Are you wearing out?
When you’re going through the day-to-day tasks that keep your e-commerce business running, it can be easy to get stuck in a rut.
It’s understandable—you’re doing a lot of the same things each day, and when you’re trying to grow your business it might take a lot of hard hours. But they can wear on you. It’s possible that you forget the reason you originally started doing this job in the first place.
When the daily grind starts to wear you down, it’s time to crack open a case of motivation and remind yourself why you became an entrepreneur in the first place.
Running your own e-commerce business has a huge set of challenges, opportunities and possible pitfalls—you need to keep the vision in mind to make it through your day and not get bogged down. E-commerce podcasts or videos are helpful, but they’re not up to the challenge. This is a different need.
Here are five videos to help you stay motivated when the going gets tough:
1) ‘No Excuses’
- Money Quote: “Recognize the excuses are not valid. They’re conjured up, they’re fabricated, they’re lies.”
Some days you really just don’t want to do anything. On those days, a video like “No Excuses” from Ben Lionel Scott is a perfect pick-me-up to get you on your feet and moving in the right direction.
It’s a montage of people doing difficult tasks, from weightlifting to football to running. That’s coupled with a mix of motivational voiceovers from a diverse cast of successful people, ranging from Tyrese Gibson to Jocko Willink.
When you need to get the blood pumping, it’s three minutes of pure entrepreneurial caffeine. It’s a reminder that whatever you want out of life, you have to go get it. And it’s short enough that you can fit it in between appointments or tasks or whatever you’re doing.
Remind yourself of what it takes to reach your goals.
2) ‘Never Give Up’
- Money Quote: “Often, I think people ask ‘what mistakes should you avoid making?’ And you know my answer to that is don’t even bother trying not to make mistakes cause you’re gonna make tons of mistakes. The important thing is actually learning quickly from whatever mistakes you make and not giving up.”
This video is part of a series from Words of Wisdom, which puts together compilations of inspirational speeches and thoughts. It’s one I come back to particularly with Sourcify sometimes, especially the parts with Mark Zuckerberg.
There’s an emphasis throughout on not giving up on your dream, even when the immediate circumstances are very tough. It’s a great watch when you’re feeling a little down or struggling with outside influences or business reversals.
3) ‘I Can Do It’
- Money Quote: “Even when you’re struggling, even when you’re discouraged and you feel like other people have given up on you, don’t ever give up on yourself.”
This one’s another production from Ben Lionel Scott, in the same vein as “No Excuses.” There’s a different cast of speakers in this one, including Barack Obama, Sylvester Stallone and Greg Plitt.
I love the stuff that Scott puts out—he actually has an Instagram account with daily videos and inspirational quotes that are along the same lines, so if you’re looking for another level of motivation each day he’s a great follow.
For this video in particular, there’s a strong thread throughout of taking ownership of your fate. When you feel like you’re getting buffeted by forces outside your control, “I Can Do It” is a great reminder that you are the captain of your fate, not anyone else.
- Money Quote: “When you’re out there partying, horsing around, someone is out there at the same time working hard. Someone is getting smarter and someone is winning—just remember that.”
Arnold Schwarzenegger is one of the most interesting cases of celebrity success you can find. Beginning as a bodybuilder, he managed to catch on as an action movie star, entrepreneur and later even rose to the governorship of California.
He’s still active in politics, campaigning for causes dear to his heart and managing his business empire. Not bad for an Austrian kid who knew very little English when he first came to the United States.
“Who Do You Want To Be In Life” is a collection of Schwarzenegger footage that comes from before he really made it big, combined with a voiceover of him telling how he reached the heights of success that he attained.
Arnold also gives his rules for success in the video:
- Trust Yourself
- Break Some Rules
- Don’t Be Afraid to Fail
- Ignore the Naysayers
- Work Like Hell
- Give Something Back
When your work ethic is flagging, this video will galvanize you to move forward the same way that Arnold Schwarzenegger did.
- Money Quote: “You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done.”
This speech from the 2006 movie Rocky Balboa is one of the best videos I’ve found to get me up and going when things seem bleak. Rocky and his son have an altercation, and Rocky decides to give his son some tough life advice.
It’s a great scene in a good movie, and it brings home an aspect of Rocky Balboa’s character that makes him different: he doesn’t give up, no matter what kind of pounding he takes.
Find Your Motivation
You may have your own favorite videos—sources you come back to when the well of motivation runs dry. Maybe they’re articles, or quotes, or pictures.
But no matter what it is, every one of us needs something to pick us up when the way ahead is hard and we’re not sure what the way out is. These five videos are a great place to start.
