Adopt These Ways to Stay Motivated, Driven & Passionate!

Are you generally a self-starter or do you need that extra little push? Too often our motivation level depends on the day, our moods, or present feelings. But we can’t achieve entrepreneurial success with wishy-washy motivation! If you’re seeking ways to stay motivated in your fashion business, then you’ve come to the right place. Hopefully, these 20 tips will help you in achieving daily self-motivation.

Top 20 Ways to Stay Motivated- Part One

Top 20 Ways to Stay Motivated- Part Two

#1 Have a strong awareness of yourself and what motivates you.

People can be motivated by many things. Money, fame, philanthropy, and freedom are a few. For some people, it’s competition or recognition. So, it’s good to have a strong understanding of who you are as a person and a strong awareness of what motivates you. Once you understand this, you’ll better understand how to motivate yourself.

#2 Understand your purpose and calling.

What’s your big picture? I truly believe that we are all created by God for a specific reason and a specific purpose. If everyone did what they were called to do, the world would be a much better place. I truly think that a lot of people are miserable in this world because they are in jobs that they are not supposed to be in. God didn’t create you for that job and that’s why you’re miserable. You owe it to the world to be who you are created to be. You owe it to the world to be who you are created to be. Click To Tweet So, let that be a motivation! I truly believe that God called me to be a fashion coach to help train and mentor others. It’s encouraging for me to know that the world needs me- the world needs fashion coaches! My clients motivate me. Having that big picture understanding of who you are called and created to be in this world is crucial.

#3 Have a strong why.

I always tell my clients, if your why doesn’t make you cry, it’s not strong enough. Your why can’t be that you love fashion. Yes, everybody loves fashion, but there needs to be more than that. What is going to motivate you when you’re tired and exhausted at the end of the night and all you want to do is go to bed? What’s going to motivate you when you’re sick and you’re not feeling well?

So, have a really strong why. Are you solving a problem? Are you trying to achieve financial freedom? Are you trying to just spend more time with your family and have a better way of life? Thus, what is your why? That’s really important.

#4 Choose fear or faith.

So, what’s the chatter that’s going on in your mind? Is it more fear-based or more faith-based? We talked all about overcoming fear and what it means to be a warrior, but your fear mindset will have you play that victim card and throw a pity-party. Thinking- “Why me or why am I not succeeding like everybody else?” Whereas faith fills you with positive affirmations towards yourself. Fear and faith are the exact same thing- believing in something you do not know will happen, will happen. It’s just that one is positive and one is negative. So, it’s your choice. Will you choose to tolerate fear or are you going to choose faith? It’s up to you to make the choice.

Click here for more on overcoming fear.

#5 Check your attitude.

Attitude is super important for everything in life- not only for achieving your dreams in fashion. Do you have an expectant attitude? I like to wake up every morning with the attitude that anything can happen in a day- anything can change in a day! You have no idea what God is going to bring in your life, what person might come across your path, what phone call you might receive, or what e-mail you might get. So, why not wake up of every morning expecting that something good is going to happen?

Also, at the same time, have an attitude of gratitude. We have so many things to be thankful for and while we can’t control what happens to us, you can control your attitude and what you’re going to do about it. If you need a reminder sometimes, go online and read inspiring stories about how entrepreneurs got started or read stories about children in third world countries that don’t even have clean drinking water. Expectancy and gratefulness are key to maintaining a healthy attitude.

#6 Stop being a perfectionist.

I speak with too many start-up designers who are concerned with everything being perfect. As I like to say, perfection is the enemy of progress. You will not progress in your business if you are a perfectionist, and I can say this because I am a recovering perfectionist and that’s the term I like to use because I am still working on it.

I also like to say that perfectionism produces procrastination. You are not going to get anything done if you have to make it perfect all the time. Understand that it does not need to be perfect. Done is much better than perfect- especially when you’re starting a business and working on things. There are so many times when I make mistakes, I don’t dwell on them. I don’t go back and fix them. I don’t have time. If you have time to worry about stuff like that, you are not doing enough in your business. You might think that’s mean, but it’s true. So, work harder on your business and you naturally become less of a perfectionist. This is one of the most underrated ways to stay motivated because you’ll get more things done in your business and start seeing growth.

#7 Have tunnel vision.

