I was talking with Kim after Startup Camp about how motivating it was and how it got me all fired up to get back onto a few things that had been on the back burner for months. Which got us talking about motivation in general and self-motivation for entrepreneurs in particular. So I said “Kim you should write a post about self motivation resources for entrepreneurs” and he said, “No, you should write a post about self motivation resources for entrepreneurs”. There’s a lesson in there someplace.

I worked in sales training in the states for a few years and there is a whole industry in the US built up around motivating sales people. From sales contests, to motivational tapes, to seminars, to employee rewards programs it’s a huge industry. When you’re an entrepreneur some days are easy and some are bloody hard. Since there is no motivation industry for entrepreneurs we have to take a do-it-yourself approach.

Here are some of the podcasts that I subscribe to for when I’m between meetings, they almost always give me a lift. I’ve included the source URL, but they are all accessible through the iTunes Store.

Do you have any sites or services that you use to help keep you inspired? If so let me know and I’ll include them in my next post

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1/ TED

All the stuff on TED just blows me a away; cool stuff, captivating stories, incredible people. A couple of my favorites include Sir Keith Robinson talking about how schools kill creativity (replace creativity with entrepreneurship and the message is still valid) and Burt Rutan on space. But it’s almost all inspiring.

Sir Ken Robinson on How Schools Kill Creativity

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2/ Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders

Words of wisdom given by big names from Silicon Valley. I recently listened to the Jeff Hawkins (inventor of the Palm Pilot, Handspring, & Treo) talk which I found inspiring. If you’re on the site check out the top 10 most popular videos too.

Jeff Hawkins on Why Entrepreneurship Should be Viewed as a Tool

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3/ World Tech Podcast

It’s technology, it’s a bit random but always interesting and informative

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4/ And sometimes I just need a hit of Ask a Ninja

“I am ninja, you are ninja, we are ninja … I look forward to killing your motivation soon!”