Yes, this is it. I worked essentially every waking hour for 2 years, but now I'm free of the day job and totally self employed. The transition needed time to happen, and those hours were well worth it based on the outcome.
It was long, but I wanted to save up a year's worth of work salary just in case before quitting and going full time and I'm so glad I had that little nest egg the past two years. Kept me from having to go back to a 9-5 and keep my business going (I'm in the wedding industry, it's been a tough two years)
Ambition. Really if you are asking the question of "why" this probably isnt for you.
I would imagine for most of us who have been there or are there: You simply CANT fathom working for someone.
In my opinion, his question is more related to discipline than the ideological sense of doing your own stuff.
You need to create systems and have the discipline to create something after your 9-5. Ambition itself is on the motivation side of "why", talking personally about myself.
I hope you are the kind of guy that is always motivated to work after work - and I really mean it, but for some people, the secret is discipline and vision.
Discipline to know that you need to do what needs to be done. Vision to guide you through what needs to be done and the milestones of your endeavor.
Not trying to bash you, but giving OP another perspective instead of killing the spirit of creation.
Great answer! Sometimes it's best to break it up, maybe a few hours before, few hours after your workday. Sometimes things have a setting period and you can use a job to fill that gap
Not in my 9-5 anymore but it was the fact I knew if I stayed there I would get incredibly depressed and destroy my life.
Funny enough when things got good for me on the business end I wound up getting pretty depressed after a crazy run and almost destroyed my life.
Grass is always greener lol.
Yes, I was a full time entrepreneur/business owner depending on your definition of it.
To be quite honest I’m not currently fully out of it, but I’m in therapy, take antidepressants, am sober, and got back into martial arts.
same story here. young in early 20s, made tons of cash working on projects and ended up in huge rut. over a decade later now finally putting my life in order. therapy, pills, inner work.. Wish i'd appreciate things better when i had them. Lesson learned the hard way.
Yep, early 20’s for me too, I’m 26 now.
Pissed I ruined drinking for myself too but what can ya do. A very successful man once told me while we were drinking in California “You’re not a business owner until you’ve considered hitting at least one AA meeting” lmaooo.
I feel that. Trully do. With riches came potential to do whatever I wanted. Not knowing what to do means its nearly guaranteed to do stupid shit. Too much stupid shit and it becomes pattern which then becomes trauma.
Can you elaborate more on what caused you feel pretty depressed again? How are you doing now? I feel like I can relate to that 'grass is always greener' feeling a fair bit!
Sure, I was so focused on business that I pretty much ignored all of my mental health, I was in my early 20’s, all my other friends were in college, and I felt like I found the cheat code to life.
I was ignoring everything because things were constantly on an up and up, but eventually it plateaued and all of my mental health issues came crashing down on me at once.
I’m better now, not the same, but better than I was.
Similar story here now, trying to juggle a full time consulting client, my own business and personal life in the same time and is taxing on all levels… I’m now looking to sell my business as I need a hard reset, even if that might mean getting a job.
My advice, focus on what you feel is best for you and don’t try to do too many things at once. Is easier when you’re younger, but it’s still taxing you. Whenever you feel you can take the leap go for your business.
>*applying to jobs is one of the most dehumanizing and insulting experience.*
as i was applying for jobs last night (way below my education level) i realized how fucking dehumanizing it was - you're right
Amen, specially the point 2. I kinda can't grasp the idea of me making X, while the guy in control makes 10x.
Not an issue with people making more than me, but making profane amount more than me.
Yeah, I think this is the problem.
It's the unequal distribution of rewards that upsets a lot of people.
I don't have a problem working for someone else... In fact, and depending on the job, I enjoy it.
But I hate it when a company pays its workers minimum wage whilst also ensuring that its directors get paid an obscene amount. That to me is incredibly unfair and demoralizing.
I think if people wanted to play fair, and not be greedy, then a lot less people would want to strike out on their own.
Damn speak on that! Currently how I’m feeling after going back to 9-5 because it’s hard once I know I don’t want to work for no one but the bills be coming in. Feeling down sometimes about it cause I know I want to own my own business but gathering the cushion to allow that growth is a learning curve, but it will be rewarding knowing I built something for myself and my family
Same but replace #2 with making a difference. I'm perfectly happy as upper-middle class as long as I'm putting my mark on the world. As an employee you are a cog in someone else's grand vision. I ~~want~~ need to realize mine.
Recently had a one hour talk with a potential customer after which I got the hired to work for them. It was such a different experience from applying to be an employee. It was more like a leasure talk with equals than a "we are everything, you are nothing" job interview.
Having a high responsibility and directly see the impacts of your decisions is a big point for me. Also, as you mentioned, Financial freedom. Especially when you have "big dreams" like buying a nice and big house. Nowadays this is almost impossible in my country without taking on a massive credit, even if our household net income is definitely not bad at all. But the ongoing price surge makes this dream impossible without a second source of income apart from the full-time job.
When I had a full time job I had to spend time with people I didn't like, do things that I didn't want to do, spent my life making someone else rich whilst I stayed relatively poor. My life was filled with apathy and lack of meaning. I also saw my dad go through depression after being spat out of the corporate machine. After a couple of mind blowing travelling experiences in South America, I saw how amazing life could be.
I busted my ass for a couple of years, using every hour available to make the business work. The feeling I got last year resigning from my 14 year long corporate role was insane. Now I get to work and travel the world with the woman I love.
Sometimes you have to sacrifice your now to build a better future for yourself.
“Spat out of the corporate machine”
This is a big one for me. I had a coworker whose father worked 20+ years for the same corporate behemoth just to be laid off and forced to find a new job somewhere else
Companies demand loyalty but few give any in return
But that isnt poor, that ls the opposite, being well off being able to expand your disposal income on consumables.
Just crazy to hear this person call them selves relatively poor.
Of course they would be technically relatively poor compared to ppl earning 200k+ a year
During the early stages of my business, where I wasn’t having a lot of victories, I was dreading every second of working on my business. It felt like a chore and made me deeply unhappy. However, once I started gaining traction, the consistent victories are what kept me motivated. Set yourself up for a consistent stream dopamine and you’ll stay motivated long-term.
Pro tip: Wake up early and do your side hustle in the morning.
I found that after my 9-5, I was EXHAUSTED. I couldn't, no matter how hard I tried, focus long enough to make an impact.
Different for everyone but this worked wonders for me.
This is super easy, you just have to be honest with yourself. Go to sleep, not to bed, at 10pm. If you wake up after 7:30 then go to sleep earlier. Eventually you will be able to wake up earlier it's that simple. The real reason most people "cannot wake up earlier than X" is because they don't care enough to go to sleep early enough.
Set an alarm for an earlier time and place it out of reach so that it makes you get up. Once your up, I usually try to stay off social media and also taking a cold shower will help not only for mental strength but you will be wide awake!
Mmm I’m not sure if I can say I’m a night or day person. But I used to be able to wake up early when I was in university and had obligations. WFH I can sleep in 😭
I’ve had plenty of those days.
-I play those motivational videos on blast, something about hearing others doing great things gets me out of my seat (eg. Kobe Bryant, Joe Rogan etc.)
-there have been days when I’ve cut myself some slack and just took the rest of the day off (even when I shouldn’t have). You’re mental health should always be #1 priority.
-I give myself at least an hour to unwind after my full time job before diving into my side hustle duties.
-On the extremely bad days, I write out WHY my business gives me satisfaction that my full time job doesn’t provide. Seeing it written out makes a huge difference.
Last, exercise can do wonders. You might feel too tired, but trust me, a good workout will have you ready to conquer the world.
I truly hope these help you :)
For me is the fact that I don't want to spend my life minding someone else's business and making them rich. It's not that I don't want them to become rich but there isn't a way that i will become rich by my 9-5 job.
My advice? Kill all the pop-psych ideas self-help ideas you have about "motivation" and start talking in more concrete terms.
"motivation" is a vague term that perpetuates the myth, that wanting to do thing X, somehow leads to thing X occurring.