This is a big one. I want you guys to really have that tunnel vision where you are looking at your goals and that’s it. You are not looking at what your competition is doing. You are not looking at what your friends are doing. You have that really laser focus strategy where you are only focused on what you are doing and you are not looking to the left, you are not looking to the right, you are solely looking at your goals ahead. The acronym for the word “focus” means to follow one course until successful. All you have to do is not get off course, just stay on the course. If you are running a race, the only thing that will stop you is quitting the race. Just stay on track and you will not get off track.

It’s also important that you don’t focus on your competition too much. So, a lot of my clients I know, I tell you to look at your top 10 competitors and yes that’s very important, but you don’t want to focus on it too much. That can start a “curse of comparison.” You don’t want to start to covet what other people have and think that their life is better than yours or they have it easier than you do. It’s good to look at where your competitors are doing so that you can one-up them, but you don’t want to make it a part of your everyday life and you don’t necessarily want to focus on it. You want to focus on your goals and where YOU are heading. Let your success- earned through hard work- keep you focused.

#8 Observe your environment.

Physical Environment

Your environment includes both your work-space around you and the people around you. So, number one, where is your work-space and what does it look like? For example, I don’t have like couch furniture or comfy furniture in my office. My office must be conducive to productivity and not make me want to take a nap. Therefore, figure out what works for you and maybe you need an office makeover. Maybe you need to cluster your goals on the wall so you can look at them every single day and know you’re headed in that direction. It’s also important that you have a dedicated work-space, so no working in your bed, no working in the living room or while you’re watching TV. Try to have a separate dedicated space because psychologically, you want your brain to start getting accustomed to where it is and when it’s time to work.

Social Environment

Now, the second part of the environment that I’ll talk about is the people around you. So, this is really, important. Are the people around you negative or positive? Are they supporting you and encouraging you or not? If they’re not, then they are not helping you at all. I know a lot of people were raised with this mentality that you go to school, you get a great job, you work for someone else, you retire and that’s it. That used to work for the most part, but that does not quite work anymore in this time frame. So, in the year 2017, that doesn’t always work. Just keep in mind that your friends and family, they love you, they have good intentions, but they don’t always know how to help you and so my tip for you is to stop caring what other people think. It’s really, really important that you just don’t listen to the naysayers. If your mom is like “why are you starting a business” or “why are you up to 2 o’clock in the morning, you need to go to bed because you have got work tomorrow” and she doesn’t understand that you are working on your business, just tune it out as much as possible. And stop caring about what other people think. This is a big one guys because I see so many people get hung up on what other people think about what they are doing and in the end, it stops them from achieving their dreams. So, you really want to start surrounding yourself with great people. Yes, you don’t want to rely on employers. So, it’s important to think about who are the top five people that you hang around the most. Usually, you are the sum of those top five peoples. So, if they are not business owners, you need to start changing who you hang with. Start getting around business owners. Start getting around millionaires. If you want to be a millionaire, you better start hanging out with millionaires. You want to be a fashion designer, start hanging around designers. If you remove things from your environment, they are not going to have an effect on you and it’s the same thing for people. Change up your circle- very, very important.

#9 What are you listening to and reading?

You have all heard the phrase- you are what you eat. Well, I believe you are what you listen to and you become what you listen to and read. So, what type of books are you reading? What are you listening to? What are you watching on TV? When you are getting ready in the morning, listen to a podcast. When I’m doing my hair and makeup and stuff, I’m listening to podcasts from top online marketers and other people in the business world that I want to become and I want to learn from. What are you filling your ears and eyes with? Pay attention to that because what goes in will naturally come out. If you want something to listen to or watch, you can always listen to our Facebook Lives because they are recorded inside the Fearless Fashionpreneur Group. So, every morning you can listen to a different one and they might help you to get motivated and start your day right.

#10 Speak positive things over yourself.

The bible says that we hold the power of life and death in our tongue and it’s so true. I don’t know if you guys have heard of Dr. Emoto’s experiment on positive thinking. He made two glasses of water and spoke positive things to one glass and negative things to another glass. We are talking about glasses of water. I’m not even talking about people.  Over a period of 10 days, the water that they spoke negative things to turned black! So, if you’re speaking that to a glass of water, imagine how much more of an impact it is when you’re speaking it to a human being or yourself! So, every single day- wake up and tell yourself, “yes, I can do it. Today, it’s going to be the greatest day ever. I’m awesome. I’m amazing.” Speak positive affirmations over yourself.

