For me, Seeing on paper/screen is Believing, is Motivating, is Direction, is Focus on a better path to be the Best.
Seems too simple, I guess, to write down priority lists and achievements and expect motivation but it does work...like walking farther and farther as legs become more and more fit, easy after that first couple weeks of better routines.
Adding to list "reaching to others with similar interests" is certainly a hi-lite on my list...partners are a luxury and a very powerful asset. Be a sales person, more, tell people more about your business at every chance. You never know when ideas will happen even during a short conversation.
I have noticed that smarter people can read in a noisy room because they have this single focus capability to see/hear only what they are reading...a skill developed from a young age maybe and something I have learned with practice.
Every negative comment is a step backward whether we recognize it or not, so control your success...how many steps backward versus how many forward.
Self-validation and more will work for my new contract software business...never enough time but lists control my success.
Good Luck vmendi
Gary