As we reach mid-February most of our yearly goals have been forgotten about. We get busy with calving, or other chores. Things seem to pop up and we get side tracked. Maybe reading this blog is making you wonder, "When was the last time I looked at my goals?"This is important to mention because as I say all the time, you need to set goals to create a profitable business. You need a direction!At the beginning of the year those goals are fresh and exciting. We just spent all that time creating them! We make an effort to work on them every day. So here is something that will help regain your motivation if you find it has dwindled!I want you to take a moment and think about this question. You can just keep your thoughts in your head but I find it works really well if you write it out. I want you to write down everything that comes to your mind when you think of the following question. Why do you love to farm?I try to do this exercise myself on a regular basis. I find it helps me to connect with my true passion and keep me motivated on those days you just feel like giving up. So to help here are a few of my reasons for why I love my business.• I love helping people
• I am passionate about farming and animals
• I don't want to see anyone go through the loss of a family farm
• I want to make a differenceI could keep going! Did you come up with lots of reasons yourself? If not, why do you think that is? Is it just that things haven't gone right lately and you're really down? Or have you lost your motivation?Either way I believe that every person in life deserves to have their dream job, and I think farmers are no exception! If you want to be a farmer then you will do the work required to be successful! We all lose motivation once in a while but don't let it hold you back.Use your list to help create some momentum! This is where writing your thoughts down helps. If you're having a bad day, take a moment and read your list. I find it helps me to think about these things daily. Usually before I go to sleep at night I think of all the things I am grateful for. This helps me to go to bed happy and wake up with a positive attitude.

Jen Gutfriend,The progressive livestock producer's profitability coach, works with progressive livestock producers who struggle with low profitability and lack of time. She helps them reduce costs, increase revenue, all while having more time to do what they enjoy! Get her free video lesson, "Learn the one biggest change you can make on your farm to increase profitability" at www.livestockmanagementsolutions.com