Putting it in Perspective
by Mia Cronan
www.MainStreetMom.com

There comes a point in every work-at-home individual's career when one has to step back and take a good look at what one is doing and how well one is doing it. 

It seems that many people vacillate between having boundless energy in seeking the goal and wondering if we've reached the dead end that we've dreaded - the one that means we've done everything we can to make a go of it, but it didn't work. There exists the pull between persistence and recognizing when it's time to make a change. That leads to new questions, of course. 
If persistence is the answer, how long do we continue, waiting for the day when Oprah calls to ask you to be on her show and talk about your success? How have others like us, in the same business even, succeeded by doing the same things we're doing? 

If the answer is to make some changes, we wonder what to change...how we're marketing our product? Do we switch vendors? Do we switch businesses and try something totally new? Do we hang it up and get a "real" job? 

I have found a safety net in agreeing to remain somewhere between these two thought processes when wondering where to go next. Being one who cannot make quick decisions, I try not to rush into things. Generally, in waiting for a "sign" determining what I need to do next, the answer comes. 

We all know that Rome was not built in a day. Neither was any successful business. It helps to put things into perspective, weigh the virtues of giving it one's best, and recognize when our goal can't be met. In doing so, you might keep a few things in mind:

It's amazing what happens when you put things down on paper. It's as if you're making a commitment to yourself, and you have to follow through with what you write. If you have not done this, do so very soon so that you have a roadmap to get your where you want to be. Simply getting these thoughts down will guide you and maybe even show you something that's been missing in your day-to-day routine. 

In mapping this out, you might come up with some areas where your attention has been mis-focused. At this point, you can assign a certain amount of time in your day/week/month so that balance can be achieved. 

Time schedules might not work for you. Rather than trying to accomplish a lot within a two-hour time frame, for instance, you may yourself more successful if you have a list of things that you must get done. In doing so, you may be finished within one hour and walk away knowing you did what you needed to do, rather than working for two hours, and not having the most important task completed.

You know the saying about "the company you keep." It'll require sticking your neck out, but make some acquaintances who have achieved really respectable levels of success. Oftentimes, those folks are willing to help out those who are in the early stages of business development, especially on the internet!

Whatever you do, and whatever you decide to change, always take time away from your work area to do the "big picture" thinking. Sitting in your work area lends itself to not being able to see the forest for the trees. Picture where you want to be in five years, write it down, then make a list of what you need to do to get there. Next, break it down and do it! And remember, if you doubt that you've reached your full potential, chances are good that you have not. I've always heard that if you can picture it, it can happen. 

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