Finding the Way Home
(c) Copyright 2002, Sharon Davis
It's very frustrating to receive an email from someone that says, "I really need to work at home. Please help me."
It would be impossible for me to make any kind of recommendation
to this person. I receive emails just like this so frequently
that I've created a template of the response that I send when I
get one. In it, I tell them that I'd be happy to make some
suggestions, but need more to go on. Do you want to start a
business, or work for a company? What skills do you have? What
line of work are you in?
Sadly, the fact that a person would put so little effort into
making an inquiry like this tells me that they probably don't
have what it takes to work from home.
Whether running a business or telecommuting, working at home
takes tremendous discipline, self-motivation and creative
problem-solving skills. You don't have co-workers or your
supervisor down the hall, and often when problems arise you have
to deal with them on your own.
Don't get me wrong, I love to help people-- but I do expect it
to be a collaborative process. I also understand that
sometimes figuring out what it is you want to do can be a
challenge.
So, what are some of the first steps you can take to find your
way? Here are some exercises that you can do that can help to
clarify your goals:
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