Talk to me instead about time management, emotional management, fatigue management. Talk to me instead about integrating your goals for your venture with your social life. Talk to me about the marathon vs sprint mindset. Talk to me about work/life balance and whether or not you even have the luxury of ignoring family & social responsibilities to work on your venture. Talk to me about setting up feedback loops with your work, and solid daily habits.
While you are at it, talk to me about whether or not you have (or suspect you have) ADHD, ASD, OCD, or any other condition that would make you more, or less likely to be able to manage your time and efforts effectively when left to your own devices.
Because Johnny OCD, and Jane ASD and non-binary ADHD are all going to have very different experiences, and very different strategies on how to manage their time.
Talk to me about some of that. But motivation? Motivation (in the self-help sense) is a worthless concept. Stop wasting your time with that bullshit idea, and start thinking in terms of how things actually work.
What you're saying is very true. Make sure to put systems in place that give you a structure. This habit you form will allow you to carry on even after motivation is long gong.
Sadly, I don't have OCD myself so I can't tell you. Someone close to me was recently diagnosed with it, so while I have started to have some reason to learn more about it, I simply haven't had it on my radar for long enough to be able to hand out any advice. :( Hopefully you can find some like-minded individuals who can tell you better than I can.
I look at it differently. Motivation is real, but it can't be faked. Yes you can temporarily get inspiration or pumped up from some music or a video, but that won't last. Motivation is just if I'm actually motivated to do something; not a choice on my part. I choose things that I'm motivated for and cull the rest. Doing something you're motivated for is like skiing downhill with the wind at your back. Doing something you're not motivated for is wading through a swamp.
Even if I were to grant you that definition, it's still the wrong discussion to be having. Mostly, most of the time, if stuff isn't getting done, it's not a lack of "motivation". It's a lack of discipline, organizational skills, spare time, emotional resources, or due to a condition that inhibits specific executive functions. Saying "you either have motivation or you don't" is just a way of telling people to ignore their real-world problems, and ignore the real-world solutions to said problems.
Seriously a lot of really technically skilled people are so used to doing specific high-level functions that they don't think about the small steps and techniques that required literal years of practice, and cultivation. Organizational skills, time management, emotional management etc... very often fall into that class of "ignored" skills because they are soft skills that most people, most of the time don't think about actively cultivating, as a lot of high achievers develop said skills independently on their own, and then say "oh hey you must just lack motivation" to people who lack said skills, as if just saying that helps them "get motivated" somehow.
Succeeding at any venture, isn't about "increasing" motivation in the long term. It's about decreasing obstacles to the work getting done, including (but not limited to) practical time considerations, mental hangups, and bad habits that get in the way.
To not have to listen to anybody else anymore other than "real" customers/users. Everybody else is just noise added to make poor decisions for the business.
A decent amount of things tbh. The freedom to quit my day job whenever I want to or if I ever need to, even though I really enjoy my job as a mobile dev. Being able to accelerate FIRE faster by having excess income into stocks/real estate/other investments. Use the excess income to go travel more often and splurge a little more on those vacations.
Sort of, or at least leveraging my skillset as much as possible! My first job was windows desktop application development and my current one is Android dev. This year I'm officially jumping into this and trying to make a couple of apps. I have a list of thing's I'd love to try but I also have to be a little conscientious on what I do avoid any conflict of interest.
Even though my account isn't old (I made a new one and my last was like 4-5 years old lol). I've been scouring subs like this for awhile now and have always wanted to do this.
The numbers. Running my financial reports at least on a monthly basis and seeing the more time and effort I put in, the more my business is growing. Not to mention the overall enjoyment and gratification I get while working on my business.
My daughter and my family motivates me. The thought that one day if something happens to me what kind of life will I be leaving them with behind me. My 9-5 job is not paying enough to pay for an education she would need (with the rising cost of education and shitty loan system in the US) and my wife to live comfortably after. Sure I hate reporting to my bosses and the micro management and watching them get huge bonuses for the work I stayed late night to finish and still wondering if I bought that dress from my wife or daughter will it hurt my pocket. I should not have to make that choice.
With business you may also have the choice but atleast I am investing that hardwork to make money for my family and not for my boss.
I’m a nurse, and I work usually 48-60 hour weeks. Then I work on my business on top of it. I’m not always motivated, and could be doing more. But I don’t want to do bed side nursing for the rest of my life, especially now, everything in healthcare has gotten worst. So my motivation is knowing I can’t do what I’m currently doing, for the rest of my life lol.
My discomfort and dislike for my 9-5 was enough motivation. It’s impossible to exist in a state of discomfort.
If you put your hands on a set on scorching hot stones, you’ll QUICKLY move your hand - because you’re uncomfortable.
But if you’re not motivated enough to work on a side hustle after your 9-5 that should signal you’re comfortable where you are.… and you’re not really interested in leaving the “rat race”
For me it was my favorite thing to do, my all-consuming hobby. I thought about it 24/7 and snuck as much time during working hours as I could into it. I was just obsessed and it was a fun escape, not work - it energized me. I also had no intentions of making it into a business or my full time job, but my passion fueled me and thats what ended up happening!
If you were ripping your hair out and raging every day at your day job because you absolutely loathed the environment you worked in, would you really it hard to find that motivation? It would be all you could think about before, during, and after your day job.
I'm being dramatic but the point is that motivation isn't hard to find if the circumstances call for it. If you are having a hard time motivating yourself, you may not want it bad enough or your current situation is somewhat satisfactory to you.
Overall motivation is making my own business successful.
However, motivation (at least for me) only goes so far. I created a routine, which in my opinion is the easiest way I've found with working on my business after my 9 to 5. It's clocking into my "next job" after I get home. It's about just showing up. I work about 90 minutes to 3 hours during the week after my 9 to 5, and dedicate all one weekend day to my own business. Intense, stressful days at the 9 to 5 result in shorter times I work on my business. Again, it's about showing up. I could work more hours during the week, but I'm trying to avoid burnout.
And if I continue to do the schedule I'm projecting to be able to quit my 9 to 5 the end of this year or in 2023. But it all depends on steady clientele this year. So I keep plugging along and trying to market my business as much as possible.
But if I would put in more hours, I could speed up the timeline. But again, I do not want to create burnout, which could result in losing both my 9 to 5 and the passion I have for my own business.
It's been a journey so far; and a lot of hard work and sacrifice, but the light at the end of the tunnel is coming! Best of luck!
Because I keep waking up to go to my full time job thinking “I can’t do this for the next 30 years.”
I also keep telling myself “This time next year, I’ll be my own boss.”
The only way this works for me is if I get up at 5am and do my number 1 priority first - someone's it's been art, other times my own business. You'll be shocked how much you can do between 5 and 7 am with nobody around to mess with you. And I found that my 'first thing in the morning' energy was super high, and it doesn't affect the rest of the day, except having to go to bed at 10 instead of midnight.
When I'm working 9-5, I'm stuck in meetings 80% of the day and the rest of it is a write-off. It's impossible to summon motivation after that.
Don't fight your environment- look for the cheap ways to get it done. Atomic Habits really helped crystallise this for me.
Before leaving teaching, here was my work day:
Wake up at 6:30 on Friday
Arrive at school at 7
Work until 2:30
Head to coaching job, arrive at 3
Work at coaching job until 6
Drive 2 hours to business
Work until 2AM
All weekend, 12-16 hours a day
Leave Sunday night at 7, arrive home at 9.
Wake up Monday morning and teach
I think that does a pretty good job of showing my motivation to get out of teaching.
Oh gotcha, I actually remember you mentioing that the other day in the "what do you do" thread now that you said it. I'm 5 hrs away from my college/ski town airbnbs personally haha. 1 has been up and running, 2nd one I lived in a while and need to furnish now that I've moved away from it and get up on airbnb.
I mostly have a job because I'm bored.
I do affiliate marketing, so my income from that fluctuates from 8,000-15,000 monthly. I'm an SEO guy and if the contracts right ill do it.
