Being an entrepreneur means signing up for a great deal of stress and a great deal of responsibility as you look to build your very own company from the ground up. In order to be a successful entrepreneur you not only need to have the right idea and the right work ethic to get your company off the ground, but you also need to be able to stay motivated.

The right motivation is key in taking your company from an idea to a full-fledged enterprise. This means staying motivated not only during successful times but down times and finding ways to overcome the most difficult obstacles and keep pushing forward. It isn’t always easy to stay on track and stay motivated when you are your own boss, but below I have listed some tips that can help you along the way.

Here are five ways a successful entrepreneur stays motivated:

1. Keep track of your earnings daily

If you want to stay motivated and see how much your company is growing, keep track of everything your company is making every single day. Keep track of all of your profits and write them down so you can keep track of what you are earning. Make a daily goal for yourself and see how close you are to making or exceeding your goals. This will help you get those short term boosts of motivation you need to be consistently motivated every single day.

“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” – Thomas A. Edison

2. Create a positive workspace

Staying focused and motivated even during difficult times is one of the biggest challenges that entrepreneurs tend to face. In order to stay motivated even when you want to give up, make sure that you are creating a very positive work environment. Surround your workspace with positive affirmations. They may seem corny or cheesy, but they are popular because they work. It doesn’t matter what the positive affirmation is, it just needs to be somewhere that you can see it and it needs to motivate you.

3. Write down tangible goals for yourself

You need to have measurable and tangible goals for yourself in order to stay motivated and keep on working towards your goals to stay on task. Write down the goals you have for yourself and make them both specific and measurable. Don’t just say “I want to make more money this year.” Say “I want to make $50,000 more this year.” Write it down and put it somewhere that everyone can see so you stay focused on meeting that goal.

4. Get your mornings off to a strong start

There are a number of studies that have shown that people are actually most productive in the first few hours after they wake up. Take advantage of this and try to get everything done in the first three hours of the day. If you start your day off motivated to get things done, it will keep you motivated throughout the day.

“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive; to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.” – Marcus Aurelius

5. Remember why you got started in the first place

Whenever you are feeling overwhelmed or like you need an extra boost of motivation to stay on task, it is important that you always remember why you got started as an entrepreneur in the first place. Perhaps you didn’t like your corporate job and never want to go back. Perhaps you have a bigger goal of helping people. If you keep these reasons in the back of your mind, you can get the boost of motivation that you need to push through the struggles. If you just remember why you wanted to do this in the first place, and why you don’t want to be in a traditional job, it is great source of inspiration to get you going.

As an entrepreneur, how do you stay motivated? Please leave your thoughts in the comment section below!