Let's face it; even the most talented and creative entrepreneurs hit roadblocks sometimes. How do you keep moving forward when you can't quite see what's ahead? Fourteen entrepreneurs from Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) share their tips.
Q. Do you use a creative method (like journaling) to stay motivated and if so, how?
Their best answers are below:
1. Paint
Painting generally acts as a great creativity technique for me. It breaks up my sometimes very linear way of thinking and helps me experience new and more abstract, free-flowing ideas.
- Steven Le Vine, grapevine pr + consulting
2. Review Your Mission Statement
I review daily my mission statement and I try to tie all my activities and goals to it. When you do what you love and love what you do, you are always motivated. I want to change the way people work and create the happiest company in the world. I try to align all my activities with that vision.
3. Dance or Photography
I find that when I pour myself into creative hobbies like dance or photography, it invigorates me and pays dividends back in the office. - Darrah Brustein, Network Under 40 / Finance Whiz Kids
4. Prove People Wrong
I seek out people who challenge me and tell me that things are impossible. The more I hear that something can't be done, the more I want to prove that person wrong. I constantly surround myself with people who will always challenge the status quo and push me to iterate and do better than I thought was ever possible.
5. Journal
I will sometimes go to a coffee shop very early and spend time writing all of my thoughts in a journal before the day starts. It’s a great way to organize my thoughts and clear my head, which allows more productive thinking throughout the day.
6. Whiteboard
I literally set a big chunk of time in my calendar every week to be creative. I have a notebook, and I’ll even write in draft emails sometimes. But for some reason, what truly gets me going is a beautiful blank whiteboard. Something just needs to fill it.
7. Travel
If you want to have new ideas, you need to be exposed to new ideas yourself. The best way to do this is by seeing new places and getting out of your comfort zone. The best ideas come to me in an airplane at 35,000 feet. I literally get a bird's eye view of things.
- Matt Wilson, Under30Experiences
8. Pitch New Ideas Daily
For 15 minutes every day, three of us give a 2-5 minute pitch for a unique and new startup/idea. This helps me keep my edge and keep the creative juices flowing. I look forward to this time, as it helps me keep my mind active and motivates me for the future.
9. Go Analog
My team and I regularly force ourselves to go analog. We'll regularly stop what we're doing, pick up our notebooks/sketchbooks, and walk outside, head to a coffee shop, or gather around our conference table to brainstorm ideas without the distraction of a computer screen. This results in regular breakthroughs and limited distractions. - Matt Cheuvront, Proof Branding
10. Object Writing
I use a technique called Object Writing, developed by Pat Pattison from the Berklee College of Music. It's a daily create exercise where for five minutes you focus solely on sense-bound writing (taste, feel, etc.) about a random object. It's a wonderful practice for expanding your creativity and getting into the habit of seeing things from multiple perspectives.
11. Collaborate
My team and I keep each other in the loop. We constantly share links, articles, websites and more that we find interesting just so everyone is staying creative and so everybody keeps an open mind. As a small business, we have the power to bring ourselves to the next level and that means we need to keep evolving.
- Michael Patak, TopstepTrader
12. Have Accountability Circles
My best tip to stay motivated is to have peers who can help you perfect your ideas and keep you accountable. This can be done one-on-one with other entrepreneurs, but I am also a big fan of accountability circles for a team-based approach.
- Suzanne Smith, Social Impact Architects
13. Schedule Surprises
Once a day, I schedule some time to discover something new. Many times, it's as simple as walking down the street to stumble across a new food truck, or stopping by a store I'd never shop at to uncover new ideas I can apply to my business. I always find that "aha" moments give you energy when you need it the most. - Jason Smikle, fNograph
14. Network
My creative outlet has always been, and will always be, people. I make it a habit to fill any and all holes in my day-to-day calendar with 30-minute coffee meetings. I always crave knowledge and the best (and maybe the only) way I can consume that knowledge is by human interaction. Network to grow!
