Wealthy And Wise Today

Given today's frightening and faltering economy, more and more people are losing their jobs. In addition to this a lot of people are fearful that they might lose their job. Given these uncertain times, more people than ever are reportedly considering firing their boss and becoming their own. This is a very big decision, and one that most people simply cannot afford to take lightly. Especially given that most new businesses fail within their first five years. There seem to be as many obstacles as there are rewards, and it takes a tremendous amount of commitment if one is to make a go of owning their own business.

Due to the costs of owning a traditional, brick and mortar business this article will only address some things to consider when looking at home-based business opportunities. With a home-based business, one doesn't have the conventional start-up costs of purchasing, leasing or renting commercial space; no insurance; no inventory, etc. You can literally walk down the hall from your bedroom to your office and begin being productive.

I believe that the essential elements of a truly viable home-based business are these: finding one that fits with your values; has a proven track record; has a top-tier product line with generous compensation; and has a top-rated, all-inclusive system in place that you can follow - hopefully with training, support and a community of other like-minded entrepreneurs with whom you can mastermind and network.

Some key considerations include:

Pros:

· No Commute or Office Politics
· Time and Money Freedom; Autonomy and Independence
· Break Out of the Wage System and Into the Profit System
· Opportunities are Limited Only by You
· You Gain the Tax Advantages of Being an Owner vs. Employee
· Learning and Applying New Skills and Increasing Your Value to Others

Cons:

· Some Investment Capital or Start-up Costs are required
· There are Real Risks Involved
· The Responsibility Rests With You
· Greater Exposure and Need for Asset Protection
· You Must be Disciplined, Motivated and a Self-starter
· Can Be Isolating Without a Community

It is extremely important to do your due diligence when evaluating the various opportunities available to you. Unfortunately, I have heard the stories of several conscientious individuals who got involved with something that either wasn't legitimate, or didn't offer any real training or support. For most of us who entered into the home-based business arena as a "newbie," having a personal mentor or being part of a supportive network was a very important component of our success.

There are other, more personal pros and cons you'll no doubt want to seriously think about when trying to determine whether or not some type of home-based business opportunity might be right for you. Is this the right time? Can we afford to do it? Can we afford not to do it? Hopefully, the list stated above will be helpful to you in your process, and may raise other important questions for you to explore.

Owning a home-based business is not for everyone. Yet, for many it is ideal. I have heard people refer to the experience of having their own home-based business in these ways: "Finding this opportunity was an answer to prayer;" "The one thing in my life I've done right;" and "Even though it was scary and took longer than I thought it would to make money, it's the best decision I've ever made."

Is a home-based business right for you? Only you can make that determination for yourself and your family. I do encourage you to consider the possibility. Who knows, it could be the best decision you'll ever make.

About four months ago Billi and I purchased a very nice piece of exercise equipment. It is an elliptical trainer with a variety of cross-training settings and a wireless heart monitor. We had an exercise room in our home in California and found that we really missed it. So, viola!

Our renewed commitment to physical fitness coincides with our new venture to ensure our fiscal fitness. There was a glossy color photo of a very fit and highly toned woman on the cover of the brochure which came with the machine. During our due diligence phase, Billi jokingly asked our sales guy if she would look like the woman on the cover, and he, in equally good humor and shared fun replied, "Yes, of course, you'll look just like that in 6 months!" Well, I am pleased to report that both of us are making great strides and putting several miles a day on that machine. Subsequently, we are also feeling and looking fit.

Our fiscal fitness is also improving significantly, as we apply the same daily discipline to working our home-based business. Not long ago, we were in a financial position that was unsustainable for the long term, and we needed and wanted to make some changes. Now, things are shaping up in such a way that our "before" and "after" pictures are looking remarkably different. We feel incredibly blessed to have found this opportunity, and to have become part of this wonderful community of online entrepreneurs. It is so enlivening to help others realize their dreams.

Does your present situation need to change? Are your current circumstances unsupportable? Are you seeking a life-changing transformation that will result in a dramatic difference between your "present picture" and "future picture"? If so, then you just might be ready to take responsibility, make the decision, take decisive action and commit to a new course. For, when we realize that the responsibility is ours, we come to understand that the freedom to choose and the power to change are ours as well. Are you willing to do what it takes? Can you really afford not to invest in yourself at this point? Many things of value are expensive; others are priceless.

