Motivation... what keeps you going?

[CareyJo]

I've often talked about motivation... and asked the question "What keeps you motivated?".  I don't think that this topic can be overlooked for too long.  I think we need to keep bringing it up every so often...  why?  If I'm motivated, and I'm not having an issue, why does it matter?  Well....

Sharing what motivates YOU may motivate SOMEONE ELSE.

You may have a new way of doing things that someone else hasn't thought of.

You may have a solution that someone else has been looking for.

You may have a bright idea that just lit a spark for someone else.

You might be the catalyst for change for someone who's lacking motivation.

You truly never know how your positive thoughts can encourage someone else.  That cannot be stated often enough.  So let's all jump in and share something positive that motivates us!

I'll start...

Inspiration motivates me.  When I see something that's beautiful, colorful, exciting or creative, it often relates to something I'm working on or want to work on.  This in turn gets me to thinking that I need to be motivated to either get my work done so I can play or get to work on that project!

How about you?

[DinaLRosenberg]

Honestly- my employees- we have 6 of em and we have 5 that are full time with us... making sure we have the $$ to cover payroll and their monthly health insurance (good God is that $$$) is my driver.

[CareyJo]

That's definitely a big driver... making sure they not only get paid but are taken care of, but it's also a lot of weight on you.  Does it feel heavy more often than it should?

[indianathomas]

In the beginning, my motivation was fear. I had lost my job multiple times because of poor decisions made by bad executives. After losing my fourth job, I realized I had to take control of my own destiny. I was tired of making progress only to have the rug pulled out from under me and my family.

What keeps me going now is a genuine passion for running the business, and an endless curiosity to keep learning and improving. What began as a small smoothie, juice, and bowl shop has grown into a $6 million regional chain that now supports my family, my children, and even my grandson.

That fear lit the fire. But today, what motivates me is a deep hunger to grow and improve. I love diving into new technologies, exploring tools like AI, Canva, and modern marketing strategies. My focus now is building a legacy—a business that will continue to provide for my family for generations to come.

[CareyJo]

Love this!!  Congrats on a stellarly successful business!

[BrianaJo]

I used to think that I was motivated by the fact that if we fail we won't be able to feed our kids since our business is our only source of income, but technically if our shop goes under we could just get a job somewhere else. And honestly at this point, probably be making more money than we are right now. So I'm figuring out that I'm actually motivated to provide a safe community space and a destination for people coming to our Main Street. 

[CareyJo]

Awesome perspective!  Thanks for sharing!!