Here's how you can maintain motivation and a positive mindset as an entrepreneur in challenging times.

I feel motivation is too overrated. Pursuing something unconventional is always challenging, your biggest motivation is the purpose you are building for. Nothing saves you if you are not clear on your purpose and what you are building, it is like driving in the fog, it is like going to a location without your GPS. The clarity is your saviour and basis that clarity you will find yourself in control that helps you in building outcome-driven systems and processes. When everything will be falling apart your purpose and your processes will save you.

Remember your why and if it's still worth it. Ignore the noise and prepare for the downfalls. Society paints a picture that entrepreneurship is a quick easy fix to pursuing your dreams and it's false. If it's your God given gift and purpose, he will nurture it. Most importantly let the Holy Spirit guide you and continue to do the work.

One morning, as I watched the birds in my garden from the treadmill, I reflected on the importance of staying goal-oriented. Balancing my roles as a wife, mom, coworker, and entrepreneur often felt overwhelming. To manage, I broke down my long-term objectives into smaller, achievable tasks. This approach turned daunting goals into manageable daily or weekly tasks, creating a steady sense of progress. Each small victory, whether it was completing a workshop or spending quality time with my kids, reminded me of the progress I was making. Celebrating these moments kept me motivated, even when the end goal seemed far off.

In the world of entrepreneurship, challenges are inevitable. Instead of viewing them as setbacks, I see them as opportunities for growth and learning. For instance, during a recent workshop, I encountered unexpected technical issues. Initially, it felt like a setback, but I chose to embrace it as a learning opportunity. I delved into troubleshooting, understanding the nuances of the technology, and improving my problem-solving skills. This mindset shift turned a difficult situation into a valuable lesson, enhancing my skills and resilience. Embracing the learning process has helped me develop a more positive attitude towards the challenges I face, making me a more effective and knowledgeable entrepreneur.

From a network perspective, it’s also important to know your strengths and seek help in areas where you lack expertise. For example, you may be a highly creative individual but lack bookkeeping or accounting experience. Seek subject matter experts (SMEs) or hire professionals to provide the necessary assistance to make your entrepreneurial efforts a reality.

Never underestimate the power of self-care in maintaining your motivation and mindset. As someone who balances multiple roles—wife, mom, coworker, and entrepreneur—I’ve learned firsthand how crucial it is to prioritize activities that replenish my energy. Self-care means ensuring I sleep on time and not indulge in social media. It means ensuring my meals are nutritious to keep me full and energized. It means saying no to things that drain my energy. Self-care is a priority when getting anything done, and if you aren't taking care of yourself enough, you are heading towards burnout. By taking care of myself, I’m better equipped to handle the demands of entrepreneurship and continue to thrive in all aspects of my life.

I used to gloss over reflection in my business. I'd focus on executing the plans..and then spending time to create new ones. As time has gone on, I've come to value reflection time. I block out time on my calendar every few months and find a way to get out of the day to day tasks. Otherwise how do you analyze what is and is not working? How do you innovate? Or better yet, how do you have an honest conversation about the hard stuff? So while yes, I recommend having positive sayings all around your work space on why you started your business, I think it's even more important after some time to dig in deeply into the reflection and get some "ahas".

First we need to understand what's stopping us adapt. The harder we look for answers, the harder it is to find what we're looking for. We need to stop trying to come up with solutions. We are social beings and we need people around us who we trust and understand. The power that this gives us is that we have many eyes to see, and different minds to think, but there's a BUT here... We think it's all up to us as individuals. We believe we have to prove ourselves. We're afraid to take responsibility for getting it wrong. We're afraid of speaking truth to power. We have set up organisational systems that compromise the potential of our collective intelligence. Now what do you when you know this is the problem?