Making a New Year’s resolution is a great way to start the year, but according to U.S. News, around 80 percent of resolutions fail by the second week of February. Here, five alumnae entrepreneurs from the health and wellness industry share how they stay motivated and keep resolutions throughout the year, while also growing their companies.
I stay motivated by focusing on the ultimate mission of my company. It brings meaning to what I do every day and drives me to achieve my goals. Tactically, I set goals for the year, month, week, and each day. I also take a moment to celebrate success at the end of the day. This isn’t always easy for me, but I do my best to recognize what I am proud of daily.
Jennifer Vaughan Maanavi '00, Physique 57
I find success by striking a balance between working, maintaining self-care, and being efficient. To keep that balance on the self-care side, I make sure to carve out time to work out, practice yoga, and eat clean conveniently with Project Juice’s Sub-Zero Superfoods smoothies. I work efficiently by keeping to-do lists and sticking to them — this also helps me maintain focus on short- and long-term goals.
Devon Briger '99, Project Juice
At Emmy, we stress the importance of human interaction in improving patient outcomes. As an entrepreneur, I make sure to live by this as well — I stay motivated by tapping into my support network of entrepreneurs for advice when things seem tough. Starting an early-stage company can seem like a lonely journey, but taking the time to connect with others can be a good reminder that, hey, we've all been there!
Ting Guo '16, getemmy.com
As every founder knows, there are many ups and downs in entrepreneurship. What keeps me motivated is that, quite simply, I love what I do and the positive impact the Good Zing platform has on readers. Getting messages from people who have come across Good Zing and found a remedy or wellbeing tip that has helped them gives me such a boost. Even on the bad days, re-reading these messages motivates me to keep going. I also practice a “gratitude ritual” before going to sleep every night (which I learned during my time at CBS in Professor Hitendra Wadhwa's Personal Leadership and Success course), which helps me reflect on all the good things that happen every day.
Serena Oppenheim '14, Good Zing
I stay motivated by carefully managing my energy. This means being militant about sleep (I need 7.5 hours), meditation (20 minutes a day), and building time into my work week for friends and loved ones. I dig into aspects of my business that I find intellectually challenging and that play to my strengths and, whenever possible, delegate the tasks I find draining. And I surround myself with people who inspire and energize me (shoutout to the Exubrancy team!).
Liz Wilkes '13, Exubrancy