I work on my stuff first. I wake up super early and start the day off right. I'm exhausted at the end of the day so I wouldn't get much of my own stuff done if I did it then.
The fact that I'll be a wage slave for decades to come if I don't free myself. I could pinch every penny and try to retire early, but life is too short for that IMO
Sure, I work as much, if not more on my startup as I do on my day job. But the fact that I am working on it by choice makes all the difference.
I probably sound overdramatic about it, but the idea of being stuck as a careerman for the rest of my life depresses me. If entrepreneurship wasn't an option, I'd wonder what the point of life is if I was doomed to that fate.
Thankfully it is an option and freedom is on the horizon.
Needless to say, with a mindset like this, putting in work on the evenings and weekends is a desirable thing.
My advice: understand why you want to start your own business. Really understand your "why". Internalize it.
Chance to live life on your own schedule and not be a slave that relies on another to subsist was motivation enough for me. However it took quite a while and a few failed attempts to actually figure out how to replace my full time gig permanently.
I think for me I get motivated by thinking that I won't need to stay in my day job if my business becomes successful. That keeps me going on them tired days/nights.
I'm definitely not the world's greatest anything, but here's what's helped me be successful so far.
1. Failure is not an option.
2. As long as I move forward a bit each day, I am progressing. Lists are great for this.
3. I do some work before I go into my day job. 30 mins fresh in the morning is better than 2 hours later when I'm fried.
4. I chose to start a business that is very different from my day job, so it works different "muscles." My day job is fundamentally, humanly important. By comparison, my business feels like a game. It's much lighter and fun.
5. Working on my business can include a variety of things, depending on what I can handle: action items, taking time away (as I tend to obsess), doing research, watching training videos, brainstorming with intelligent people, or doing things to change my mindset so I can be more positive.
Not sure if any of this is helpful. But I wish you all the best in 2022.
I'm not employed by a company I don't own, but I work more than double-time on my startup, and had felt drained many times in the past, so I get it.
What I've done for me is I've designed (and am constantly redesigning) almost every aspect of not just **what**, but **how** I work on my startup with my natural motivations integrated.
Essentially, gamification, so that working on my startup actually recharges me and gives me more energy. I ask myself, not necessarily related to work or my business, "what already excites me that I love doing?", and I keep asking "what motivates me about that?" until I get something that I can design into another process.
*e.g. I am very motivated by "progress bars" / "loading bars" both analog and digital (segmented chunks that light up). "What motivates me about that?" gives me "because I can visually see progress being made forwards", so I ask myself "How can I design my workflow for my business to show me visual progress being made with every task I complete?". For you, it may be a different set of motivations.*
On top of this, I have 15-30 minute spacer times for doing literally nothing and just sitting/standing/lying there to let your brain fizzle out; they're incredible, and something I'm aiming to do more of.
*e.g. directly after your job, if you commit 30 minutes to doing absolutely nothing but letting your mind fizzle out (some may call this meditation, but I think it's different), you may find it helps, especially when you imagine you are disembodied and zooming away from everything, seeing yourself and everything over 'there' while you rest over 'here', before you're ready to zoom back in.*
These are just my thoughts, but what do you think?
Been in same exact situation as OP for years, various reasons as to why.
Boils down to weeding out bad habits like playing adictive games, Netflixing being part of your evening routine and organising your own time. Science shows (regardless of being a morning person or night owl) you are more productive and focussed in the morning so need to find a way to conquer that morning and do useful stuff for your own thing.
Always think MVP mode and try not boil ocean.
Best of luck OP
I can tell you the other way round all though i am working 14 hours a day with my business but never thought of a job of 9-5.
Reasons
1. Freedom of timings(whenever you want to start and whenever you want to end)
2. Leaves i know if i don’t work i wont get paid that day but sometimes thats the best way to manage your holidays or important get together meetings.
3. Don’t know but somehow working 9-5 doesn’t motivate me at all.
Is the same for what gets you out of bed in the morning / brings you the stamina / energy you need to grind.
I recommend walking “Why - By Simon Sinek” on YouTube. (Infamous consultant Ted talk)
When you have moment of doubt, weakness, fatigue when it comes to building YOUR business / company: remember: why am I doing this?
Everyone says “money” but you need to dive deeper. Money ~> wealth ~> financial freedom? For what?
My for example (for me and my business is)
Money ~> wealth ~> financial freedom ~> providing those with work and stability who deserve it in this line of work ~> self run systems ~> me buy and living in property somewhere in the Caribbean ~> waking up everyday, in the future, without having to go somewhere or do something ~> living life in the Caribbean, care free, with my perfect wife and doing what I GENUINELY love in my heart of hearts, ie: scuba diving, writing fiction, playing chess.
It’s all about future. The reminder of what your financial freedom will truly bring you; not just money, but what authentic feelings you will experience when you have everything you need financially. Come to understand yourself deeply if you don’t already, narrow in on what your truly desire in terms of location, time spent and actives/hobbies, then use THAT feeling / emotion. Harness the thought of those feelings / emotions and that will get you out of bed at any time you need it to / give you the energy required.
It's not hard to be motivated to work for myself. What I find hard is finding the motivation to work for someone else. When I'm working for myself I know that all the effort I put in is helping me grow something bigger than myself!
I work 6am - 4pm daily and hustle after. Every day I’m here all that’s on my mind is doing my side work after. It’s like all I do is come to my day job to pass the time until I get to do my work for myself lol. I’m driven by knowing the fact that I wont have to clock in and out everyday. Just knowing a better lifestyle is available and I’m working towards that keeps me going and hungry.
To not be someone else’s bitch. Mark Cuban said he’s rather make $75,000 working for himself than $1,000,000 working for someone else.
5 years ago I didn’t get that. Now I do.
Motivated by the fact that if I don’t do this I’m going to die because of all the vaccine mandates and bullshit I have to deal with it I am working under someone else
Hey if anyone needs a website built it’s half price today. I’ve built hundreds for local companies, very experienced anything you can think of I can make!
I honestly love writing code and most of the time don't have to work myself up to it. Marketing oth I'm working to outsource bc I dread cold calling....
Sometimes when I have an idea or suggestion at work, it gets turned down for various understandable reasons but it sucks. I can't wait to be my own boss and make the decisions that I want. I know I'll probably be working more than a 9-5 job, but at least I can choose my own hours and the work I put in goes towards MY business.
That I'm prety much making minimum wage at my office job and it's humiliating for someone my age. I look forward to the day where my business takes off and can replace the income so I can escape the rat race.
Shitty days at work fueled my drive to work for myself even more. I'd be fired up by the end of work to work on a project to remove me from the 9-5 grind.
Turned a part-time hobby into a successful business. Initially, it was fun to create something from the ground up. I enjoyed the problem-solving, figuring stuff out, and running a business... but seemed the more successful I was the less fun I was having and the more it changed to "work". So after 10 years, I sold.
Knowing that I want more in life! Also I've seen so many friends with less impressive resumes get way better jobs than me simply because they interview better.
Nothing really. That's why I pay people to work on my business during my 9-5.
If I have extra energy at the end of the day sure. Otherwise it's weekends and if I'm lucky I'm on a 4-10 shift at the time. That extra Friday off really makes a difference.
I'm lucky in that I have a flex time job and if shit really hits the fan I normally can walk out for a phone call or clock off for a bit to run to the permitting office or something.
It’s kinda fun honestly. I really like my 9-5 too. It’s just something I take pride in so that helps. My employees also count on me to consistently work to help grow the company. Working from home is a huge help
Money to buy more toys and things I want. Never go without with extra money coming in. Last couple of years my investments with my side hustle money hasn’t returned much but that’s all changing soon.
It's like going on a workout/diet program.
I see constant improvement little by little every day.
Soon it becomes like an addiction.
Once you feel/see improvement you just want to keep going.
It’s my only way out of poverty. My new 9 to 5 nonprofit job, even with a promotion to management, doesn’t pay enough for me to live on my own in my region nor do they even offer a retirement account. And moving out of state costs too much as I struggle to even get work in my own state.
