Finding Motivation for Small Business Owners

Are you looking on ways to get motivated to get things done for your small business? Trust me, I've been in the same boat as you in the past (and more than once). It's tough to get motivated to get started, because you probably feel like life is dealing you a bad hand at times, making your life tougher than it really should be, while others are succeeding at the same tasks without actually putting in anywhere near as much time (or effort) as you. If this is you, you're absolutely in the right place. Keep reading.

This is a book you kind of pick up and think to yourself, "huh, not much substance. Seems kind of like a ripoff." Then you remember it's a self help/business book, and you remember that it's awesome because it's not going to take very long to read it.

Oh, wait. That's me.

Anyway, "Who Moved My Cheese?" is a modern classic for business owners, but it really could apply to anyone interested in improving their lot in life. I'm currently reading Napoleon Hill's "Think and Grow Rich", and "Cheese" kind of reminds me of that (well, vice versa if you want to get technical), because it essentially tells you that you've got to take responsibility for your success, and nobody else can. There really are only a couple of options in life: get moving and try to make things better for you, or start blaming things (be it yourself, your situation in life, your domestic partner, your irritable bowel syndrome, or whatever).

Seriously, that's the main gist of the book, although you really ought to read it just to hear it from the author's words (a bit more motivating than these), but if my words help you out, I'm glad to hear that as well. "Cheese" forces the reader to take a hard look at him or herself, and those are always the most enjoyable, meaningful reads for me, personally. If you're not trying to improve yourself, why on earth would you be reading a self-help business book, right?

Sometimes less is more. In this case, this is a very quick read, but it is indeed a profound read. I found myself thinking about the conclusions drawn in the book and actually found myself getting excited about the challenges I would face. I own two businesses, and both businesses have been around for over 8 years now (a somewhat impressive feat given the current economic situation), and I'm totally grateful for how fortunate I've been, but I also know that, to a very large extent, we must all make our own luck, so to speak.

When I'm feeling a bit of a lack of motivation, or if I feel like life has thrown me a bit of an unfair curve ball (as is frequently the case, as a business owner), I will often consider the lessons from this book. In some ways, the lessons are self-evident in real life, but in other ways, it's great to be reminded of them nevertheless. Regardless, you're only probably looking at a total investment of an hour and a half, tops. You can definitely get through this book in one night, even if you're not a voracious reader like me.