Making Home Business Lemonade

Life happens….whether it’s in operating your home business or living your life. How you react to the stresses and roadblocks placed in your way, will have a direct impact on your successful your home business becomes.

For instance, yesterday I headed back down to St. Pete Beach for about ten more days. My folks condo is exactly 121 miles – driveway to driveway – from our home. The drive usually takes between 1 1/2 and 2 hours depending on traffic.

It’s actually a pretty simple drive – Take the 417 tollway to I-4 to 275.

But it’s not always an easy drive. Yesterday it took 4 1/2 hours.

They’ve been working on I-4 as long as I can remember and that, combined with a rainstorm laid the foundation for not one – but two – serious accidents.

Rather than get mad because this was screwing up my plans, I first said a prayer for the people in those accidents and thanked God that I was safe, albeit sitting in an immovable block on cars. (I learned later that one of the accidents resulted in a fatality…I am sure that person would have be grateful to be in traffic for 4 1/2 hours.)

So, I tried to think how I could take advantage of this “bonus” time for myself.

I got out to meet my car “neighbors”. The guy behind me, Tom, said he makes this trip 2–3 times a week and it’s always bad. He’s in sales and mentioned that it just depresses him that he’ll have to do this another 20 years until he retires. Of course, he and I exchanged business cards and I shared with him that there are alternatives out there that may be of interest to him.

Couldn’t work on the computer, as I’d forgotten to bring my car adaptor. Then, I remembered the book, “The Success Principles” by Jack Canfield, which I’d just bought for my trip. What a perfect opportunity to start reading this book.

I had a deja vu moment reading this passage:

On Page 7, it said, “If You Don’t Like Your Outcomes, Change Your Responses” and gave an example of a CNN reporter interviewing people sitting in traffic after the 1994 earthquakes in California, where many of the main thoroughfares had been damaged. While most complained about the traffic and frustrated in their incapacity, one guy had a smile on his face. He knew there wasn’t anything he could do about the traffic, so he decided to take advantage of a situation he couldn’t change. He had a thermos of coffee, Spanish tapes (he was trying to learn the language), the newspaper and some CD’s.

So, what ingredients do YOU need to make Home Business Lemonade?

* Know up front that just because success can be simple, it’s not always easy.

* Be prepared for obstacles thrown in your path. Where are your weaknesses? What could go wrong? Who / what should you have at your disposal in case these obstacles show up?

* Remember that your ATTITUDE has us much to do with your success as your talents.

* Stick to your goal. It might take you longer to get there, but if you don’t take your eye off the target, you’ll make it eventually!

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