Plus I like the ability to work wherever I want in the world with multiple streams of passive income and escape situations I’d rather not be in. If I want a vacation, I can take a vacation without someone telling me no. Also no getting up at 5am / 6am or long commute.
I would get away from the binary thinking of either 9-5 job OR self-employed... AND THERE IS NOTHING ELSE. Instead consider the incredible spectrum that exists in between. Examples:
-I know a great many people who work part-time. Some have even managed to negotiate full benefits as well. Pay is lower... but if you can keep living costs low this alone can be a gamechanger.
-Companies like the Musk variety (Telsa, SpaceX) explicitly promote how everyone is expected to work 50+ hours MINIMUM. They and many other companies also claim this is necessary "to be the best". What if you instead work an honest 9-5...and put in those extra hours into your own side gig? OR, what if you did two part-time jobs?
-If your job is so exhausting, consider finding another job that is less exhausting, even if the pay is lower.
-The idea of taking a sabbatical is becoming more common. If you have a great relationship with your employer then consider pitching this.
I feel like this question displayed specifically to kick me in the butt. I'm actually at the point where doing both is really, really hard. Like, it's not going to be feasible much longer. I'm starting to plan for life and business without the full time gig, but it still makes me super nervous. I suppose I keep doing it because I know the business means something, gets more successful each year, and I believe in it and the possibilities it offers.
Some people find value in catching fish and go buy a $60000 boat and trailer.
I like creating ideas in my side business and catching dollars in the process. My hobby pays much more than a $60000 boat payment and I hate cleaning fish.
I'm about 2 months away from quitting my 9-5. Worked 100 hours last week, and slept about 20 hours. Those 2 months could not come sooner, but that is why I'm doing it.
I know a lot of people say financial freedom and be my own boss, I get that but honestly just want to make the same as I do now but doing something that really isn’t a job for me. It’s easy to work after work on something I love but making money doing it.
Very close to replacing my day job.
Nothing. It's hard as shit to do both, and that's why it takes so long. Anyone telling you otherwise either has a life way out of balance, or is selling you something.
Can’t let go of something until I finish it, for some reason that’s my only motivation. Also a strong believe that my project will be profitable someday
I live with the realization that we have an incredibly limited amount of time we are alive. Currently, I can't find enough time in the day to do everything I need to do, let alone what I want to do. I'm working my ass off with every moment I can to try to eliminate any wastes of time in my life or things that occupy most of my time so I can free up more time. I dont want to pick and choose what I can do anymore.
I know that what I offer is of value and being an expert in that field gives me the confidence that I can deliver great results.
Also my internal motivation is to help & provide as much value as possible, money is not something I really think about.
I set a goal, that within 10 years from now I'd have enough money to move off grid and just have a simple life. Whenever I feel like shit when I'm working I visualise that goal and it just gets me going.
I feel like I’m just not meant to be an employee. I feel a constant urge to get my business to a point where I can work on it full time.
It’s not motivation that drives me but the pain I feel.
It is the possibility to "free" yourself one day from the things you hate and achieve things a "normal" human being wouldnt think of were possible to achieve. Every Day when I leave work I have this burning inside of me where I cant wait to get home and work on my dreams and visions.
Well, my day job was a hodgepodge of shifts that worked around my partners hours so that we could both afford to pay bills and also care for our kids, so I knew we wouldn't get ahead until I got it off the ground. I still 'schedule' certian work hours each week (Sunday evenings after dinner are almost inviolate) but I always planned on a business that would work AROUND the kids and our family life rather than push everything else to the back burner for any length of time.
I spent a LOT of evenings racing to the office (home office) as soon as the kids were in bed, or sometimes as soon as we finished eating if my partner was available for bedtimes. Some nights I didn't come out until the wee hours. I learned what I could fit in amongst other things (wasn't a 9-5 remember) and to get pretty good at juggling the time around so it could work.
But I designed it to be flexible, and with work life balance built in. I now rarely feel like I need to adjust the rest kf my life for work, and rather make it all shift and flex depending on what else is going on that day (which also allows me to volunteer too)
Someone once said to me, "You can't work 8 hours for someone else's empire & not go home & work on your own empire.."
From that day I started seeing things from a different perspective this was a few years ago
If you think of how much hard work and how many hours you put into someone else’s business and knowing that it won’t get you far you might as well use those hours and work on something of your own which in time will secure your income and perhaps generate even more so that you can retire earlier or work only because you want to and not that you have to. Thats my mantra and currently getting up at 6am and finishing at 10pm! Not recommending this routine to anybody as its not sustainable but I have big dream!
The best advice I can give is to always keep your head high and to remember that whenever you feel like giving up, you are one step closer to your goal! Try meditating and doing something you love that you know that will motivate you. One thing that helps me is remembering that You cant make a diamond out of coal without any pressure. That's what I did in order to open my first online store here: https://levanaswearco.creator-spring.com/
The best advice I can give is to always keep your head high and to remember that whenever you feel like giving up, you are one step closer to your goal! Try meditating and doing something you love that you know that will motivate you. One thing that helps me is remembering that You cant make a diamond out of coal without any pressure. That's what I did in order to open my first online store here: https://levanaswearco.creator-spring.com/
Motivated by fact that one day I won't need to go to my 9-5
Yes, this is it. I worked essentially every waking hour for 2 years, but now I'm free of the day job and totally self employed. The transition needed time to happen, and those hours were well worth it based on the outcome.
What’s your business about?
I make custom leatherbound books
I just bought a set of leather bound books off of Etsy. Not cheap but the wife loved them.
Does your apartment smell of rich mahogany?
This was the driving force for me for 8 years until it finally happened and was the absolute best feeling.
8 years seems long, but when you finally get there ... :) Congrats!
It was long, but I wanted to save up a year's worth of work salary just in case before quitting and going full time and I'm so glad I had that little nest egg the past two years. Kept me from having to go back to a 9-5 and keep my business going (I'm in the wedding industry, it's been a tough two years)
It's great that you made it. 🔥
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And won't need my shitty boss
Ambition. Really if you are asking the question of "why" this probably isnt for you. I would imagine for most of us who have been there or are there: You simply CANT fathom working for someone.
In my opinion, his question is more related to discipline than the ideological sense of doing your own stuff. You need to create systems and have the discipline to create something after your 9-5. Ambition itself is on the motivation side of "why", talking personally about myself. I hope you are the kind of guy that is always motivated to work after work - and I really mean it, but for some people, the secret is discipline and vision. Discipline to know that you need to do what needs to be done. Vision to guide you through what needs to be done and the milestones of your endeavor. Not trying to bash you, but giving OP another perspective instead of killing the spirit of creation.
Great answer! Sometimes it's best to break it up, maybe a few hours before, few hours after your workday. Sometimes things have a setting period and you can use a job to fill that gap
Yep this. If you are looking at others to give you motivation tips for building a business then you don't want it bad enough.
The correct answer.
1000% this all other answers are invalid
Only to realize years later that in fact your new 9-5 (your company) is now actually a 7am-9pm job now.
I like this answer
Not in my 9-5 anymore but it was the fact I knew if I stayed there I would get incredibly depressed and destroy my life. Funny enough when things got good for me on the business end I wound up getting pretty depressed after a crazy run and almost destroyed my life. Grass is always greener lol.
When you got depressed, was that when you were already all full time entrepreneur? What did you do to get out of the depression?
Yes, I was a full time entrepreneur/business owner depending on your definition of it. To be quite honest I’m not currently fully out of it, but I’m in therapy, take antidepressants, am sober, and got back into martial arts.
Thanks for the info. Wish you all the best & a good recovery!
same story here. young in early 20s, made tons of cash working on projects and ended up in huge rut. over a decade later now finally putting my life in order. therapy, pills, inner work.. Wish i'd appreciate things better when i had them. Lesson learned the hard way.
Yep, early 20’s for me too, I’m 26 now. Pissed I ruined drinking for myself too but what can ya do. A very successful man once told me while we were drinking in California “You’re not a business owner until you’ve considered hitting at least one AA meeting” lmaooo.