One of our mentors says, "If it is to be, it's up to me." This is absolutely true. On our internet marketing team, "you are in business for yourself, but not by yourself." So, it does not mean you have to go it alone, but it does mean that you have to make the decision, commit to the process and do the work. I believe this is true in life as well as in any successful business. It is part of "Adult Living 101." Commit to self-growth and to increasing your value to the world, and mastermind with others who share your passion and values. Seize the responsibility and take action. As has been observed, "It's ridiculous to lean on a shovel and pray for a hole."

I talk to a lot of people who are concerned about their present circumstance and fearful of the future. Many complain, yet at the same time make excuses about why they can't do anything differently. Sadly, they seem attached to their situation and exhibit a paralyzing level of indecision. With every opportunity they can find an obstacle that seems to justify their inaction. Well, clearly they are not ready to take action or make a change. You can't yank a butterfly out of its cocoon. And thankfully, once it finally starts to emerge, you can't stuff it back in, either. Timing is an interesting factor in our personal development and how we make choices and changes. Pain or the unequivocal realization that a situation is untenable is a great motivator.

When I used to do pastoral counseling I noticed that I never - not once - received a phone call from a potential client who said, "Gee, I have some discretionary money, some extra time in my schedule and I was thinking it would be good to do some personal growth work; may I make an appointment?" No, it never happened that way. Ever. People who called for an appointment were in some kind of pain, and were seeking support and relief. There was a wonderful consulting psychiatrist with whom I worked. One day I asked him what his goal was when he was seeing a patient. His profoundly insightful words resonated with me then, and continue to inform me even now. He said, "I try to give my patients as much support as they need, and as much insight as they can handle."

I felt a similar kind of sadness back then when, just as we had worked through the painful stuff and could really explore that which leads to real insight and personal growth, the client would stop coming to therapy. They had gotten enough relief from the acute pain and were not motivated to go further, delve deeper, learn more.

Happily, there are those who have done a lot of personal growth work and who know that making excuses and blaming others for their disappointments and indecisions does more harm than good; and that taking responsibility for one's circumstances, choices and future is empowering. The important question is not whether someone or something is "good or bad" or "right or wrong." The key is this: Does it drag you down or build you up? Is it enervating or is it energizing?

Again, I would ask: Are you seeking a life-changing transformation that will result in a dramatic difference between your "present picture" and "future picture"? If so, then you just might be ready to take responsibility, decide to take action and commit to a new course. Are you willing to do what it takes?

If you want a secure future that looks significantly different than your present, then it's important to be honest about this singular fact: You have the power and it is up to you to make it happen. Whatever you choose, I encourage you to take action. If you hear yourself complaining about the same old things over and over - without doing anything about it, then stop complaining and embrace it - it must be giving you something or you'd move on.

Mr. John Jackson says, "In order to have something you've never had before, you must do something you've never done before." I say, if you aren't willing to do that, then embrace where you are. I am reminded of the old bumper sticker, "America: Love it or Leave it." The same could be said for your present situation, current job, your relationship, or (fill in the blank). Either love it, leave it, or put forth the necessary effort to make a meaningful change. But whatever you do, take responsibility for it. For if you do, you will be happier, those around you will be happier, and you will begin to live a fuller, more empowered life. Because ultimately, it is truly up to you.

"Aspen North of Mora NM" Photo by Linda ComptonThis past week friends were visiting from California. We went to the wonderful Salman Raspberry Ranch in historic La Cueva, NM then wound our way further north through Truchas and into Chimayo. The fall colors were breathtaking. The sky was a bright Robin's egg blue, the air crisp and the conversation delicious, as we shared memories and created new ones. 

Of the many aspects of life in New Mexico that I relish, one is that you can find just about anything you might want, being sold alongside the road: from green chili in season, to pinon, to firewood, to trees, to fruits and vegetables from local farms. This trip was no exception. High in the mountains, along the side of the road, just before the turn we were going to make onto Hwy 76, was a weathered man in a vintage pickup truck. The tailgate was down and the back was filled with shiny red apples piled high in wicker baskets. He smiled at us as we drove past. Something in me stirred. A few words were spoken between the front and back seats, a question posed, and a quick consensus reached. Just as we made our turn, we decided to turn around. Moments later we had exchanged warm greetings, and a $5.00 bill for a basket of juicy apples. When my friend asked where the apples were grown, that gentle, road-side entrepreneur smiled, raised his arm and pointed across the road to a weathered home and aged orchard. "Right there," he proudly exclaimed. "Seeds of Future Apples" Photo by Linda Compton

As I was enjoying one of those delicious apples on the beautiful drive toward home, I was reminded of a now favorite parable, which I first heard from John Jackson.  "Most people look at an apple and see its many seeds. A visionary leader looks at one seed and sees all the apples it holds." Now, that is an example of going beyond merely observing the obvious, to seeing that which is truly significant. 

