Have you noticed how some of the people who ought to achieve the most in any kind of market seem to plateau, lose steam, or outsource the life out of their business?

One of the worst things that can happen to an entrepreneur is they lose their “mojo”, ethusiasm, drive, passion, whatever you want to call it.

Sometimes events our out of our hands and impact us profoundly – I was reminded of this as I read the awful things that happened to Michael Arrington recently.

How can we keep our fires burning even in the face of setbacks and dismay?

It’s not always horrible things like happened in the linked article either, sometimes it is just lack of enthusiasm due to fatigue or scarce time.

I am working alone or with partners in a number of markets, from credit cards to green issues and alternative energy. Some of these markets I have only a passing interest in, others I have a passion for, and still others a strong interest but no time to keep up. We only have so much head-space for hobbies! In fact, I am in negotiations to sell one of my much-loved blogs because of this.

When things get hard, it is vital to maintain your sense of curiosity about a subject. Interest, or lack of, is communicated between the lines of all our writing, from articles to email. If we don’t care for the topic then our readers will not care very much for what we have to say.

Crucial is to remember what we are doing this for.

Unless you stumbled into your project or business, there must have been something that caused you to begin, some prize or benefit that is worth striving for.

Another major motivation is obviously putting meals on your table and clothing your kids. Family is always a huge driver and for most of us would be our main priority.

When events get you down, take a step back and focus on what you want, what your goals are, and what is important to you. At all times you have to know where your priorities lie and where your business fits into them.

Only when we can throw ourselves into our work with energy and vigor will we see the success we deserve. What you put out comes back to you magnified, therefore lackluster “phoned in” communications is met with meager conversions, while exciting, inspiring content drives both sales and consumption.