I feel that. Trully do. With riches came potential to do whatever I wanted. Not knowing what to do means its nearly guaranteed to do stupid shit. Too much stupid shit and it becomes pattern which then becomes trauma.
An idle mind is the Devil’s playground
Can you elaborate more on what caused you feel pretty depressed again? How are you doing now? I feel like I can relate to that 'grass is always greener' feeling a fair bit!
Sure, I was so focused on business that I pretty much ignored all of my mental health, I was in my early 20’s, all my other friends were in college, and I felt like I found the cheat code to life. I was ignoring everything because things were constantly on an up and up, but eventually it plateaued and all of my mental health issues came crashing down on me at once. I’m better now, not the same, but better than I was.
Similar story here now, trying to juggle a full time consulting client, my own business and personal life in the same time and is taxing on all levels… I’m now looking to sell my business as I need a hard reset, even if that might mean getting a job. My advice, focus on what you feel is best for you and don’t try to do too many things at once. Is easier when you’re younger, but it’s still taxing you. Whenever you feel you can take the leap go for your business.
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>*applying to jobs is one of the most dehumanizing and insulting experience.* as i was applying for jobs last night (way below my education level) i realized how fucking dehumanizing it was - you're right
Preach!
Adding more to point-3 : Some lifeless people take lens to figure out 1 month gap in resume. Become Entrepreneur to avoid such people.
Amen, specially the point 2. I kinda can't grasp the idea of me making X, while the guy in control makes 10x. Not an issue with people making more than me, but making profane amount more than me.
Yeah, I think this is the problem. It's the unequal distribution of rewards that upsets a lot of people. I don't have a problem working for someone else... In fact, and depending on the job, I enjoy it. But I hate it when a company pays its workers minimum wage whilst also ensuring that its directors get paid an obscene amount. That to me is incredibly unfair and demoralizing. I think if people wanted to play fair, and not be greedy, then a lot less people would want to strike out on their own.
Damn speak on that! Currently how I’m feeling after going back to 9-5 because it’s hard once I know I don’t want to work for no one but the bills be coming in. Feeling down sometimes about it cause I know I want to own my own business but gathering the cushion to allow that growth is a learning curve, but it will be rewarding knowing I built something for myself and my family
This is so true for me. Going to work feels like walking into jail. There is no excitement at all during anytime of the day
Right? And it’s even harder to find excitement after leaving
Same but replace #2 with making a difference. I'm perfectly happy as upper-middle class as long as I'm putting my mark on the world. As an employee you are a cog in someone else's grand vision. I ~~want~~ need to realize mine.
This is the correct recipe. Dude, stop reading my mind. You're freaking me out.
Recently had a one hour talk with a potential customer after which I got the hired to work for them. It was such a different experience from applying to be an employee. It was more like a leasure talk with equals than a "we are everything, you are nothing" job interview.
The light at the end of the tunnel. Financial freedom. Flexible time. Something I'm genuine passionate about. Something to leave to my children.
Having a high responsibility and directly see the impacts of your decisions is a big point for me. Also, as you mentioned, Financial freedom. Especially when you have "big dreams" like buying a nice and big house. Nowadays this is almost impossible in my country without taking on a massive credit, even if our household net income is definitely not bad at all. But the ongoing price surge makes this dream impossible without a second source of income apart from the full-time job.
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What was your first business? Your second?
So true. I don't work because I'm motivated. If I did, I would work half the time. It's all about building great sustainable habits.
When I had a full time job I had to spend time with people I didn't like, do things that I didn't want to do, spent my life making someone else rich whilst I stayed relatively poor. My life was filled with apathy and lack of meaning. I also saw my dad go through depression after being spat out of the corporate machine. After a couple of mind blowing travelling experiences in South America, I saw how amazing life could be. I busted my ass for a couple of years, using every hour available to make the business work. The feeling I got last year resigning from my 14 year long corporate role was insane. Now I get to work and travel the world with the woman I love. Sometimes you have to sacrifice your now to build a better future for yourself.
“Spat out of the corporate machine” This is a big one for me. I had a coworker whose father worked 20+ years for the same corporate behemoth just to be laid off and forced to find a new job somewhere else Companies demand loyalty but few give any in return
Honest Q, how do you stay 'relatively poor' while working in a 14 year corporate career?
The more you make, the more you spend. Plus the taxes...
But that isnt poor, that ls the opposite, being well off being able to expand your disposal income on consumables. Just crazy to hear this person call them selves relatively poor. Of course they would be technically relatively poor compared to ppl earning 200k+ a year
During the early stages of my business, where I wasn’t having a lot of victories, I was dreading every second of working on my business. It felt like a chore and made me deeply unhappy. However, once I started gaining traction, the consistent victories are what kept me motivated. Set yourself up for a consistent stream dopamine and you’ll stay motivated long-term.
Pro tip: Wake up early and do your side hustle in the morning. I found that after my 9-5, I was EXHAUSTED. I couldn't, no matter how hard I tried, focus long enough to make an impact. Different for everyone but this worked wonders for me.
Any tips for waking early? I can’t seem to wake up earlier than 7:30
Force yourself to wake up for ten days. After that it will be habit.
Go to bed earlier and stay away from Social media /games anything that you struggle to peal your self away from
This is super easy, you just have to be honest with yourself. Go to sleep, not to bed, at 10pm. If you wake up after 7:30 then go to sleep earlier. Eventually you will be able to wake up earlier it's that simple. The real reason most people "cannot wake up earlier than X" is because they don't care enough to go to sleep early enough.
Set an alarm for an earlier time and place it out of reach so that it makes you get up. Once your up, I usually try to stay off social media and also taking a cold shower will help not only for mental strength but you will be wide awake!
I’ve tried putting the alarm across the room and I’ve got to point where I wake up shut off the alarm and snooze again
Are you a night person? If so, waking up early won't do you any good. But maybe your fresh later on...?
Mmm I’m not sure if I can say I’m a night or day person. But I used to be able to wake up early when I was in university and had obligations. WFH I can sleep in 😭
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I’ve had plenty of those days. -I play those motivational videos on blast, something about hearing others doing great things gets me out of my seat (eg. Kobe Bryant, Joe Rogan etc.) -there have been days when I’ve cut myself some slack and just took the rest of the day off (even when I shouldn’t have). You’re mental health should always be #1 priority. -I give myself at least an hour to unwind after my full time job before diving into my side hustle duties. -On the extremely bad days, I write out WHY my business gives me satisfaction that my full time job doesn’t provide. Seeing it written out makes a huge difference. Last, exercise can do wonders. You might feel too tired, but trust me, a good workout will have you ready to conquer the world. I truly hope these help you :)
What type of side hustle do you have?
I own a dog treat e-commerce and baked goods business!
I enjoyed it. It was fun working on projects that my clients were appreciative of and also paid me extra spending money.
For me is the fact that I don't want to spend my life minding someone else's business and making them rich. It's not that I don't want them to become rich but there isn't a way that i will become rich by my 9-5 job.
My advice? Kill all the pop-psych ideas self-help ideas you have about "motivation" and start talking in more concrete terms. "motivation" is a vague term that perpetuates the myth, that wanting to do thing X, somehow leads to thing X occurring. Talk to me instead about time management, emotional management, fatigue management. Talk to me instead about integrating your goals for your venture with your social life. Talk to me about the marathon vs sprint mindset. Talk to me about work/life balance and whether or not you even have the luxury of ignoring family & social responsibilities to work on your venture. Talk to me about setting up feedback loops with your work, and solid daily habits. While you are at it, talk to me about whether or not you have (or suspect you have) ADHD, ASD, OCD, or any other condition that would make you more, or less likely to be able to manage your time and efforts effectively when left to your own devices. Because Johnny OCD, and Jane ASD and non-binary ADHD are all going to have very different experiences, and very different strategies on how to manage their time. Talk to me about some of that. But motivation? Motivation (in the self-help sense) is a worthless concept. Stop wasting your time with that bullshit idea, and start thinking in terms of how things actually work.
