Fashion Business Owner Musings: When You’re Struggling with Motivation

I’m not a big fan of the saying “if you love what you do, you never work a day in your life.”

I mean, even if you love your business, you’re still working, right?

You still have responsibilities and deadlines.

You still have tough decisions to make.

You still have unsuccessful initiatives and disappointing outcomes.

In my opinion, just because we love what we do, doesn’t mean it isn’t hard sometimes. It doesn’t mean that everyday is enjoyable.

There are some days when we just don’t want to work at all.  And rather than worrying that is an incorrect feeling to have, I say embrace it.

Now, there are two ways to embrace it.

One, don’t work on days when you really don’t want to. (this is the way that usually isn’t an option, but when it is, go for it!)

And option two, shift your mindset.

Here’s what I mean. Try beginning your “I don’t wanna” days with a focus on what you want personally that you know you will achieve as your business grows.

Think about the home you hope to buy, the trips you want to take, the day job you will quit, flexible hours the will allow you do make your own schedule…..

Whatever makes you happy, whatever you’re excited to make happen in your life.

Because the whole reason you built your business in the first place is to have the lifestyle that makes you happy, right?

Sure we have brand values, and problems we want to solve, and all that good stuff. But that comes later. That comes after we say to ourselves, I want to build a business doing what I love. I want to control how I spend my time. I want to travel a lot. I want to have more time with my family. I want to ….

It’s reasons like these that we decide to enter into the crazy, exhausting, thrilling, and exhilarating world of entrepreneurship.

And these are the things that we tend to forget about once we’re in the thick of our businesses. We wake up everyday with lists of things to tackle. Some days we’re totally pumped and ready to go, other days we’re struggling to get to our desks and feel absolutely no motivation to accomplish anything.

So I challenge you to do this:

On days when you’re feeling the struggle, close your eyes and start thinking about all those reasons you wanted to build a fashion business.

Think about it in detail. Picture the house you want to buy or the family dinners you want to host; picture the exotic lands you want to visit or the 11am on a Tuesday yoga classes you want to breath your way through.

Picture all the things that got you to this point and how much they mean to you. Then open your eyes, sit down at your desk, and start the day.

I promise you that the buzz in your belly will put a smile on your face and motivation in your day.

Lots of love and encouragement,