The Power of Long Term Perspective for Entrepreneurs

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Motivation is always a difficult thing for most entrepreneurs. I know that I have struggled with my motivation immensely over the course of my career and different entrepreneurial ventures.

As the saying goes, perspective is everything. It can be very difficult for entrepreneurs to stay motivated to put in the long, boring hours of un-exciting tasks when our perspective is not where it should be.

This is where the difference between having a short-term or long-term focus comes into play. Having a long-term perspective is almost always a character trait possessed by successful people, because without a long-term perspective, we are too vulnerable to temptation and procrastination.

Long-term perspective is when you view your success and accomplishments as works in progress that take time and daily action to progress, but you feel certain that if you put in the necessary work, your success in nearly guaranteed. People with long-term perspective are much more willing to sacrifice and forego quick, easy pleasures in favor of larger rewards in the long run.

Short-term perspective is when you focus on what you want right now, and constantly feel as if each day is just one day, that all of your work can be done later, and you want what you want right now. People who have a short-term focus are much more likely to give into temptations and distractions, because they can only see what is right if front of them, making them more willing to appease their desires immediately.

For instance, when we have a short-term perspective, we tend to view work as something that is trivial and can be easily done at a later time. This is an example of the self-talk of a person who has a short-term perspective:

• It’s only one night, I can do it tomorrow.
• As soon as Monday comes around, I’ll get to work. It’s not necessary to do my writing tonight.
• I’ve already slacked off for most of the day, I might as well just hang out tonight and give it a go tomorrow.
• I’ll just give up, I’ve been doing this for two months and haven’t gotten anywhere.

On the other hand, having a long-term perspective causes you to see that every small step and task is accumulating over time. Long-term focus is understanding that anything worthwhile usually takes a long time, and that if you persist, you will succeed. It is knowing that consistency is the key to success. Because you are focused on the long-term results, you are not discouraged by minor setbacks and temptations when you have a long-term perspective.

Here are examples of the self-talk of a person with a long-term perspective:

• Every day counts….I’ve got to be consistent and get this done.
• All in due time. I am confident that this will pay off if I keep it up.
• I don’t have all the time in the world. If I keep putting it off one day at a time, it’ll never get done.
• I can’t quit….all of the most successful people are just average people with above average work ethics. They succeeded because they stuck it out, and so will I.

As I get older and more mature, developing and keeping a long-term perspective has grown easier for me. Still, I struggle with procrastination and lack of motivation on a daily basis, but I try to remind myself that developing a hard work ethic that is unswayed by everyday temptations is similar to building a muscle; you have to exercise your hard work ethic. You have to stay consistent with it, and it will grow easier over time to sit down and do the tasks necessary to succeed.

How ‘long’ is your perspective?  Do you struggle with motivation and procrastination because of a focus on short-term gratification?  If so, developing a long-term perspective about your work and life can be very beneficial for you.  Try to paint a picture in your mind of your ideal life in 5 years, or even 10 years.  Train yourself to focus on that future result, rather than what you want next week.  I find that this really helps me to stay motivated because I can see that there is an immense amount of work ahead of me, and that each day is an opportunity to get closer to my goal.

Still, this technique may not work for you.  You must develop your own techniques and affirmations and figure out what exactly motivates you and causes you to feel that sense of urgency that we need to feel to get things done.  The key to long-term perspective, though, is simply to remain motivated and to not become sidetracked or distracted by short term temptations or setbacks. Then, you will find that working consistently on your goals will come naturally to you.  I have made great advances in my life because of this technique, and I hope that you will too.

I hope this post was helpful to you; I always get a lot of value out of motivational posts, because often we already know what we are supposed to be doing, we just need to be reminded. Do you struggle with procrastination and temptation? If so, how has it affected you? Have you allowed it to overcome you, or have you worked on it? If so, how? I would love to see some great comments about this in the comments section. Thanks for reading and please give me a Stumble or Digg if you enjoyed this article! I appreciate it!

Tags: entrepreneurs, motivation, perspective, Productivity, Thinking