HOW TO STAY MOTIVATED WHEN BUSINESS IS SLOW

HOW TO STAY MOTIVATED WHEN BUSINESS IS SLOW
BY: Vicente Alfonso
Contributing Writer
April 14,2003

Let's say you get sick of the rat race, and decide to start your own business. You do your research and set up the business. now the only problem is that orders are not coming as quick as you would like, and you begin to wonder if you made the right choice. You begin to have doubts. here's what I have found that can help you through the tough times when you have what social scientist refer to as "critical days."
STAY FOCUSED.....
Several years ago I was affiliated with a network marketing company. The company name isn't important, however, what they taught, is. I would go to the meetings, and listen to the them "preach the gospel." One thing that I learned was that if a person's fear of failure is greater than their desire to succeed, then they will fail.Think about why you decided to start your own business in the first place. Maybe you felt overworked and underpaid. Maybe you felt unappreciated and just had enough. Maybe you just want to be rich. Whatever the reason, it was strong enough for you to make a decision. Stay focused and keep your eyes on the prize.
WATCH THE COMPANY YOU KEEP.....
I also learned that there are several people known as "dream destroyers" that can kill your enthusiasm and take your dreams away from you. When I was younger, my parents gave me 1000 reasons why I shouldn't get involved in a business. They told me everything that could go wrong.What they should have done was tell me what could go right as well. People are scared of the unknown and when they see you doing things that they themselves can't, or are not doing, they try to dissuade you.Look at the people around you. If they are not living the lifestyle that you would like to live,then they are no authority. PERIOD! If your uncle comes to you and tells you that he knew someone once who tried something like that 20 years ago, don't let it get to you, remember that YOU are in charge of your destiny!!!
DREAM-BUILDING and VISUALIZATION.....
My sponsor is a wise man. This is part of why we are still friends today, even though our business relationship is over. He taught me that in order to really stay focused , we sometime have to find something that we want and "hold out the carrot in front of us". For me, that carrot was car. Mercedes 500 S-CLASS. What he had me do was use my mind and visualize the car I wanted, the exact color, the model, the interior, the stereo system, everything. He would then take me to the car dealer and show me exactly what I had visualized."Sit in it," he would say. While I sat in this car and drooled all over myself, he went and talked to the dealer.He came back and with a straight face, handed me the keys and told me not to drive so fast.I almost had a heart attack. I mean I was 20 years old behind the wheel of a $100,000 car, I almost fainted. We drove it on the highway for about an hour.I got it up to 90MPH. Then he said "Time to go back". Dream-build, It's a really great motivator.
GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO WAIT......
Without a doubt, patience is on of the most difficult things for any Entrepreneur to learn. We want it when we want it, and that's it. Even though we have heard that most businesses take five to six years to turn a profit,we think that shouldn't apply to us. Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither is your business. Be patient. Let your eyes be equal to your stomach.I find that the older I get, the easier it is to be patient. Take George Clooney. George Clooney was on well over twelve T.V. shows before he got E.R. Whoever said that patience is a virtue was right.