1. Align your success to benefit the causes you care about.
Find a charity that you care about & give them a percentage of your annual revenue. I promise you that the only accountability you will need for your businesses success is writing them a very small check once. At my wealth management firm, we also encourage founders to set up donor-advised funds to maximize charitable contributions after achieving profitability. You don't have to wait until you have gray hair to become a philanthropist, & it will incentivize you on a different level than material possessions.
2. Every 90 days, review the reasons why you started your company and the things you wanted to accomplish then.
When you're a forward thinking person like many entrepreneurs are, it's easy to lose track of the progress that you have made. Reviewing your original goals will help the optimism & fire resurface when you're feeling beat down. Because, you will feel that way at some point.
3. Too much of the glitz & they won't root for you. Too much of the struggle & they won't believe in you.
Being an entrepreneur is a constant balancing act. One often overlooked area of balance is when to share successes & failures via social media. Too much information on either side of the success/failure spectrum is a red flag to your audience & business associates.
4. Stay in exceptional shape & refuse to buy bigger pants.
The Latin phrase "Mens sana in corpore sano" roughly translates to "A sound mind in a healthy body." I've always liked that concept, because the two absolutely go hand in hand. Your goal shouldn't be the number of times you work out per week, it should be to feel healthy, energetic, & lose weight if your pants are too tight instead of buying new ones. Productivity truly begins with good health.
5. Be aware of your “Blueprint”.
Tony Robbins' discussion of the "blueprinting" process was brought to my attention recently. Frustration occurs when your life as it is currently does not align with the blueprint or the vision of where you think you should be. Simply being aware of this concept will lead to correcting your course away from the frustration & back towards your goals.
6. "Invincibility lies in the defence; the possibility of victory in the attack." - Sun Tzu
I occasionally look at my schedule and realize that nearly all of the upcoming appointments were set through people contacting me for various reasons. It's key to ask yourself "Who do I want to meet with?" & "What kinds of meetings would help my company progress?" instead of letting others dictate your schedule. Stay on the attack.
7. Use the free project management application "Asana".
Asana is my number 1 productivity secret, hands down! Regardless of your project management software preference, you absolutely must use one. The first step in becoming incredibly efficient is to become so busy that you have no choice. Then, use Asana.
8. Be weary of distractions, they often appear to be shiny opportunities.
As you pursue your entrepreneurial dreams, you will be presented with the opportunity to take shortcuts. At the time, it will appear to be a shiny opportunity to gain ground on the competition. True quality is only achieved through focused effort over an extended period of time.
9. "The trouble with most of us is that we would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism." - Norman Vincent Peale
Motivation is a very personal thing. I happen to get very little satisfaction out of receiving pats on the back. It's only when I'm challenged or corrected in some capacity that I tend to kick things up a notch. It's vital to have a team of people and friends that will politely criticize you when your self awareness level falters.
10. If you truly want to accomplish a goal, every desire detrimental to that should begin to seem less enticing.
A great way to evaluate how badly you want to achieve your goals is to ask yourself, "What am I willing to give up in order to accomplish this?"
What are some of the best lessons you've learned as an entrepreneur? Let me know in the comments section below.