So pump yourself up before you have a buyer phone call that you have to make or before you have to pitch to a store in person or when you don’t know what to post on social media! Tell yourself, “yes I have so many ideas, I don’t even know where to start!” And those ideas are going to come to you, I promise!

#11 Stay healthy and work out.

If you have ever noticed- most successful people workout. They have an exercise routine and it’s not because they are trying to lose weight. It’s because they understand that when you keep your blood flowing in your body, everything is going to work more properly. You are going to stay healthy- this includes getting proper rest and taking care of yourself. Your business is not going to go anywhere if you are a wreck and your health is a mess. So, it’s important that you stay healthy. This will also add to your energy. I love working out purely for the energy. That energy is going to help you be in a better mood and it’s going to help you stay motivated to get things done.

#12 Build momentum.

I truly believe that building momentum is one of the biggest ways to stay motivated in your business. Like the Law of Motion says, when something is in motion- it stays in motion. So, think of a ball rolling down the hill. The more it rolls down the hill, the more it picks up speed and the faster it’s going to go. Thus, if you have momentum going in your business, don’t stop! Don’t take a break. You might need to rest a little bit, but don’t let that momentum get away from you. A lot of times you are not motivated to do things because nothing is going on in your business or you have no customers buying things online. So, if there is nothing going on, make stuff happen. I don’t wait for people to come to me, I will go to you. I will find a way to make things happen in my business and that’s just the attitude that I have because I know once I have the momentum going, it is like wildfire. Also, more things are going to happen because now you are going to EXPECT them to happen.

*TIP* I always say fortune is in the follow-up! If there are e-mails that you have not replied to, client leads, or potential buyers- make sure you are staying on top of them. Don’t let too much time pass because the more time that passes, the less the momentum is going to pick up.

#13 Change up your routine.

Sometimes, we are just really bored because we do the same thing every single day. You get up at the same time. You have the same commute to work, go to the same office, come home at the same time, go to the same gym, etc. That can get boring and keep you unmotivated. So, change up your routine a little bit. Maybe go for a run or do some meditation or prayer. I like to think of it like working out. Personal trainers advise their trainees to constantly change up their routine because your body can get used to the same exercises and movements. Your body will grow accustomed to the movement and won’t be pushed like it was in the beginning. Your fitness routine, therefore, stops progressing. Once you stop progressing and growing in life or in your business, you are dying.

#14 Reward yourself and celebrate.

It’s always important to look at how far you have come. You might think that you are not where you want to be, but I can guarantee that you are not where you used to be and that’s my motto. I might not be where I want to be today, but I’m not where I was yesterday. So, we should always be moving forward and giving ourselves credit.

We all have a lot going on. First, most of us are women. We are moms, we are stepmoms, we are very emotional creatures and we internalize a lot. Guys have it easy- I’m sorry but it’s true. It’s ten times harder for a woman to start a business than it is for man. Look at where you were six months ago, a year ago, five years ago, and reward yourself. When you accomplish a goal, do something for yourself. If you like to shop, buy something. Purposely rewarding myself after achieving my goals is one of my favorite ways to stay motivated.

#15 Have an accountability partner.

This is why a lot of my clients love working with me because I act as your accountability partner, your coach– your personal trainer. I’m going to be telling you what to do and I am going to expect that you have it done. So, having that person to kind of report to or check in with is one of the crucial ways to stay motivated and achieve your goals. So, make sure that you tell someone what you are doing. Just by speaking it out loud, you are setting that intention. Tell the world, tell everyone, and especially tell someone that is going to hold you accountable. You are more likely to do something if you know someone is counting on you.

#16 Visualize the win.

It’s important that you visualize where you want to be. Literally, close your eyes and imagine what your life would look like if you never had to work for someone again. Imagine if you could walk into your boss’s office and say, “I’m sorry, two weeks is my last day and I’m never coming back.” How amazing would it feel to walk away from your job because you have a business that’s profitable and paying you more than you are making at your full-time job? Start to visualize the win, daydream, and create vision boards. Vision boards are so, so powerful. When my husband and I were looking for a home, we created a vision board of exactly everything that we wanted. It was crazy because we put a lot on that vision board and we didn’t get everything to the tea, but we got a lot- even the things that were far out there like a view of New York City. I never thought we were going to have a view of New York City. We have views of the Empire State Building down to the Freedom Tower- crystal clear, with no obstructions! I truly believe we got that because it was on our vision board. So, what do you want your life to look like? Start curating your envisioned life on a board and put it in front of your office, your computer, your lock screen, or wherever you are going to see it. It’s going to really help you stay focused on your goals.