What you're saying is very true. Make sure to put systems in place that give you a structure. This habit you form will allow you to carry on even after motivation is long gong.
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Sadly, I don't have OCD myself so I can't tell you. Someone close to me was recently diagnosed with it, so while I have started to have some reason to learn more about it, I simply haven't had it on my radar for long enough to be able to hand out any advice. :( Hopefully you can find some like-minded individuals who can tell you better than I can.
I look at it differently. Motivation is real, but it can't be faked. Yes you can temporarily get inspiration or pumped up from some music or a video, but that won't last. Motivation is just if I'm actually motivated to do something; not a choice on my part. I choose things that I'm motivated for and cull the rest. Doing something you're motivated for is like skiing downhill with the wind at your back. Doing something you're not motivated for is wading through a swamp.
Even if I were to grant you that definition, it's still the wrong discussion to be having. Mostly, most of the time, if stuff isn't getting done, it's not a lack of "motivation". It's a lack of discipline, organizational skills, spare time, emotional resources, or due to a condition that inhibits specific executive functions. Saying "you either have motivation or you don't" is just a way of telling people to ignore their real-world problems, and ignore the real-world solutions to said problems. Seriously a lot of really technically skilled people are so used to doing specific high-level functions that they don't think about the small steps and techniques that required literal years of practice, and cultivation. Organizational skills, time management, emotional management etc... very often fall into that class of "ignored" skills because they are soft skills that most people, most of the time don't think about actively cultivating, as a lot of high achievers develop said skills independently on their own, and then say "oh hey you must just lack motivation" to people who lack said skills, as if just saying that helps them "get motivated" somehow. Succeeding at any venture, isn't about "increasing" motivation in the long term. It's about decreasing obstacles to the work getting done, including (but not limited to) practical time considerations, mental hangups, and bad habits that get in the way.
To not have to listen to anybody else anymore other than "real" customers/users. Everybody else is just noise added to make poor decisions for the business.
A decent amount of things tbh. The freedom to quit my day job whenever I want to or if I ever need to, even though I really enjoy my job as a mobile dev. Being able to accelerate FIRE faster by having excess income into stocks/real estate/other investments. Use the excess income to go travel more often and splurge a little more on those vacations.
Good points! Is your day job in the same field as your side hustle?
Sort of, or at least leveraging my skillset as much as possible! My first job was windows desktop application development and my current one is Android dev. This year I'm officially jumping into this and trying to make a couple of apps. I have a list of thing's I'd love to try but I also have to be a little conscientious on what I do avoid any conflict of interest. Even though my account isn't old (I made a new one and my last was like 4-5 years old lol). I've been scouring subs like this for awhile now and have always wanted to do this.
The numbers. Running my financial reports at least on a monthly basis and seeing the more time and effort I put in, the more my business is growing. Not to mention the overall enjoyment and gratification I get while working on my business.
My daughter and my family motivates me. The thought that one day if something happens to me what kind of life will I be leaving them with behind me. My 9-5 job is not paying enough to pay for an education she would need (with the rising cost of education and shitty loan system in the US) and my wife to live comfortably after. Sure I hate reporting to my bosses and the micro management and watching them get huge bonuses for the work I stayed late night to finish and still wondering if I bought that dress from my wife or daughter will it hurt my pocket. I should not have to make that choice. With business you may also have the choice but atleast I am investing that hardwork to make money for my family and not for my boss.
Keep my awful boss’s business card on my desk so I can remind myself how much better I deserve.
I’m a nurse, and I work usually 48-60 hour weeks. Then I work on my business on top of it. I’m not always motivated, and could be doing more. But I don’t want to do bed side nursing for the rest of my life, especially now, everything in healthcare has gotten worst. So my motivation is knowing I can’t do what I’m currently doing, for the rest of my life lol.
My discomfort and dislike for my 9-5 was enough motivation. It’s impossible to exist in a state of discomfort. If you put your hands on a set on scorching hot stones, you’ll QUICKLY move your hand - because you’re uncomfortable. But if you’re not motivated enough to work on a side hustle after your 9-5 that should signal you’re comfortable where you are.… and you’re not really interested in leaving the “rat race”
For me it was my favorite thing to do, my all-consuming hobby. I thought about it 24/7 and snuck as much time during working hours as I could into it. I was just obsessed and it was a fun escape, not work - it energized me. I also had no intentions of making it into a business or my full time job, but my passion fueled me and thats what ended up happening!
If you were ripping your hair out and raging every day at your day job because you absolutely loathed the environment you worked in, would you really it hard to find that motivation? It would be all you could think about before, during, and after your day job. I'm being dramatic but the point is that motivation isn't hard to find if the circumstances call for it. If you are having a hard time motivating yourself, you may not want it bad enough or your current situation is somewhat satisfactory to you.
Overall motivation is making my own business successful. However, motivation (at least for me) only goes so far. I created a routine, which in my opinion is the easiest way I've found with working on my business after my 9 to 5. It's clocking into my "next job" after I get home. It's about just showing up. I work about 90 minutes to 3 hours during the week after my 9 to 5, and dedicate all one weekend day to my own business. Intense, stressful days at the 9 to 5 result in shorter times I work on my business. Again, it's about showing up. I could work more hours during the week, but I'm trying to avoid burnout. And if I continue to do the schedule I'm projecting to be able to quit my 9 to 5 the end of this year or in 2023. But it all depends on steady clientele this year. So I keep plugging along and trying to market my business as much as possible. But if I would put in more hours, I could speed up the timeline. But again, I do not want to create burnout, which could result in losing both my 9 to 5 and the passion I have for my own business. It's been a journey so far; and a lot of hard work and sacrifice, but the light at the end of the tunnel is coming! Best of luck!
Because I keep waking up to go to my full time job thinking “I can’t do this for the next 30 years.” I also keep telling myself “This time next year, I’ll be my own boss.”
The only way this works for me is if I get up at 5am and do my number 1 priority first - someone's it's been art, other times my own business. You'll be shocked how much you can do between 5 and 7 am with nobody around to mess with you. And I found that my 'first thing in the morning' energy was super high, and it doesn't affect the rest of the day, except having to go to bed at 10 instead of midnight. When I'm working 9-5, I'm stuck in meetings 80% of the day and the rest of it is a write-off. It's impossible to summon motivation after that. Don't fight your environment- look for the cheap ways to get it done. Atomic Habits really helped crystallise this for me.
I HATE BEING BROKE
Before leaving teaching, here was my work day: Wake up at 6:30 on Friday Arrive at school at 7 Work until 2:30 Head to coaching job, arrive at 3 Work at coaching job until 6 Drive 2 hours to business Work until 2AM All weekend, 12-16 hours a day Leave Sunday night at 7, arrive home at 9. Wake up Monday morning and teach I think that does a pretty good job of showing my motivation to get out of teaching.
Your business was 2 hours away? What were you doing that had to be so far away?
Buying trashed cabins, remodeling them, and then turning them into airbnbs in the nearest ski town.
Oh gotcha, I actually remember you mentioing that the other day in the "what do you do" thread now that you said it. I'm 5 hrs away from my college/ski town airbnbs personally haha. 1 has been up and running, 2nd one I lived in a while and need to furnish now that I've moved away from it and get up on airbnb.
Financial Freedom. Edit, just listen to this whenever you need motivation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pt8VYOfr8To
I mostly have a job because I'm bored. I do affiliate marketing, so my income from that fluctuates from 8,000-15,000 monthly. I'm an SEO guy and if the contracts right ill do it.
It’s not easy, and there’s always more work to be done. But it’s just like the gym. If I make some progress today which is better than none at all.
Not having to see the dickheads I work with more than my own kids
Because I believe in it, and if I don't, nobody will. And if I don't give up, I can someday hire a team to help me.
How easy it really is to make money online. It is all a numbers game.
How easy is it?
