I’ve compiled a few pictures here for a real quick survey. Look at the pictures below and tell me which view you would prefer while working.

Workspace #1

Workspace View #2 - Supervisor of Workspace #1

Workspace View #3

Workspace #4 - Getting Better!

Workspace #5 - Very Nice!

Workspace #6 - Priceless! Working from Home!

So which of these work spaces looks the most appealing to you and which of these spaces are you somewhat currently in? Man, if everyone could just get this one concept: You have just as much of a choice to not work where you want as you do in working exactly where you want! So I chose work spaces #5 and #6 nearly 5 years ago. I used to work in something similar to work space #3. I think I definitely upgraded!

So you might ask the question: Is a home based business all it’s chalked up to be? The answer for me: YES! The answer for you: (Fill in the blank)!

I’d like you to meet one of my business partners! We seem to work pretty well together….she sleeps and I’m the head rest. Frankly, all this computer stuff just bores her to death so I have decided to take on the roll of advertising online even though she is a huge part of it still. She does more advertising for me than she knows, just being her. So whether she is helping me shave, falling asleep on me while I work or just wanting to play, she is reminding me that I am successful! My reason for doing what I do is to be at home. This picture is my success!

Choosing business partners is a serious matter and I have chosen mine already. I have more than just one. I have chosen them because they inspire me and remind me to have fun. They’re loyal and honest. I love seeing the world through their eyes as it gives me an entirely new perspective. They greet each day with new excitement and energy. There is never a dull moment and they definitely keep me on my toes. Most importantly, I love them. They are my family!

Honestly, let me ask you a serious question. Who would you rather spend the most time in your day with? Your Boss, your business partner, your employees or your spouse and kids? I guarantee that nobody in this world deserves more time with you than your own family. Yes, you must still build relationships, do business, make money, go to church and all that stuff, but not at the sacrifice of those you love the most, your business partners for life, your family.

If you have a goal to have more time for your family, what are you waiting for? Something is not going to fall out of the sky and hit you on the head saying “here it is!” Although, that would be nice at times. It would be so much easier. I actually quit my job before I had the income to replace it because I knew that wasn’t the life I wanted to live. That was nearly 5 years ago. Now, I am successful. I work from home, make Great money and am living the lifestyle I chose to live nearly 5 years ago when I quit my job. I didn’t hesitate on that decision and neither should you. Don’t find yourself five years from now still wishing to have more time to spend with your family or for that lifestyle change.

What’s more painful for you: Spending your entire life wishing, or, taking a risk at your dreams and failing? I sure hope you chose the first. You can always try again at your dreams but will never, ever get your life back. Make it happen!

Today I received a phone call from a friend telling me that my kids school was in Lock Down. There had been reports of a man wearing a trench coat, carrying a gun, walking around the school grounds. Needless to say, I dropped what I was doing and headed to the school. I live about two blocks away and was there in no time.

My intent was to check my two girls out of school and bring them home. So I pulled into the parking lot, got out of my car and started walking towards the front doors of the school. About half way there I was approached by a police officer decked out in his tactical gear asking me what I was doing. I told him that I had heard about the guy with the gun and wanted to check my kids out of school. He informed me that they were not letting anyone in or out of the school until they could verify that the area was secure. My immediate reaction was to get angry and throw a fit. They were my kids and I wanted to check them out of school right then. Instead of putting on a scene, I knew that there were about 20 to 30 police officers surrounding the school, my kids were safe.

I simply asked, “Well how long will it take for you to verify that the area is secure?” He told me that it would take about 30 minutes to an hour. So I said, “Okay! I’ll be back in 30 minutes!”

I went home, just furious at the possibility that this could happen here, at my childrens school. If you are a parent you can imagine the thoughts that would be going through your head if this had happened to you. 30 minutes later I showed up at the school, I asked the same police officer if everything was secure and within a few minutes they made the decision to allow students to leave.

The principle was almost in tears. I was the first and only parent there to pick up my children. The second person there was a reporter from the local newspaper. The office wasn’t even getting flooded with phone calls yet. I checked my kids out of school and they are home with me now. That is the safest place for them to be, right here with me!

I can tell you this much, I am glad that I have chosen to work from home. Whether it’s a school play, swim lessons in the summer or a potential disaster at school, I am always there!

I am a stay at home Dad, and I am glad I am! Don’t ever get so caught up in your own life that you forget what is most important in the lives of those you love. It’s you!

