Realize Your Business

Author: Geri Schneider Winters

I had a great meeting with my business coach last week – we talked about motivation. About how to keep motivated to work on growing the business. About how to find the energy to do the work. About rhythms of work and rest.

This is a very big issue for small business owners. I look at people like Mark Joyner and Tellman Knudsen and they seem to be always working, never stopping. When I can not do the same, when I need some time to rest, I feel discouraged.

That is wrong on a couple of points. First is that Mark and Tellman do have rest time in their lives. They are not constantly working. They have a need to rest and rejuvenate the same as the rest of us. Second is that I can only do my personal best, so comparing myself to someone else is just a waste of time.

Having said that, what can I do to get the energy and motivation to work on my business?

One part of the equation is physical. We all know what to do here, but may not always do it. What are those things?

• Exercise – having good cardiovascular health and good muscle tone will provide you more energy to do your daily tasks than if you are out-of-shape. Also, this can help you lose weight. If you are heavy, it takes more energy just to move yourself around, and that energy is not available for other tasks.
• Sleep – 7 – 9 hours of sleep in a 24 hour period is what your body needs for health. It does not have to be all at once. Some people do well sleeping a few hours, then working, then sleeping a few more hours. If you never sleep well, see a sleep doctor to find out if you have a medical issue such as sleep apnea or periodic limb movement disorder or a deviated septum that is preventing you from getting a good night’s sleep. Make sure your sleeping area is dark enough, cool enough, and quiet enough for you to sleep.
• Diet – determine the foods that are good for you, that give you energy. Or conversely, determine the foods that are bad for you, that take away your energy.I have found that I do better if I do not eat sugar (any kind), artificial sweeteners, or caffeine. For me, these foods give me energy temporarily, but the effect quickly wears off and I feel worse than before I had them. Having given up all (artificial sweeteners 6 months ago, sugar a year ago, caffeine a month ago), I am feeling far better physically. Most of my aches and pains have gone away, and I have stopped getting headaches in the afternoon. I have more energy because I am not fighting the pain.
• Seasonal – do you have low energy in the winter months? Many people do, but the causes are many. I tried light therapy, but SAD was not the problem, and it left me feeling irritated all the time. I tried St. John’s wort, but I was not depressed, so it had no effect. I tried changing diet, eating lighter foods. That was good for my weight, but did not help the energy problem. I tried L-Glutamine (an amino acid supplement). That worked for me. After a couple of days taking the minimum dose, I had a lot more energy. So now I use it every winter. You have to experiment to find out what works for you.

Another part of the motivation equation is mental. You have to get to know yourself to determine your mental motivators. Some things to think about are:

• The reason for what you do – why are you doing what you are doing? A dear friend of mine was once diagnosed with a very serious blood cancer and had a 50% chance of surviving it. But she really wanted to see her nieces and nephews grow up, and that motivated her to fight the cancer and beat it. If you are trying to make a success of your business, what is the reason you want to be successful? Is the business itself something important to you, something your are passionate about? Is the business a means to an end, such as a better lifestyle for yourself or your children? What is that reason for your business that will keep you working on it for many years, and through triumph and discouragement?
• Skill – do you have the skills to do what needs to be done, or do you find yourself overwhelmed by the tasks because they are beyond what you have the skill to do? Or are you bored because the work is too easy? A huge motivator is when you have something to do that is just a little difficult for you. This lets you use your skills to the fullest, and gives you a chance to stretch a bit, to learn a bit more. If you are overwhelmed, you can either work with someone else who has the skills you lack, or you can learn and increase your own skill. If you are bored, what can you change to make the work more challenging? Or should you give the boring work to someone else and give yourself time to do what interests you?
• Introversion and Extroversion – Some people get energy when working alone. They are introverts. Other people get energy when working with others. They are extroverts. If your work environment is opposite of your needs (an introvert having to work with others, an extrovert having to work alone), then you are cutting yourself off from your source of energy.

Finally, consider that life has a rhythm. We all need time to work and time to refresh mentally and physically. We need time with people we love, and we need time alone. If you have recently spent a lot of time being very creative, intense, focussed, and just completed whatever you were focussed on, you may now find yourself with no energy at all! You may find yourself just sitting and staring at the wall. That is a natural rhythm, a period where your brain needs to rest for a while. Be conscious of your own natural rhythms and work with them.

• Some people work at 60% all the time, a steady constant effort. Other people work 100% for a very focussed period, then maybe 10% for another period. Their pattern is bursts of energy followed by nothing. Both people get their work done, but in different ways.
• Are you a morning person or a night person? Some people have more energy first thing in the morning, other people have more energy late at night.
• When is your best time to do mental work? Physical work? A lot of people love to work out at the gym as soon as they get up. Not me. My best workout time is around 10:30 in the morning or 2 in the afternoon. My body likes physical work at those times. I am at my mental best first thing in the morning, especially if it is mental work alone. I do not want to interact with other people early in the day. I do better working with other people in the afternoon. What is your personal rhythm? How can you use that to be most effective at your work, rest, and play?

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Now it is your turn.

Think about your needs for physical energy, mental motivation, and the rhythms of your life.

What have your learned about yourself? What can you change to use your personal energy, motivation, and rhythms to the best effect?

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* Article used with permission from Wyyzzk, Inc.’s Realize Your Business website at http://www.realizeyourbusiness.com This website of reports and tips contains information to help you succeed as the Owner/Manager of a small business.

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