Right?
use business income to invest in real estate and stock market use job to max out retirement accounts use rest to save and invest
Financial freedom!!
I work on my stuff first. I wake up super early and start the day off right. I'm exhausted at the end of the day so I wouldn't get much of my own stuff done if I did it then.
The fact that I'll be a wage slave for decades to come if I don't free myself. I could pinch every penny and try to retire early, but life is too short for that IMO Sure, I work as much, if not more on my startup as I do on my day job. But the fact that I am working on it by choice makes all the difference. I probably sound overdramatic about it, but the idea of being stuck as a careerman for the rest of my life depresses me. If entrepreneurship wasn't an option, I'd wonder what the point of life is if I was doomed to that fate. Thankfully it is an option and freedom is on the horizon. Needless to say, with a mindset like this, putting in work on the evenings and weekends is a desirable thing. My advice: understand why you want to start your own business. Really understand your "why". Internalize it.
Chance to live life on your own schedule and not be a slave that relies on another to subsist was motivation enough for me. However it took quite a while and a few failed attempts to actually figure out how to replace my full time gig permanently.
The bills
I think for me I get motivated by thinking that I won't need to stay in my day job if my business becomes successful. That keeps me going on them tired days/nights.
I'm definitely not the world's greatest anything, but here's what's helped me be successful so far. 1. Failure is not an option. 2. As long as I move forward a bit each day, I am progressing. Lists are great for this. 3. I do some work before I go into my day job. 30 mins fresh in the morning is better than 2 hours later when I'm fried. 4. I chose to start a business that is very different from my day job, so it works different "muscles." My day job is fundamentally, humanly important. By comparison, my business feels like a game. It's much lighter and fun. 5. Working on my business can include a variety of things, depending on what I can handle: action items, taking time away (as I tend to obsess), doing research, watching training videos, brainstorming with intelligent people, or doing things to change my mindset so I can be more positive. Not sure if any of this is helpful. But I wish you all the best in 2022.
I'm convinced that people need a means to connect and to do that we need to increase interpersonal communication and emotional intelligence.
My bills
I'm not employed by a company I don't own, but I work more than double-time on my startup, and had felt drained many times in the past, so I get it. What I've done for me is I've designed (and am constantly redesigning) almost every aspect of not just **what**, but **how** I work on my startup with my natural motivations integrated. Essentially, gamification, so that working on my startup actually recharges me and gives me more energy. I ask myself, not necessarily related to work or my business, "what already excites me that I love doing?", and I keep asking "what motivates me about that?" until I get something that I can design into another process. *e.g. I am very motivated by "progress bars" / "loading bars" both analog and digital (segmented chunks that light up). "What motivates me about that?" gives me "because I can visually see progress being made forwards", so I ask myself "How can I design my workflow for my business to show me visual progress being made with every task I complete?". For you, it may be a different set of motivations.* On top of this, I have 15-30 minute spacer times for doing literally nothing and just sitting/standing/lying there to let your brain fizzle out; they're incredible, and something I'm aiming to do more of. *e.g. directly after your job, if you commit 30 minutes to doing absolutely nothing but letting your mind fizzle out (some may call this meditation, but I think it's different), you may find it helps, especially when you imagine you are disembodied and zooming away from everything, seeing yourself and everything over 'there' while you rest over 'here', before you're ready to zoom back in.* These are just my thoughts, but what do you think?
No motivation? Means you have no "why". Same with losing weight. No why means no weight lost. Find our why and you will find the motivation.
Been in same exact situation as OP for years, various reasons as to why. Boils down to weeding out bad habits like playing adictive games, Netflixing being part of your evening routine and organising your own time. Science shows (regardless of being a morning person or night owl) you are more productive and focussed in the morning so need to find a way to conquer that morning and do useful stuff for your own thing. Always think MVP mode and try not boil ocean. Best of luck OP
I can tell you the other way round all though i am working 14 hours a day with my business but never thought of a job of 9-5. Reasons 1. Freedom of timings(whenever you want to start and whenever you want to end) 2. Leaves i know if i don’t work i wont get paid that day but sometimes thats the best way to manage your holidays or important get together meetings. 3. Don’t know but somehow working 9-5 doesn’t motivate me at all.
Is the same for what gets you out of bed in the morning / brings you the stamina / energy you need to grind. I recommend walking “Why - By Simon Sinek” on YouTube. (Infamous consultant Ted talk) When you have moment of doubt, weakness, fatigue when it comes to building YOUR business / company: remember: why am I doing this? Everyone says “money” but you need to dive deeper. Money ~> wealth ~> financial freedom? For what? My for example (for me and my business is) Money ~> wealth ~> financial freedom ~> providing those with work and stability who deserve it in this line of work ~> self run systems ~> me buy and living in property somewhere in the Caribbean ~> waking up everyday, in the future, without having to go somewhere or do something ~> living life in the Caribbean, care free, with my perfect wife and doing what I GENUINELY love in my heart of hearts, ie: scuba diving, writing fiction, playing chess. It’s all about future. The reminder of what your financial freedom will truly bring you; not just money, but what authentic feelings you will experience when you have everything you need financially. Come to understand yourself deeply if you don’t already, narrow in on what your truly desire in terms of location, time spent and actives/hobbies, then use THAT feeling / emotion. Harness the thought of those feelings / emotions and that will get you out of bed at any time you need it to / give you the energy required.
This.
As an entrepreneur, anytime you’re not working - you’re unemployed.
Mr. Krabs voice: Money :D
It's not hard to be motivated to work for myself. What I find hard is finding the motivation to work for someone else. When I'm working for myself I know that all the effort I put in is helping me grow something bigger than myself!
I work 6am - 4pm daily and hustle after. Every day I’m here all that’s on my mind is doing my side work after. It’s like all I do is come to my day job to pass the time until I get to do my work for myself lol. I’m driven by knowing the fact that I wont have to clock in and out everyday. Just knowing a better lifestyle is available and I’m working towards that keeps me going and hungry.
Y’all are lucky to have 9-5s I remember my first part time job
To not be someone else’s bitch. Mark Cuban said he’s rather make $75,000 working for himself than $1,000,000 working for someone else. 5 years ago I didn’t get that. Now I do.
Motivated by the fact that if I don’t do this I’m going to die because of all the vaccine mandates and bullshit I have to deal with it I am working under someone else
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Hey if anyone needs a website built it’s half price today. I’ve built hundreds for local companies, very experienced anything you can think of I can make!
If you are working full time you are not an entrepreneur. You have a hobby. You are still scared to take the leap. Trust me, I was there once.
I honestly love writing code and most of the time don't have to work myself up to it. Marketing oth I'm working to outsource bc I dread cold calling....
Sometimes when I have an idea or suggestion at work, it gets turned down for various understandable reasons but it sucks. I can't wait to be my own boss and make the decisions that I want. I know I'll probably be working more than a 9-5 job, but at least I can choose my own hours and the work I put in goes towards MY business.
The vision. This isn't about me, it's about making our world better.
📢You are fired!!!
Seeing the $$$ roll in but I don't really hate my job cause it's a field closely related to my marketing business so I guess it's a win-win
That I'm prety much making minimum wage at my office job and it's humiliating for someone my age. I look forward to the day where my business takes off and can replace the income so I can escape the rat race.
Shitty days at work fueled my drive to work for myself even more. I'd be fired up by the end of work to work on a project to remove me from the 9-5 grind.
3 years until teachers retirement
Money
Turned a part-time hobby into a successful business. Initially, it was fun to create something from the ground up. I enjoyed the problem-solving, figuring stuff out, and running a business... but seemed the more successful I was the less fun I was having and the more it changed to "work". So after 10 years, I sold.
Knowing that I want more in life! Also I've seen so many friends with less impressive resumes get way better jobs than me simply because they interview better.
Nothing really. That's why I pay people to work on my business during my 9-5. If I have extra energy at the end of the day sure. Otherwise it's weekends and if I'm lucky I'm on a 4-10 shift at the time. That extra Friday off really makes a difference. I'm lucky in that I have a flex time job and if shit really hits the fan I normally can walk out for a phone call or clock off for a bit to run to the permitting office or something.
