‘If you have a business you don’t want to run, sell it.’
This was a quote from a business book I read once – It is sound advice. Often we end up in businesses which we feel obliged to turn up to even though they are not giving us the energy we need. In order for a business to start working for us, we need to put enough energy in so that it gains momentum and delivers some results. But if we are not passionate enough about it to create the momentum,or maintain it, chances are that we will flounder long before the results start coming our way. Â Better that we start something we are passionate about or change our business so that we can inject our passion into it – running it in such a way that it is sustainable. The bottom line is – we need to enjoy our business.
If we hate what we are doing it doesn’t matter how much money we make – we are still miserable! If we have passion we can overcome more obstacles despite our financial difficulties. Our drive keeps us going despite any difficulties. If we are just chasing the money, the drive can dry up as soon as we get to the point where the money doesn’t matter. It really depends on our motivation.
I recently went on an NLP (neuro-linguistic-programming) course where I discovered that I had what is called an ‘away from’ motivation. I was motivated by fear rather than love. In a business context what this meant is that I was only motivated to work hard when I saw the looming credit card bills and overdraft limit on the horizon. When the bank account was looking healthy, I had less incentive to work! I wasn’t motivated by millions in the bank, rather I was motivated by having ‘no worries’ about money. As soon as my bank account was healthy, I put my feet up – until it was unhealthy again. My sporadic work pattern reflected this ‘away from’ motivation. I lived like this for years before noticing that it was my internet pattern which was creating the results which I often lamented.
Only by finding a reason which was bigger than money did I start to learn to overcome this cycle. When your values are in line with your business then you have the energy to create a sustainable business. If you don’t care about the business you are in and it’s just about the money, it’s much harder to maintain your enthusiasm for it. To get to know yourself better write down some of your core values about life and what makes you tick. What would be the best possible life scenario for you? Here are a few of my own reasons for having an internet business which are in line with my core values.
Now on day 15 of the 30 day success challenge, Stuart Ross has reminded us all on this challenge that creating a sustainable online business is as much about aligning your values and being your authentic self, as it is to do with building a profitable business. In fact to sustain it, it is more to do with what you bring to the world than what you take from it! Learn more about Stuart Ross and creating a sustainable online business here.Â