The Struggle Keeps Me Going
When your struggle turns into your motivator
As much as I fight against it, I enjoy the Struggle. Not because I hope to stay in this Struggle State I’ve created, but because I know I need some sort of adversity to keep me motivated and moving forward. When I become comfortable or set my speed to cruise control, slowly but surely my state of mind begins to shift from hustle and grind to maybe I should just be happy with what I have. I know I should be, I’m fortunate for where I am in life. But like anyone else with the entrepreneurial spirit, I find myself wanting more.
It’s not necessarily things I want more of. Or vacations (who needs those?). Or even money in the bank (it never hurts though, right?) The possessions don’t last forever and you can always make more money. But it’s the desire to build something that will last beyond my lifetime that really motivates me. That being said, every once and awhile you need to take stock in the daily habits that help to elevate you to a position where your legacy will far outlast the short amount of time you spend on this planet.
Eventually everything we do starts to become part of just our normal routine. We no longer look ahead to the self imposed bench marks we put on that list of goals from 5 years ago that would allow us to achieve our most lofty goals. So what do you do to dig yourself out of complacency?
My response is simple. I bite off way more than I can chew and put my back up against the wall. You know, the same thing I did when I was first starting my business and had to solely rely on my actions to get me ahead. Because sometimes, you really do need to feel that pressure to get the creative juices flowing again and re-evaluate the entire life path you’re on. And nothing does that better than feeling like you could lose it all tomorrow.
That’s not to say that you take yourself to the brink of financial ruin. That would be silly. My first rule of business is never take on something that could potentially bankrupt you or your business. But when you go big on a new venture or jump into a new field with a wide open spectrum of possibilities, it almost acts as a drug so it should come as no surprise that I’m alway trying to get my next fix.
Create a new business. Invest in something outside of your comfort zone. Take your existing business in a new direction. They might not all pan out. Actually, I can guarantee that they won’t. Because failing is part of the process. Without it, we don’t have struggle. Like the title of this 5 Minute Speculation says, without the Struggle, I don’t know if I can keep myself going. And that is more real than anything.
Stay with StruggleState.com for more information as we navigate through the ever changing economic landscape.