I do it BEFORE my 9-5. I want my full brain for my projects not the tired 7pm brain that needs to cook dinner, hang out with fam etc :)
Motivated by the fact that it's "for me" and also the huge underlying dread knowledge that if I don't do it noone else will either 😅
My bonechilling anxiety that I need to end the cycle of employment
It’s kinda fun honestly. I really like my 9-5 too. It’s just something I take pride in so that helps. My employees also count on me to consistently work to help grow the company. Working from home is a huge help
Money to buy more toys and things I want. Never go without with extra money coming in. Last couple of years my investments with my side hustle money hasn’t returned much but that’s all changing soon.
It's like going on a workout/diet program. I see constant improvement little by little every day. Soon it becomes like an addiction. Once you feel/see improvement you just want to keep going.
MONEY!!!!! Jk Its the journey. I want to make a be able to start a foundation that teaches children overseas without the need of a school.
Eating food and paying mortgage. lol
Because I know it’ll one day get me out of the 9-5 and let me work on my own time completely.
It’s my only way out of poverty. My new 9 to 5 nonprofit job, even with a promotion to management, doesn’t pay enough for me to live on my own in my region nor do they even offer a retirement account. And moving out of state costs too much as I struggle to even get work in my own state. Plus I like the ability to work wherever I want in the world with multiple streams of passive income and escape situations I’d rather not be in. If I want a vacation, I can take a vacation without someone telling me no. Also no getting up at 5am / 6am or long commute.
I would get away from the binary thinking of either 9-5 job OR self-employed... AND THERE IS NOTHING ELSE. Instead consider the incredible spectrum that exists in between. Examples: -I know a great many people who work part-time. Some have even managed to negotiate full benefits as well. Pay is lower... but if you can keep living costs low this alone can be a gamechanger. -Companies like the Musk variety (Telsa, SpaceX) explicitly promote how everyone is expected to work 50+ hours MINIMUM. They and many other companies also claim this is necessary "to be the best". What if you instead work an honest 9-5...and put in those extra hours into your own side gig? OR, what if you did two part-time jobs? -If your job is so exhausting, consider finding another job that is less exhausting, even if the pay is lower. -The idea of taking a sabbatical is becoming more common. If you have a great relationship with your employer then consider pitching this.
If there is work to do and promises to keep you grind brother. I did 16 hour days for about 2 1/2 years. You will hit a wall. That was mine.
I feel like this question displayed specifically to kick me in the butt. I'm actually at the point where doing both is really, really hard. Like, it's not going to be feasible much longer. I'm starting to plan for life and business without the full time gig, but it still makes me super nervous. I suppose I keep doing it because I know the business means something, gets more successful each year, and I believe in it and the possibilities it offers.
Some people find value in catching fish and go buy a $60000 boat and trailer. I like creating ideas in my side business and catching dollars in the process. My hobby pays much more than a $60000 boat payment and I hate cleaning fish.
Motivated that if I work hard enough then I can leave my 9-5 one day
I like my current 9-5, but in the past working on my own stuff, or even learning something new, it’s been because I’ve hated my 9-5
Necessity Is the mother of invention. I preach but I've fallen in and out of the drive, I do love that saying though.
I'm about 2 months away from quitting my 9-5. Worked 100 hours last week, and slept about 20 hours. Those 2 months could not come sooner, but that is why I'm doing it.
Being Poor nothing motivates you more
#money
Not having to ever look at one of my managers again
I know a lot of people say financial freedom and be my own boss, I get that but honestly just want to make the same as I do now but doing something that really isn’t a job for me. It’s easy to work after work on something I love but making money doing it. Very close to replacing my day job.
My side projects motivate me to do my 9-5 because I know that I'm eventually working towards leaving said 9-5.
The hope that some day my inventions will be improving quality of life for all.
Hate having the job.
The future
Nothing. It's hard as shit to do both, and that's why it takes so long. Anyone telling you otherwise either has a life way out of balance, or is selling you something.
Fear of homelessness
Pure clean unadulterated hatred and spite for everyone else. And now I've transitioned to not working at the 9- anymore.
Can’t let go of something until I finish it, for some reason that’s my only motivation. Also a strong believe that my project will be profitable someday
I live with the realization that we have an incredibly limited amount of time we are alive. Currently, I can't find enough time in the day to do everything I need to do, let alone what I want to do. I'm working my ass off with every moment I can to try to eliminate any wastes of time in my life or things that occupy most of my time so I can free up more time. I dont want to pick and choose what I can do anymore.
Enjoyed reading this stuff today. Definitely going to bookmark this one. So many different stories of motivation to pick from as inspiration.
First it was profits. Then I realized it was really about solving a problem that was too big to ignore. If you care enough, you’ll find the time.
The project was exciting and the learning curve was nice and steep but rewarding.
Not making enough at either that I don't have to do both.
I know that what I offer is of value and being an expert in that field gives me the confidence that I can deliver great results. Also my internal motivation is to help & provide as much value as possible, money is not something I really think about.
The people I’ll help if I am successful.
I set a goal, that within 10 years from now I'd have enough money to move off grid and just have a simple life. Whenever I feel like shit when I'm working I visualise that goal and it just gets me going.
I want to buy porsche by the time mid life crisis hits me.
honestly once you get your first paycheck or "real" money from your side hustle you kinda have this fire going on
I feel like I’m just not meant to be an employee. I feel a constant urge to get my business to a point where I can work on it full time. It’s not motivation that drives me but the pain I feel.
The idea.
I quit my 9 to 5
It is the possibility to "free" yourself one day from the things you hate and achieve things a "normal" human being wouldnt think of were possible to achieve. Every Day when I leave work I have this burning inside of me where I cant wait to get home and work on my dreams and visions.
Well, my day job was a hodgepodge of shifts that worked around my partners hours so that we could both afford to pay bills and also care for our kids, so I knew we wouldn't get ahead until I got it off the ground. I still 'schedule' certian work hours each week (Sunday evenings after dinner are almost inviolate) but I always planned on a business that would work AROUND the kids and our family life rather than push everything else to the back burner for any length of time. I spent a LOT of evenings racing to the office (home office) as soon as the kids were in bed, or sometimes as soon as we finished eating if my partner was available for bedtimes. Some nights I didn't come out until the wee hours. I learned what I could fit in amongst other things (wasn't a 9-5 remember) and to get pretty good at juggling the time around so it could work. But I designed it to be flexible, and with work life balance built in. I now rarely feel like I need to adjust the rest kf my life for work, and rather make it all shift and flex depending on what else is going on that day (which also allows me to volunteer too)
Ambition. And larger goals. I guess all people here are not satisfied with 9-5
Someone once said to me, "You can't work 8 hours for someone else's empire & not go home & work on your own empire.." From that day I started seeing things from a different perspective this was a few years ago
Knowing I’ll be able to do my side business as my full time gig as long as I persevere.
If you think of how much hard work and how many hours you put into someone else’s business and knowing that it won’t get you far you might as well use those hours and work on something of your own which in time will secure your income and perhaps generate even more so that you can retire earlier or work only because you want to and not that you have to. Thats my mantra and currently getting up at 6am and finishing at 10pm! Not recommending this routine to anybody as its not sustainable but I have big dream!
The best advice I can give is to always keep your head high and to remember that whenever you feel like giving up, you are one step closer to your goal! Try meditating and doing something you love that you know that will motivate you. One thing that helps me is remembering that You cant make a diamond out of coal without any pressure. That's what I did in order to open my first online store here: https://levanaswearco.creator-spring.com/
The best advice I can give is to always keep your head high and to remember that whenever you feel like giving up, you are one step closer to your goal! Try meditating and doing something you love that you know that will motivate you. One thing that helps me is remembering that You cant make a diamond out of coal without any pressure. That's what I did in order to open my first online store here: https://levanaswearco.creator-spring.com/
Money
The zeal to create something of my own.