The Entrepreneur Insiders network is an online community where the most thoughtful and influential people in America’s startup scene contribute answers to timely questions about entrepreneurship and careers. Today’s answer to the question “How do you stay inspired to run a business?” is written by Feris Rifai, cofounder and CEO of Bay Dynamics.
Many of us spend our lives working to become the best version of ourselves. We reinvent ourselves over and over, embracing challenges to uncover new opportunities, which in the end put us in a better place. Running a business involves a similar journey, and that journey is what keeps me inspired every day.
Success doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a process that requires transforming your business to where it needs to be, reacting to the ever-changing environment around you, and being able to learn the rights and wrongs along the way. I whole-heartedly enjoy the process, especially when it comes to overcoming challenges. To quote Winston Churchill, “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” Overcoming what might at first seem like an insurmountable obstacle keeps me inspired because I know in the end the outcome will put my company in a better place. If I let myself fall prey to the idea that the obstacle is impossible to overcome, my company will lose.
See also: 3 Ways to Get Through a Stressful Business Venture
For example, let’s say a new competitor jumps into your space. You can look at that challenge thinking, “This could take away some of our business,” or you can examine the competing company, dig deep into what it offers, and then make changes within your own company so that you can provide even more value than before. In the end, because of that challenge, you create something better because you seized the opportunity to beat the competition. When you reframe your mindset to, “I am going to solve these problems,” it’s easy to stay inspired. That mindset enables you to uncloak incredible opportunities. You don’t typically walk a straight line to achieve big success. If it were that easy to achieve, everyone else would be doing it. I welcome the windy journey and look forward to finding out where each twist and turn leads.
People also keep me inspired. I enjoy brainstorming new ideas, listening to different opinions, and engaging in what may be heated debates, all in an effort to achieve the same goal. I learn from them and they learn from me. It’s all about working together to turn challenges into opportunities to make the company better. Passionate people oftentimes give me more inspiration and motivation than I’m able to give to myself.
Staying inspired is a choice. It’s an important choice, because at the end of the day, how and if you stay inspired can separate your company from the rest. If you lose that inspiration, it will most likely work to your disadvantage.
