Does motivation play a part in the success of your small business? The answer is “yes!”
Motivation determines the success of your small business in many ways. It plays a part in everything from how you approach your day, how you make decisions, and to your health.
Today, we’re bringing you how motivation determines the success of your small business. Let’s get started!
Think and Grow Rich
by Napoleon Hill
⏱ 12 minutes reading time
🎧 Audio version available
When we say motivation, we don’t refer to the sort of excitement that gets you fired up to do random things– things that don’t ultimately matter to your business. And it doesn’t refer to how excited you are about life in general. No, real motivation is the powerful force that pushes and justifies your daily actions towards something reaching a goal.
If you don’t have that motive pushing you, your days will probably be filled with stress, frustration, endless obligations, and most likely a lot of procrastination.
Without having it in both your personal life and business, it becomes increasingly hard to strive for success, fulfillment, and internal happiness.
What are the exact points motivation affects your success? First of all, motivation has the benefit of–
Increasing your Energy Levels
This is proven by a Standard GSB professor called Jeffrey Pfeffer, who studied successful executives and worked on analyzing which qualities they all had in common. The number one quality? Surprisingly, it wasn’t talent, or people skills, or even smarts.
It was energy levels! Motivation is directly related to physical health. If people are unmotivated, they tend to experience more physical and mental exhaustion. It almost doesn’t matter what other types of strengths they have. People who have nothing to push them to end up achieving nothing.
And that is why motivation is absolutely critical to success. Otherwise, you may just end up slumped on a chair all day long, waiting for the lunch hour and the time you get to go home.
Most people only achieve marginal goals in their business because they have marginal motivations. As basic as this sounds, this is something that plays out on a daily basis in numerous small businesses.
That rush of motivation gets your entire body pumping with adrenaline and excitement, which increases your energy levels. You’ll rarely get tired if you’re excited about a project.
This allows you to have autonomy over your own goals– because you’re more focused on the results.
Motivation is Infectious
Motivation is something that is infectious. A motivated boss or coworker can inspire their colleagues to work hard. As motivation rubs off on your employees, it causes them to be more committed and driven.
Think about someone that was always positive in your workplace. How often did you feel more productive because their positivity rubbed off on you? In turn, how did your positive energy influence others around you and make them feel more motivated as a result?
Numerous studies have shown when a team member feels and shows positive emotions, others around them are more likely to respond favorably to that team member’s influence.
Motivation Enhances Your Performance
Usually, there are two basic motivators in business. The first is a person’s desire to obtain and get something. The second is the fear of losing something. Which one of these sounds more relatable to you? Which one is more likely to push you to perform better?
Remember, you are the center of your business. Performing at your best is crucial to success.
A study performed by Dr. Anders Ericsson showed that success is achieved through high performance and that motivation is the most significant predictor of success. So by comprehending what motivates you to do better, you will automatically be a better business owner and reach your goals quicker.
Your level at work doesn’t only depend on your qualifications and abilities. To get the best of your work performance, there is a certain gap between ability and willingness that has to be filled. If you have a high drive, you’ll notice that you have an increase in productivity, improved overall efficiency, and maybe even a decrease in the cost of operations in your team.
All of this can result in losses for your business. A survey that the State of the American Workplace conducted revealed that about 70 percent of employees lack engagement on some level. This was calculated to cost the United States a staggering $450 billion to $550 billion in lost productivity per year.
Motivation Helps You Grow
What if we told you that one of the keys to growing both as a person and as a business owner is motivation? It helps enhance your self-development. And you set personal goals, and as you reach them, you’ll feel more inspired to further push yourself and go on to achieve greater things.
Being motivated helps you continue to set new targets.
It can come down to this– without it, success is unachievable. Without a doubt. Because when you think about it, motivation is related to happiness, and without both, there is no sense of purpose to your actions.
This is also related to the learning process. Without a drive, there is no way for learning to take place. It stimulates your interest and your attitude and willingness to learn.
Motivation Clarifies Goals
The wonderful thing about motivation is that it gives you a desire to take action and change your life. Because of that desire for change, you’re pushed towards your goal. You need this to thrive. In fact, a deficiency in motivation is a trap that many business owners have fallen down in.
Apply this to an employee you may have. If they are working at a slower pace, they may be suffering from low levels of motivation. Instead, what they will prefer to do is spend more time away from their assigned tasks, preferring to occupy their time by chatting, surfing online, or spending time on their phones. Most notably, they’re mainly unfocused.
What does this result in? Your team isn’t tapping into its full potential as not everyone is giving their best. This is not only wasting your resources, but just like motivation is infectious, the lack of it is a major downer.
Motivation Teaches You Perseverance
Another beautiful thing about motivation is that it helps you persevere under the pressure of any setback. Everyone knows that every road to success is bound to have a setback. Now, you may question whether or not your goal is worth all that effort.
That’s when motivation kicks in, providing you with the strength and courage to try and try again and not give up.
Setbacks, any fears, any trials can be tackled. An example of a motivated inventor can be Thomas Edison. Known for the invention of the light bulb, he’s quoted saying,
“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
He also famously said
“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.”
You can find the benefits of motivation in nearly every aspect of our lives. You’re constantly reacting and responding to changes in your environment. And motivation? You need it in order to take corrective action. It helps you adapt, function, be productive, positive, and be healthy in the face of challenges.
There are actually many health benefits that are associated with increased motivation. When you define it, motivation is a psychological state linked to our physiology. When it’s running low, your functioning suffers as a result. So if you want a successful business, better job satisfaction, flourishing relationships, and better engagement, find your reason.
Motivation Leads to Executing Plans
Once you have a clear goal in mind, the excitement that follows, you need that final push that guarantees you success– taking action. Why is it that most people fail to achieve their goals? It’s because they don’t take enough action.
Sure, they may start on the right track, but what’s missing is that they often lack the motivation to stick to their plans.
This is why motivation is so crucial. It’s because it helps you execute tasks, to take necessary actions so that you can achieve your goals!
Motivation Leads to More Innovation
Innovation is the magic word when it comes to owning a small business. It’s what drives people to become entrepreneurs in the first place. Now, with motivation as your secret weapon, you’ll be able to not only produce more, but you are more likely to produce things of higher quality.
This is because you’re so highly focused on the product or service you provide. That passion helps you see areas for improvement and will drive you to work to enhance your business.
And what do you know, maybe even having a high drive can result in the added bonus of taking fewer days off as you’ll be more excited to be at work.
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