#17 Make it fun.

Building a business is a lot of work. It’s not always peaches and cream. It’s totally different from working for someone else and having a job that’s very specific. As a solo entrepreneur, you are responsible for everything. You are wearing many hats and there is a lot to juggle. You don’t really think about all the things you have to do until you are thrown into it. But even though it’s not always fun, you can create the fun. I have one of those “EASY” buttons from Staples and I like to tap it whenever I do something. If I write an e-mail or accomplish a webinar, I press the button and it says, “That was easy.” It’s the stupidest thing in the world, but it’s this little thing that keeps it fun while I’m working my butt off.  If I press this button and it like lightens up my day, it works. So, figure out what works for you!

#18 Say no to make room for the yes.

This is a big one. Say no to make room for the yes. As women, way too many of us are people-pleasers. I’m sorry, but most of us are saying yes to everything. People ask us to walk their dog, “yes.” People ask us to watch their babies, “yes.”

We automatically say yes because we really want to please people and then we regret it later because we didn’t really want to do it. We probably didn’t even have time to do it. So, then you hate yourself and you hate that person for asking you when really it was your fault because you said yes. Stop saying yes- you need to say no. “No” needs to become your new favorite word. For example, if someone asks you to get lunch and they are a negative person and all they do is complain, then why are you going to lunch with them?

There was a time I was still working in the industry- I did not have my own business yet and I was freelancing for this woman and she was a real nightmare. I just could not stand it any longer but I really needed the money. So, after about a couple of months, I just prayed about it and I was like okay- it’s not worth the stress and she is not paying me enough to deal with this. I had a nice conversation with her and I just said, “Hey look, I’m sorry, but I can’t continue working with you.” I finished my work. We left on good terms. Whatever I owed her, I gave her. She paid me whatever I was due. But it was not until I said “no” to her that God put this new position into my life. Literally two weeks after, I ended that relationship- some random person calls me and wanted me to start working with them and it was ten times better than that other woman that I was working with. They paid me way more. I had a much better experience and it was more in alignment with what I actually wanted to do. You need to make room for the things that you really want. To do that, you MUST say no to the things that you might not really want or might not be worth it for you.

#19 Don’t ever quit.

Quitting is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. You cannot fail if you don’t quit. Failure is necessary for success. So, as long as you just don’t stop, you will eventually succeed I promise. Refusal to quit will motivate you. If you’re the type of person that constantly quits and then takes time off- then you won’t stay motivated in your business. Stand your ground. You can’t ride the fence the whole time. Decide that you are going to put everything into this business and just do it and don’t ever quit!

#20 Last but not least, remove as much thinking as possible.

This is going to sound a little weird, but I just don’t like to think. First of all, my brain needs a lot of energy in order to think and I have very important things to think about. When you have to think about something, it often allows room for your feelings to start to emerge. And feelings are kind of iffy. Feelings can kind of start to sway you in a direction that your mind will tell you, you don’t want to go. So, you might have a thought, but then the feelings override the thoughts.

Therefore, if you remove the thinking as much as possible, then you don’t have to worry about your feelings and you can have emotional intelligence which is important. So, one way you can do this is to create a system. Systems are great because systems stand for Save Yourself Some Time, Energy, and Money. You might have to put in a little bit of time and effort in the beginning to create the system, but the time and effort that you save in the end far outweigh the time and effort in the beginning. So, start to remove your thinking, start to create systems and just do. You know it’s almost like acting like a robot and I know that sounds kind of horrible. Why would you want to be a robot? You are a human being and you have feelings, but your feelings are not necessarily good for your business. You need to start acting like a business owner and do whatever needs to get done. So, start being committed. Start doing what you said you would do long after the mood you said it in has left you. And that’s what commitment is all about!

Let us know in the comments which tip you loved the most and which one you’ll start practicing first. Will you try having an attitude of gratitude or will you try implementing better systems? Subscribe below and join our Fearless Fashionpreneur Facebook Page for more weekly insights!

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