Trying to motivate yourself is like trying not to wake up after only a few hours of sleep.

You can hear your alarm buzzing, you’re exhausted, but you just can’t get up. Even if you do manage to crawl out of bed, it’s torture. You feel groggy and lethargic all day long because your body lacks the energy it needs to function.

Similarly, when you sit in front of a computer screen and try to figure out what you can do to motivate yourself — and let’s be real, we all have goals we need to accomplish and things we want to get done — it is exhausting. You feel tired and uninspired because your mind lacks the clarity it needs to function.

We’re all human, and sometimes we just need to start working without the motivation. The problem is, when there’s no motivation to be found, it’s really hard for us not to think about how little motivation we have.

This makes us feel even less motivated than before because now our mind has become overwhelmed with negative thoughts. Then, we feel like we need more and more motivation and the cycle continues and builds on itself. Not a great way to spend a day (or a lifetime).

Let’s be crystal clear: you can’t force yourself to get motivated. But, there is a solution.

We’ve all seen it happen: the founder of a startup is completely in love with their vision and idea, but when they try to get someone else on board, they can’t seem to find anyone who shares their passion.

Once you’re ready to grow your startup into something bigger, it’s no longer just about following your dream – it’s about finding other people who want the same thing. You need team members who are totally committed to your vision because otherwise, they’ll never be able to go the distance with you.

Before you start, you need to figure out what your vision is. What do you want this company to achieve? Where will you be in 5 years? Once you’re sure of your goals and ambitions for the company, it’s time to get building.

The best way to start thinking about what kind of people to look for is by putting yourself in their shoes. What would you be looking for if you were them?

Let’s look at some of the roles you need to fill and how your vision can help attract people who will get on board:

Entrepreneurs are leaders. They lead teams, create culture, build ideas into profitable ventures… and they make lots of decisions that impact their businesses every single day.

A good entrepreneur is efficient with his or her time and knows how to effectively manage decision-making when it comes to leading a business. To be the best, you must learn to streamline your company’s decision-making process and make sound choices like an expert in no time.

Finding the best path to take, making changes when they are needed, and leading your team with skill is what makes an entrepreneur successful. Ready to make quick decisions like a pro? We’ve got you covered.

Here are X tips to help you make better decisions like an entrepreneur:

As a manager, one of your top priorities is to make sure ideas flow through the company and that new products are constantly being improved upon. Ideas come from anyone and anything; often times it isn’t until we get out of our comfort zone do we discover something truly worth exploring. But sometimes fear prevents us from taking risks, which is why we must shift our mindset and change how we view innovation.

Your role as a manager is to create an environment in which people are empowered to experiment, grow and prosper. This means you need to let go of control and allow ideas to circulate freely, no matter how “out there” or seemingly crazy they may seem. One of the fastest ways to kill creativity is by stifling others’ ideas; it may seem like they are wasting time or going off the rails, but in reality they are probably creating a path to something brilliant.

You might be thinking that it’s your job to protect the company from poorly thought out ideas (I mean after all, you’ve seen The Office), but if putting up walls is stopping them from taking risks, then this strategy will backfire. The biggest reward often comes from the most massive failures, so learning how to handle a few misfires is crucial.

Managing employees means you are leading a team through uncharted territory, which is why it’s important to be aware of your own fears. Instead of focusing on what could go wrong, focus on how this new idea might actually change the company for the better. It takes more courage to try something new then to stay in your comfort zone and play it safe, but when you care more about the success of the company than your own, innovation becomes second nature.

It’s okay to be scared, but you need to learn how to move past those fears. If you are looking for a little help to take your team’s ideas from zero to hero, this Risk-Averse Manager’s Guide to Innovation has some great tips on how you can redirect your thoughts and create a culture of success.

For many, entrepreneurship is a dream that never quite materializes. Whether it’s due to responsibilities, family ties or fear of going out on their own, employees around the world continue working for others rather than themselves. This isn’t always a bad thing, as some people prefer a steady paycheck and a constant flow of work to the unpredictable life of a business owner. Others take solace in knowing that their employer will be responsible for their financial well-being should they be laid off or lose interest in the company.

In either case, being an employee is far from boring. With so many responsibilities and changes within businesses every day, employees are generally kept busy. But there are plenty of perks to being an entrepreneur, not the least of which is the freedom to make your own schedule and be your own boss.

Here are a few tips for those who have the entrepreneurial spirit, but just can’t seem to take that final step into self-employment.

Well-known venture capitalist, Marc Andreessen said it best. “I think the dirty secret of entrepreneurship is that what you are launching never turns out to be what you envisioned.” For many years I’ve worked with entrepreneurs who complain bitterly about their ideas, or lack thereof.

I’ve seen too many business plans and product roadmaps that are obsolete before the ink dries, or go so far down the wrong path that it’s nearly impossible to recover.

Right about now, some of you are probably thinking, “That doesn’t happen to me!” Or perhaps you’re saying, “My idea is so good it’s going to change the world!”

I get it. I really do. Ideas are fun! They stimulate our minds, open our eyes to new possibilities, and are the impetus for many great things.

So why do I think execution matters more than ideas? Because it always has impressed me how smart people can have a brilliant idea that goes absolutely nowhere because of poor execution or an inability to pivot when needed.

Every minute you spend writing about why your idea is great is a minute you should have spent learning about your customers and testing your ideas with them.

Yes…the best entrepreneurs throughout history have started with an idea, but more importantly they’ve obsessed over their customer’s problems and relentlessly iterated on solutions for those problems.

Execution is what turns an idea into a business.