Stay in Touch with the WHY

Whether you are starting an online business, or already have one, staying in touch with WHY you want to be a work-at-home mom is important to your business and life balance success. It’s easy to lose track of why you want to work-at-home. Many moms choose to work from home to stay home with the children – to have an active role in their upbringing. Running an online business is a lot of work and if you lose the why, you will quickly see you enthusiasm for your business disappear. You’ll find yourself unhappy, questioning your decision to be a work-at-home mom and thinking you’re a bad mom.

Understanding AND remembering the “why’s” of wanting to stay home and take care of your family will keep you in touch with your long-term goals and you and your family will be happier because of it.

To keep the “why” fresh in your mind, I suggest creating a list. This list should hang in your office or somewhere that you can look at it daily. The first part of your list should answer why being home is important to you. It doesn’t matter how trivial it may seem to you, write it down. One item, for example could be to “Spend more time with my kids.”

Once your reasons for being home are listed, begin the second half of the list with reasons why running your own business is important. Perhaps a second income is important, or vacation money, for example.
Now that your list is complete, post it somewhere that you will see it often throughout your day. This simple exercise will be motivating and keep you passionate about what you do.

There will always be things that come up that will try to sway you from your goals. It will be up to you to stay in control of your actions and keep in mind your goals. An example of this is getting absorbed in your business so much that you lose sight of one of the main reasons why you started your business to begin with – spend more time with your family. This was me early in my business. I was having a hard time letting go of “corporate mentality” and thinking I needed to work corporate hours of 9 to 5. What happened? I was missing out on some great times with my family. When my kids wanted to go outside and play and they wanted me outside too, I would say, “No, Mommy can’t do that – I have to work” and then seeing the sad look in their eyes. UGH! So I revisited why I began my business to start with – spend more time with my kids. Watch them enjoy life. Teach them and guide them. I want to cherish these moments when they’re so young because they will grow up so fast and we can’t get time back.

I then adapted my schedule to be more flexible. I continually tell myself it’s okay if I work the occasional night or weekend to take time off during the day. Does this mean every time my kids want me by their side, I’m there? No. I do make choices, and sometimes it means saying “no” to the kids because I have something critical to work on in my business. It does mea
I get to say “yes” more often! I also make sure the clients I choose to work with are aware of my boundaries and can work within them. And now I enjoy so much more time with my family because of it. These are memories I will have forever and will have no regrets over.
By revisiting your “Why’s” every day, and keep your boundaries in place, you’ll be more happy, and your family will thank you over and over because of it. Not to mention the wonderful lessons you teach your kids!