A JOB is easier - So why am I doing this???

Why did I go into business for myself? A job is easier. You know it and I know it.

You get up at the same time every day. You grab a cup of coffee, hop in the shower, put on the required outfit (depending on what you do) and get in the car. You drive to the train, the bus, the freeway - however you commute. You listen to the radio, or you sleep, or you read and then you're there. You work with the same people every day. You perform the same activities. You work the same hours. You get the same pay. You leave at the same time. You go home and get ready for the next day. And then you do it again. You have the same days off every week and the same two weeks vacation. It's easier, right? You know exactly what you will be doing and there is no need to change. Except.....

One day you question it. " Is there more to life than this? If I had to live my life over, could I have been something more?" And that still, small voice in your head says, "Yes!" If you are honest with yourself, you have heard that same voice saying, "Yes, I could be something more!"

I was a legal secretary for 33 years - that's who I was - how I defined myself. That's a long time. The other little voice in my head (you know the one) said, "You are not a young woman. What are you thinking about? Change? You must be crazy. That's much too hard."

But somewhere along the way, I had heard a motivational speaker by the name of Les Brown. Someone had given me a CD and I was listening to it in the car. And he said something that struck me. "If you do what is easy, your life will be hard. But if you do what is hard, your life will be easy." I had to listen to it a couple of times to understand what he was saying. I was doing what was easy. And my life was hard. I rarely saw my family and friends. I had just enough money to pay my bills and commuting costs. I spent all of my time with people I really didn't care about and doing work that was unsatisfying. But reinventing myself would be hard - really hard.

And then Mr. Brown said something else. He said, "You have greatness in you!" And you know what? I believed him.

So I started my business. I started part time and I worked in the evenings. I listened to training calls at 7 a.m. I spent my vacations at conventions and seminars - three days at a stretch, inside while it was gorgeous outside, learning, learning, learning. And I failed at things. Lots of things. And I made mistakes - tons of mistakes. And my friends and family said, "Why are you doing this? Get a job." And it was hard work! But little by little I developed my voice and learned my new trade. I surrounded myself with people who supported me - people I liked and respected. People I wanted to be in business with.

I was like a little seed planted in the earth - not buried by life - but planted. It was dark there. When my shell started to split apart and I started to sprout, it was uncomfortable. People were walking around on top of me and I was covered in dirt. But as I pushed the dirt out of my face and started pushing through to the surface, I felt good about myself. And as I broke through, I realized I had become someone else entirely. Someone I was proud of. Someone who could accomplish great things.

So now, I am running my business from home, full time. Is it perfect? Nope. But I learned that to be successful I had to grow into someone else.

If you are hearing that small voice in your head, listen to it. Do you have a dream that you want to accomplish? Do you have goals you will never reach if you don't make a change?

I challenge you to do what is hard. I believe that you, too, have greatness in you!