Everyone starts a home based business for their own reasons. For some it’s for the nice home, the fancy cars, the gadgets and the nice clothes. For others it’s for the time freedom. Some people may just want to start a home business to do something different than what they are currently doing or just to get away from their job. Every single individual has their own reason. This reason, is unique, and powerful and is the fuel behind their success. It is the reason they will either fail or succeed. If their desire to obtain this “reason” is strong enough, they will succeed.

The purpose of this post is not to educate you all on the will to succeed. It’s to discuss the importance of having a reason, and knowing when you have obtained your reason.

To give you a quick example, our reason for starting a home based business initially was to make money. At least we thought that was the main reason. We had a mortgage staring at us in the face, bills that were piling up and a shortage of income to make all our ends meet. But once the money started coming in, we found out our true reason. We could have gotten a second job to make ends meet, but we were looking for so much more. We were looking for the lifestyle, the lifestyle that would allow us to spend more time together.

So many parents rarely see their children due to their work. They are not the primary influence in the lives of their children. After missing eight months out of the first year of my oldest daughters life, we made a decision to change. We weren’t about to see our children grow up without us.

Now that I look at my life, I have everything I set out to get by starting my home business. Amy and I were sitting on the back porch, reflecting on some of our goals and thinking of the life we have created for ourselves. The youngest was down for a nap, and Amy brought up our main reason for getting started with this business opportunity. It was to bring Daddy home, to make the income to support our lifestyle and to use that income to travel the world and enjoy each other. We have obtained all that we came here for. Anything we do beyond that is extra and adds to our main reason.

Four years ago when we made the decision to get started, to leave the job and to create our new future, we really had no idea how sweet it would really be. Now that we are living it, it really is that sweet.

Living your reason, your ideal life, is not a difficult thing to do. It just involves making a big choice….and then following through with passionate consistent action. And trust me, it’s a lot closer than you think…..and has always been within your grasp!

Sometimes, working from home can be a struggle. What? Did I just say that working from home can be a struggle? I must be out of my mind right? I mean, you don’t have to get up early, go to a job, take orders, work for a wage, deal with corporate politics, worry about employees, leave the house and miss out on your children growing up. There are a ton of perks and very few negatives about working from home. It has been a huge blessing to my family and I. We love it.

Let me share an example with you of something that can kill your work day progress. Her name is Macy. She is just over one year old, she loves her Dad and I love her, but she cries when she can’t have Dad. Also, I have Kyla and Saydee who are seven and five who also require Dad’s attention. Saydee is not in school yet and is a bored hyper little girl. She can only color, play Wii, play barbies, jump on the trampoline or ride her bike alone for so long before it isn’t fun anymore and she is back to being bored. Kyla gets home from school mid afternoon and is excited to be home and is ready to go do stuff. All of this is why I work from home, I love it. But, if I let it distract my work day, it can be very damaging to my success.

Now, for me, I have to designate a period of separation from my kids in order to be effective. I can’t be holding Macy and type on the computer at the same time. Some people may be able to pull this off. My wife is actually a very talented one hand typer and is probably faster one handed than I am with two. I just can’t do it.

So what we do, is we have an office. A room where I can escape from the kids for a few hours to work. We have established some rules around this office time so that the kids know that I am working and not to interrupt. We made it fun for the girls and helped them make a sign for my door. They know that when the sign is up, Dad is working. It’s kind of funny, I get reminded at least twice a day what the sign means when it is turned one way or the other. They take ownership in the rules. Now, does this work 100% of the time? No! But is sure does help.

I usually work from 2pm to 5 pm every day, Monday through Thursday. Fridays I work in the morning for about an hour. That’s it! The important thing is that my wife and children know when I start work and when I finish work. I have my DMO (Daily Method of Operation) established. There is no frustration of not getting that chance to get some work done because it is planned into my day. I don’t ever get to the end of my day thinking of all the things I have to get done because I never had the opportunity to do it that day. Three hours of focused, uninterrupted work is better than 8 hours of unfocused mediocre work.

If you are a single parent with children at home, plan to work around your lifestyle, not settling for excuses of why you can’t do it. Plan to do it. Work during nap time, before they wake up, after they go to sleep or while they are away at school. Make it a priority and it will happen. It just has to be planned in.

There are some days where all I require is my phone and people to talk to. Those days we are most likely out on the road living the lifestyle. Other days, I am marketing to find those people to talk to. Give and get!

Honestly, there is no comparison to the lifestyle I enjoy. No other business opportunity on the planet can even hold a candle to this. I love my life and have complete control over my time, whether with children or without. They are definetely not distractions, they are not a burden, they just love their Dad. Every time I go into my office, I go there because of them. I am always home while most Dads hardly ever are, and I will never take that for granted.

What other methods have you found effective in managing your home life while working from home. Your feedback is appreciated!