How do you stay Motivated when you work alone?

[5StarAffiliates]

Hi All,

I just did a LONG heart-felt blog with lots of resources and ideas that might help. Sincerely hope everyone finds at least one gem that is helpful.

Motivation Gone Wild - Internet Marketing Success Starts Within!

"One of my goals when I started this blog was to offer motivational and success-conditioning resources to my readers. It never happened. I got caught up in all the affiliate, SEO, ad blocking, cooking eating, parasite issues that affect our industry. However, affiliates, SEO's and many work at home affiliate managers face isolation, even frustration at times and realize how hard it can be to stay self-motivated and on-track. If you want to stay on top of your game, associate with positive, like minded people - even on the forums. Hang out in upbeat forums with people who are focused on solutions - not problems. Forum negativity can really drag you down. Also be sure to tune in to some positive motivational tapes. Below are some free audio online resources you can listen to in the background while you build more pages and tweak your sites."

Success Starts Within! In a previous life I was a sales trainer and C.E. accredited speaker. At my core that's still what I love to do - help people find the inner strength to be successful! So I decided to share in one big blog some articles, free online audio tapes and other resources that could be helpful when you need a little lift! I promise I will stick to my goal and provide more of these types of resources in the future.

One of my favorite motivational resources is Nightingale Conant. They have a tool to develop your Personal Mission Statement. "The highest achievers in any field view themselves as self-employed. They have the attitude that they run their own business, even if they are affiliated with a major corporation. And so they develop a sense of “mission” about their career, taking a proactive approach to create the results they want. And their Mission Statement guides them." They also have "Motivational Quotes of the Day" that you can subscribe to.

Listen to some of the some of the free audio samples samples online. Here are a couple good ones that each have around 4 topics you can listen to: The Power to Shape Your Destiny" by Anthony Robbins. OR The Psychology of Success - A blueprint for peak performance and high achievement by Brian Tracy. There are TONS of great insights from the leaders in personal and professional achievement, all free for you to listen to and learn from. BTW Tony is one of my favs. I have been to some of his seminars and even did the FIRE WALK! This was one of the most enriching and profound experiences of my life!

Audible offers really nice long samples of all their audio programs from the top minds around. (They also have a really great affiliate program, managed by my friend Beth Kirsch) Check out the Business section and the Self Development > Motivational sections, for lots of great info you can play in the background. Then subscribe and pay to get the full programs. (Please use someone's affiliate link!) :-)

Here is a pretty good blog from DuctTapeMarketing Mastery over mediocrity in 3 steps "Sticking with it and staying at the top of your game is one of the most difficult skills we ever have to master. Yet, it is the one thing that will determine if you succeed in life - or not."

I promise more resources like this in the future and will probably start a new category for motivational and personal success resources. If you have any good ones, let me know.

Wishing you all the best in prosperity and personal achievement!
Your Partner in Success, Linda

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Anyone else care to share some tips or ideas that help you stay positive and motivated?

[WealthStream]

Great article.

Staying motivated is definately the key to sustained success in any kind of home based business.

[vammirato]

This just inspired me to play about two hours of civ III

Seriously, good advice!

[Dan Grossman]

A key factor in it for me is being able to share experience on forums. My friends and family have little interest in my business, and without talking about it with anyone, I'd probably lose interest too.

[sid egg]

Originally Posted by Dan Grossman

A key factor in it for me is being able to share experience on forums. My friends and family have little interest in my business, and without talking about it with anyone, I'd probably lose interest too.

Yeah, I agree. None of my friends have any interest either, and the ones that do, lose it quite quickly when I try to explain it

[adventure]

Staying Motivated:

What motivates me is getting up in the morning and seeing everyone rush off to work stressed....I never want to go back to that

Ffunny how when I had to get up at 7am....It was so hard. Now that I don't have to, I'm up at 7am, and I enjoy it.

[nkisberg2000]

I struggle for motivation at the best of times. What usually motivates me is a great success story or, a competitor of some sort that I quite admire. Another thing that inspires me is knowing that doing x will lead to y. Y is usually $$ or a high rank in google. X can be anything from making a new page, tweaking content, adding more content, link building. If you're a motivated person with a half-decent brain then you should be able to succeed.

[Jakob]

Remember to geat away from the monitor now and then. Go for a run or do other kind of sports. It works for me. I normally get back more motivated and with much more energy.

[Bink]

I don't know if this will motivate anyone or not, but it keeps me motivated, it's a quote from the movie " 13th warrior" I was on my comp.and listening to the movie, and I said to myself, " you know this can defintaly relate to anyone who is trying to work on their own and create a better life , who're tired of working for someone else,giving all they got , only to be downsized,or injured on the job,giving a small piece of yourself and your family,day after day,year after year...This is to all of you " 13th Warriors " out there.....Lo there do I see my my father,Lo there do I see my mother, my sisters and my brothers... Lo there do I see the line of my people back to the begining.... Lo they do call to me ... bid me take my place among them...in the Halls of Valhalla... where the brave may live forever....( i was going to use this as a signit. but couldn't figure out how to make it fit , lol ) take care folks ! ......Bink

[Archbob]

I don't have much motivation -- until I remember, I need to pay apartment rent and food costs. Then I magically get motivated.

[vammirato]

I still get up at 6 and go to work (school teacher) but my wife no longer has to work a 9 to 5.

She moved here to Charlotte because I got a job and struggled working retail until she started her own business. I get my motivation seeing her do what she loves (taking pictures). I actually make very, very little money off my sites...I do have an agreement in place that I receive all ad revenue (so far this comes to a whopping $100/month) so that motivates me to get more hits.

Oh, and we just heard our baby's first heartbeat this Monday when we had a sonagram...kind of lit a fire under me

I guess I'm pretty lucky. Both my business partnerts (wife and her friend) at least feign interest when I update things.

