How to Motivate Yourself on Bad Days

As much as we'd love to wake up everyday feeling ready to conquer the world, life just doesn't work that way. A sleepless night could leave us feeling fatigued the next day, unable to keep up with the demands of running a business. Sometimes we just feel down for no reason at all.

While it's not realistic to expect each day can feel euphoric with a few tweaks, there are easy things we can all do to feel more motivated:

Be grateful. Such a simple action will do wonders for your motivation. If you wake up feeling dismal or if something happens during the day that gets your mood plummeting, set aside 5 to 10 minutes. Write several things you are grateful for. Countless studies have shown that reflecting on what you can be thankful for is an excellent mood-booster.

Use the power of quotes. What we read has a tremendous impact on our brains. Prepare index cards with your favorite motivation quotes to lift you up. Keep these cards in your work area at all times. That way when your motivation dips, you have these highly motivating tools within easy reach. Write those quotes now, don't wait for when the going gets rough. 

Here are some fantastic ones to help get you started: 

Every strike brings me closer to the next home run. –Babe Ruth
You become what you believe. –Oprah Winfrey
Either you run the day, or the day runs you. –Jim Rohn
When we do the best we can, we never know what miracle is wrought in our life, or in the life of another. - Helen Keller
Fall seven times and stand up eight. –Japanese Proverb

Think over your emotions. Don't let your emotions define your perception of reality. Remember, perception is up to you. One beautiful philosophy entrepreneurs can benefit from is stoicism. 

Being a stoic is not about being a stern and unsmiling bore. You can be a stoic and enjoy a good laugh with friends and fun movie nights out. A true stoic believes in the power of perception. Just because you feel something doesn't mean it's a fact. So you failed to close a sale on an already highly stressful day. You feel your world is crumbling. That's just your emotions and emotions are fleeting. Your world is not crumbling unless you believe it is. The school of stoicism teaches its students that there is opportunity in everything, even tragedy.

For more information on stoicism and its practical applications for entrepreneurs, read this amazing entry on the blog of New York Times bestselling author Tim Ferriss: Stoicism 101: A Practical Guide for Entrepreneurs 

To put all these tips in one motivating nutshell, remember that everything comes to pass - cherish blessings while reminding yourself that bad days are all ephemeral. 

When all other positive thoughts fail, say the beautiful and widely used Serenity prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr:

"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference."