How many times a year do you hear this from your
well-meaning (?) family and friends:
"Oh! You are so LUCKY to work from home!"
Actually - you can probably substitute the 'work from home'
part with a number of other options such as 'self
employed', 'have so many income streams', 'be your own
boss', etc, etc.
And of course - that opening statement is usually followed
by something like: "You have no idea what I put up with
everyday at the office (or the store, or the school or the
loading dock - fill in the appropriate phrase)."
Hey! Guess what? I DO have a very good idea of what you are
putting up with everyday. It's WHY I am self-employed now.
It's WHY I work from home today!
And the truth is, I still put up with a lot of the same
stuff everyday - it's just that now, I have the luxury of
deciding how to deal with it myself, instead of being TOLD
how to handle the situation.
But most importantly - LUCK has nothing to do with the fact
that I am self-employed and you are still in that office
(or store or loading dock or whatever). You see, being
self-employed means taking risks, and working your tail off
- sometimes for a LONG time - before you see any reward.
Being self-employed means that I don't get a paycheck from
anyone every Friday, no one else contributes to my health
insurance or my pension fund, no paid two week vacation, no
sick days and believe me - no paid holidays.
And chances are - I am still working every evening while
you are watching Desperate Housewives and voting for the
next American Idol.
No, being lucky and being self-employed have very little to
do with each other. I took a lot of very big risks to get
here, and have had more than my share of the 3 am
"heebie-jeebies", wondering if I did the right thing - but
I will never return to a "job" again!
I will be the first to admit that I still put in some long
hours - but it's my choice. I love what I do now, I only
set the alarm clock if I need to catch a plane, and my
income grows daily - whether I am on vacation or sitting in
front of the computer. I work hard, I play hard, and life
is very, very good.
I work from home, I set my own hours, and I control my
income. No store to open, no products to ship, no boss
hanging over my shoulder!
Thanks to the internet, my dream of a portable business
with multiple streams of income is now my reality, and my
reality is a wonderful and rewarding way of life - both
emotionally and financially.
There is an old proverb (sorry - don't know who to give
credit to here, but I do love this!) that goes something
like this: "The harder I work - the luckier I get".
Can you do the same thing - break out of your rut and join
the ranks of those "lucky to be self-employed" folks? You
bet - virtually anyone can - it just takes the courage to
look beyond where you are today and the willingness to
create your own luck!
So, start 2008 right and make this your lucky year! If I
can 'get' lucky - so can you!
----------------------------------------------------
Melody Wigdahl is a serial entrepreneur, lifelong geek and
founder of http://www.WorkAtHomeIdeasForWomen.com , and
http://www.Womensnet.net , Home of The Amber Grants For
Women in Business. Melody has been working from home for
more than 2 decades - web based since 1996 - and loves to
share ideas and stories with other entrepreneurs! Launching
in early January 2008 http://www.Womensnetonline.com a full
business networking site for women!
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