This way of seeing is part gift and part skill, it seems to me. I don't think it comes easily if one is living a life that is harried, overly-full, or resembles being on a treadmill. Sometimes it is being in a rut or caught in a routine that saps all our energy. Given today's broken economy, and the many stresses assaulting people on a daily basis, I think this way of seeing can be quite rare. A lot of people seem caught in a kind of over-extended existence and can't see much beyond what is right in front of them. Just making it day to day, or paycheck to paycheck, takes most of their emotional strength.

In order to move beyond the obvious to the significant one needs a little breathing room, some psychic space, some space for creative seeing, expansive thinking. I believe this can occur when something captures our imagination, stirs our soul, or enlivens us. When something fresh is awakened in us we can begin to glimpse new options for our lives. It can happen when we catch a vision that something more is possible, something different just might be doable; and when - for a variety of reasons - business as usual finally becomes untenable. When we are jolted from our complacency in what is, to some, newfound conviction of what can be.

I have often said the most meaningful definition of despair is the feeling that nothing will ever change; that things will always be this way. Hope is believing the possibility that things might someday be different, that change is possible. 

This most recently happened in my professional life - when I realized that I no longer wanted to be "the boss" and I certainly didn't want to work for someone else, either. Even though I've had a very rewarding career in several leadership positions, I did not want to be confined to any type of traditional j-o-b again. And given the losses in my stock portfolio, this seriously limited my options. I had to do something - but what? It had to be meaningful, be helpful to others and offer new learning. Thankfully, I found what for me is the perfect solution at this stage of my life. And it confirmed once again my long-held belief that the Great Spirit utilizes every experience we have ever had to inform and empower our current work. I am utilizing all of my previous experiences and being stretched with learning new skill sets as well.

Sometimes our greatest spurts of growth can come from an experience that shakes the very foundation of our world. I have seen quite a bit of this recently, with friends and colleagues who have been "let go" - mostly through down-sizing or outsourcing. In Chinese, the word or "character" for crisis and opportunity is the same. What determines the meaning is the context. Robert Kiyosaki, in his new book, Rich Dad's Conspiracy of The Rich uses the famous Dickens quote, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness" to describe the state of our economy right now. It is deeply troubled, even as it offers tremendous opportunities.

B"Early Snowstorm" Photo by Linda Comptoneyond being mere observers of the obvious to truly seeing that which is significant in our lives, our relationships, and our world. A particular crisis or opportunity might catch us unawares. How will we look at it? Will we see merely the seeds, or envision what each seed holds within it? 

I am reminded of a story that Barbara Stanny uses in her book, Prince Charming Isn't Coming - How Women Get Smart About Money. It is an endearing little tale about a snail who is climbing up a cherry tree in the midst of a snow storm. A squirrel peeks out of his shelter and sees the snail making his way up the tree. Curious, the squirrel asks, "Where are you going?" The snail replies, "To get some cherries." At this the squirrel exclaims, "But it's the middle of winter; there aren't any cherries up there!" As the little snail continues on, neither stopping nor slowing, he simply says, "There will be by the time I get there."

One of the surest ways to go beyond observing the obvious, to seeing that which is significant is to not be caught up in what is popular, but rather to always choose to embrace what is right. By looking beyond what catches the eye of the crowd, we can glimpse what is less apparent. More often than not the significant is more obscure rather than obvious, more subtle than blatant. We must look deeper, and imagine what is possible. Look for what isn't readily apparent on the surface, but is contained within.

By cutting out the extraneous minutia of our lives, letting go of things that are superficial rather than essential, not filling every moment with activity or stimulation, we are able to cultivate a deeper kind of consideration, develop a different way of seeing, and practice a truer appreciation for what surrounds us. What is obvious in your life and what is significant? Where do you really want to put your energies; how do you envision your future; what kind of lifestyle do you want to create? What kind of legacy do you want to have?

If you are feeling caught and can't seem to get unstuck, it might be time to move beyond merely doing the obvious, and make an effort to do that which is significant. Make a decision to do things differently, so that you can be different. It's not about doing more - it is about doing things differently. We have become human doings, yet we were created as human beings. As we begin to see and focus on that which is truly significant, we will not only see more, we will be more.