I’ve heard a lot of hype around the word mindset lately. But what does that word really mean and how is it different from motivation? These are just some of the questions I’ll be answering in this post.

When you work in your business day in and day out, it’s easy to get burnt out. To avoid ending up completely drained, there are some important concepts you should educate yourself about. You can leverage these to keep your enthusiasm for your business sustainable and going strong when things aren’t so smooth sailing in your biz.

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What is Motivation?

Motivation is related to your current mood or temporary feelings and thought patterns.  I like to think of motivation as a tool that you can lean on when you need a little power-up. You can rely on it every once in a while, but when you need it in every situation, its effects will be diluted and won’t work. Having motivation might get you through a sales call you’ve been dreading, a presentation or a Facebook live, but it’s not a sustainable source to draw from to accomplish things in your business long term.

Even though relying on motivation every day is not a good long-term solution, it can still be helpful. Some awesome motivational tools you can use to recharge your brain and get you pumped for a challenging activity are inspirational quotes, podcasts or even business retreats.

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What is Discipline?

Discipline is showing up even when you don’t feel like it or have the motivation. It’s doing what you know you need to do because it will get you closer to your end goal. Having discipline is hard, but it’s THE differentiating factor between those people who just try and those who fully commit. I believe if you practice discipline in anything, you can grow to be great at. You just have to put in the work.

People who are disciplined are strong-willed, but even if you weren’t born this way, you can still train yourself to be disciplined in your work ethic and other areas of your life. Start by building up your discipline with small efforts like not hitting the snooze button, or avoid social media during work hours, and then work on more challenging tasks once you’ve mastered it at a basic level.

Related Post: Why Emotional Intelligence Matters in Business

What is Mindset?

Mindset is your attitude over a period of time. While you might have a bad attitude today because you missed your morning caffeine fix, your mindset is rather based on your long-term attitude over the course of weeks, months or even years. So what does that have to do with your business and is it something you should really pay attention to?

Your mindset has such a massive impact on what you can accomplish day to day because your thoughts are an integral part of shaping your actions. Ever heard the phrases, “whether you think you can or think you can’t you’re probably right,” or “mind over matter?” This is why your mindset is key. When you condition your attitudes and mindset to be filled with positive thoughts, it will ultimately result in positive behaviors and outcomes. How can you train yourself to think positive? Start by surrounding yourself with positive people and positive messages.

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So how will understanding these concepts help you in your business? Each of these ideas gives you a different perspective for accomplishing your goals in your business. To build long-term success, you should work to build up a positive mindset, whereas day-to-day you can focus on practicing discipline. And for those times when you need just a little extra push, motivation can help carry you through.

How do you leverage these tools in your business and which one do you need to improve your practice of most? Let me know in the comments.