How many times a year do you hear this from your well-meaning (?)
family and friends:

"Oh! You are so LUCKY to be self-employed! 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. 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, and 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 (I think it is Chinese) 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!

Melody Wigdahl (serial entrepreneur & geek) loves to find new ways to make money online: WorkAtHomeIdeasForWomen.com and WomensNet.Net, home of the Amber Grants for Women

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