And everyone is right, forums like this certainly help.

V_V

[Duskwalker]

Hey there everyone,

Motivation is the key in our business. These forums usually keep me motivated; from reading success stories to learning great techniques. Personally I have two pages filled with quotes that I like, and I read them from time to time. One major thing is to not spend too much time working. You will get burnt out. When I get burnt out I used to continue working which wasn't that good. I would get extremely stressed and would feel powerless. Everyone would be yelling at me for this update or that update and I just couldn't handle it. Now I work out daily at a local gym (that doesn't mean I'm buff ). I find pushing myself to the limit relieves a great deal of stress. Just take some time to get away, and do something you like. I also maintain a few fish tanks and enjoy doing that. It keeps me away from my computer. Also hot baths never hurt. Reflection is a major part of me staying motivated.

Regards,
-Dusk

Edit: Almost forgot. Music! Get your good songs on your iPod, and crank it up!

[vammirato]

duskwalker, think you could post your quote list?

my personal fav goes something like

"If God can make penicillin our of mouldy bread, imagine what He can do with you." -Muhammad Ali

[Duskwalker]

Yeah, here it is. Use them wisely.

Create like a god, command like a king, work like a slave.
-Constatin Brancusi

You don’t drown by falling in the water, you drown by staying there.
-Edwin Louis Cole

I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.
-Jack London

The longest journey, begins with a simple step.

The price of self-destiny is never cheap, and in certain situations it is unthinkable. But to achieve the marvelous, it is precisely the unthinkable that must be thought.
-Tom Robbins

Our judgments judge us, and nothing reveals us, exposes our weaknesses, more ingeniously than the attitude of pronouncing upon our fellows.
-Paul Valery

The reward of a thing well done, is to have it done.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities
-Voltaire

It doesn't really matter whether you grip the arms of the dentist's chair or let your hands lie in your lap. The drill drills on.
-CS Lewis

It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees!
-Emiliano Zapata

It's a good thing to have all the props pulled out from under us occasionally. It gives us some sense of what is rock under our feet, and what is sand.
-Madelein L’Engle

I don't wait for moods. You accomplish nothing if you do that. Your mind must know it has to get down to work.
-Pearl S. Buck

If you go in search of honey, you must expect to encounter bees.
-Thomas Szasz

Time is the most valuable thing one can spend.
-Theophrastus

Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.
-Carl Sandburg

Lost time is never found again.
-Benjamin Franklin

For more just for Motivational quotes.

Regards
-Dusk

[GeorgeB.]

Same here on sharing with forum members...

I dont like even tryign to talk with firneds and family about my business because:

1) When you try and explain it to them they often don't get it
2) When they do get it they become pests because they see how much they can make and they get all wide eyed and expect you to take your time and teach them for FREE!!

I can't tell you how many times I've heard this phrase "build me a website so I can make money too".

My significant other doesnt really understand what I do but shes supportive and of course always wants to know, how much "WE" made today. LOL. My motivation is that I get more and more tired of getting up at 6 am to go to my day job every day knowing all I want to do is work on my sites

[Mook-Jon]

Whenever I feel myself procrastinating a new campaign or project, I stop whatever it is that I'm doing and go to my folder full of check copies. I look at them, one by one. I usually start with the first one of the first project, and work my way up until the latest one cashed. Then I stop and tell myself - "You didn't get to where you are now by playing around", and I just start plugging away again, and try to get myself into "the zone" again. That works 99.9% of the time.

If this sounds corny, well, sorry, but it usually gives me a huge surge of motivation, and a touch of an ego boost.

[iFroggy]

Generally, I don't need motivation... that is to say... I'm motivated to grow my network and to cultivate attractive, well developed, useful websites. Just in and of myself.

But, there are things that can help to motivate me. Such as someone trying to harm me in some way. When I'm working on a site and someone tries to drag it down or harm it with lies and/or other nonsense. That motivates me to drive a stake into their head.

Also, music is a good one. Quotes sometimes (rarely).

[Mook-Jon]

Originally Posted by iFroggy

Generally, I don't need motivation... that is to say... I'm motivated to grow my network and to cultivate attractive, well developed, useful websites. Just in and of myself.

But, there are things that can help to motivate me. Such as someone trying to harm me in some way. When I'm working on a site and someone tries to drag it down or harm it with lies and/or other nonsense. That motivates me to drive a stake into their head.

Also, music is a good one. Quotes sometimes (rarely).

I just checked out your sites, they are really great! Love the clean layouts. Good work!

[orfeo]

What is motivating me is that I plan to move to another country and I dont have to worry about finding a job there. I just love that.

Also the fun mail I receive from users.

[iFroggy]

Thank you.

[halcali]

if you are having to create motivation, then you are not in the right line of work. whatever you do, should be the best fit for you possible. which does not mean it will always be great, it just means no alternative is better. for some people here right now, there are better options out there, so you should always stay open to finding a better fit.

[molona]

I don't need motivation but a miracle. Hard to find those, though

[lana77]

Lets unite into related HUBS or groups/networks (merged resources/content) based on site contents. Anyone here medical sites here? real estate? or anything else

[vammirato]

Originally Posted by lana77

Lets unite into related HUBS or groups/networks (merged resources/content) based on site contents. Anyone here medical sites here? real estate? or anything else

I'm down with content/resource merging. I'm serving tons and tons real estate content for the charlotte, nc area. The first 8-9 are the current sites in progress.

V_V

[john278]

As my business is make enough to life on, but is not making millions yet, my friends and family are not all that interested in my business activities.

So they way that I stay motivated is by chatting in the forums plus thinking of all the money that my site can make if I do more work.