Demystifying the Part-Time Opportunity
Over a quiet cup of coffee in the morning, away from the kids or a hectic commute, do you tune in and listen to your heart?
Listen to what it has to say.
Given the pattern of women’s lives today which can involve managing the household, keeping after the kids, maintaining a steady job, (probably all of the above,) I’ll bet your heart is crying out for a change.
After all, this life doesn’t last forever.
Many women are reluctant to change.
Your situation has remained status quo because you’ve mastered the art of keeping those balls spinning in mid- air. So far.
You get the kids taken care of just in time to commute to what was once a reasonably comfortable job, then race right back home in time to manage an equally challenging evening routine.
Hopefully no glitches erupt to throw everything out of whack!
It’s a fragile, delicately balanced universe you’re holding together.
I had my turn with that. In a rare quiet moment though, I was startled awake by a simple question.
I have to keep this up for how long?
The freedom and flexibility I wanted seemed like distant ships out on the horizon.
You may well have what feels like a comfortable situation, but if your heart yearns for greater control over your life, you are not alone and perhaps you should listen to it.
I heard that inner voice.
At first, I was afraid to admit I was becoming unhappy with the juggling act day after day with no margin for error. When I realized it was going to be my way life for a long time, it was too much, and I was ready for a change.
Nothing against the comfort of familiarity, but it was time to become my own boss.
According to a business study by Cox, when asked why they gave notice and became entrepreneurs, a clear majority of women said they started a business to become their own boss. The single motivation was freedom. With freedom comes flexibility and the chance to have control of your destiny.
Going into business is a stiff challenge.
It involves a lot of work, but the rewards are worth pursuing.
In an article for Entrepreneur magazine, Sumi Krishnan talks about what is holding women back from “taking the plunge” into business ownership, such as the false comfort of a likeable job or insecurities about their ability to launch and run a business.
The article is quite dated now, however, the 5 rules to live by she offers are perhaps even more true today than when originally published.
You can overcome fear and follow your dreams. http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/244402
The article points out that venturing into the unknown can be scary, and while there is no magic formula guaranteeing success, it far more doable than you think.
My point of view is don’t doubt yourself.
You have the desire or you wouldn’t even be reading this article. You have more ability than you give yourself credit for. And, it is being proven year after year that once women do get into business, they are more profitable and successful than our male counterparts.
If you are concerned that going into business will disrupt your already fragile routine, or it will keep you away from your family even more than you are now, the business, it doesn’t have to be that way.
It is an understandable concern, but, for example, the business I am in proved just the opposite. I had more time, more money, an less stress.
There are side gigs increasingly emerging which offer relief in terms of flexibility and supplemental income, you just have to find one that also makes you happy and offers a sense ownership too.
It is not string theory.
A little creativity, common sense, hard work, and the desire for more freedom, more flexibility, and greater control over your own fortunes will take you a long way toward more of the life you originally had in mind.
Photo by Alexandra Gorn
