows an entrepreneur down and creates an atmosphere of hesitancy that can be a negative influence on your business. There’s nothing wrong with being cautious as long as your hesitation is based on an honest and straightforward assessment of your entrepreneurial enterprise, rather than on self-doubt. To get motivated again, it’s important to face your fear. Once you’ve identified what you’re afraid of and given it a name, you can start to question your fear. What are you really afraid of? Your fears will tell you the work you need to do to overcome the risks, the gaps you need to fill, and the tools you need to get back on track.
2. Conflict
Entrepreneurial enterprises are an ideal breeding ground for conflict. By your very nature, you’re doing something that you don’t believe anyone else is doing as well as you can. But when others don’t feel the same way that you do about your business, it can cause you to feel pulled in different directions as you try to figure out what’s most important to you. Dealing with internal or external conflict is exhausting and can soak up all your forward momentum. To get motivated again, it’s important to stop and really assess what’s causing your conflict. Are you really right? Or are the questions or suggestions that others are expressing about your business valuable insights that can improve your operations? Once you know what you really want, you can evaluate the questions, suggestions and strategies presented to you in the context of the bigger picture of what you really want for your entrepreneurial enterprise.
3. Loneliness
This is an especially important demotivating factor for entrepreneurs who work alone or who haven’t yet found the need for partners or a team. Working long hours by yourself can initiate a need for some connection with other people, and that desire can hijack your entrepreneurial motivation and inspire self-doubt. Take a break and go spend some time with someone that you enjoy. Get out of whatever space you’re working in, and go spend some time in a co-working space or even just a coffeehouse. Go to a networking event and talk about your ideas with other entrepreneurs, consultants and experts. You’re likely to find yourself much more clear and productive once you’ve connected with other people and gotten some perspective on the current state of your business.
