The Worst Human Ailment and the Best Way to Happiness: Considering a Home-Based Business
Napoleon Hill once wrote about a painful, paralyzing personal experience, “For nearly two months I suffered with the worst of all human ailments: indecision.” That is both a heart-wrenching and a bold statement. Of all possible human ailments, do you believe indecision is the worst? Have you ever been stricken by it?
When I talk to, counsel and coach others and I see how being indecisive keeps them stuck, scared and stripped of self-confidence, I believe Dr. Hill was correct. Being in a frightful, even desperate circumstance and not seeing your way beyond it can be terrifying.
Many people today feel that way about their financial situation.
Hill explains that leaders make up their minds quickly and change them slowly, if at all. For most of my adult life I have been in positions where I was responsible for making many decisions daily. So over the years I have come to ask questions, evaluate information, trust my intuition, decide quickly and move forward, over and over again.
So when I first started coaching as part of my home-based business, I was sometimes impatient with an individual who seemed to have the main information needed, and yet just couldn’t or wouldn’t make a decision or take appropriate action.
Of course intellectually I could understand it, but in my heart and gut I wanted and expected more. It is a process, and I now balance a healthy respect for where someone is coming from, with a heartfelt response that tries to help facilitate movement from indecision to a decided heart. I am not only a decisive person; I am also committed to helping. So it challenges me when I interact with someone who is seeking something I offer, clearly needs to take action to improve their situation, and yet resists it.
What I know is that the fear doesn’t just go away; but the need and the desire to improve one’s situation becomes stronger than the fear, and action becomes possible.
I speak with many people who are considering a home-based business, and I always like to ask a few questions. A key question is: “Are you ready to invest in yourself and do what it takes?” Their response is crucial for both of us; and their actual answer is highly informative. It is also important for each person to determine for themselves whether the particular business opportunity they are considering is legitimate. Does it have a proven track record? Do you know whether or not it has built into it all the tools and training and support you need to succeed? Does it have a solid, well-defined compensation plan? And are you passionate about the value of its product(s) and or service(s).
If you feel confident and comfortable about these and other more personal questions, then it is important to make sure you don’t get caught in what is commonly referred to as “paralysis by analysis.”
When I supervised a staff of 100 employees and was responsible for delivering over 100,000 meals a year to seniors, and providing over 140,000 para-transit rides a year to persons with disabilities, I made countless decisions based on many factors, among them: priority, time constraints, quality, safety, budgetary concerns, compassion, fairness, legality, ethics, etc. I made many, many major decisions without having “all the facts” or the luxury of “all the time in the world” to make them.
If I’d had a tendency toward indecision, I could never have held the positions I’ve had or helped the people I’ve been blessed to serve. Often I would make a quick “pros and cons” list – usually in my head and sometimes on paper. Depending on the context I would ask myself, “Will it help or hinder?” “Is it consistent with the mission, or my values (or whatever is most germane)?” “Does it further my (personal, family, financial, etc.) goals?” “What are the costs and benefits?” And for more personal decisions (usually involving future commitments), I’d ask, “Will it be enervating or energizing?”
For Dr. Hill, he came to realize in a powerful and life-transforming way that we “…will find happiness only by helping others to find it!” I believe this is equally true for any kind of real success. When we realize this, and the learning of this lesson washes over us, then whole new worlds of opportunity and fruitfulness open before us. Realization dawns like the bright morning sun, warming and filling us from the inside out. If we act on this realization and move forward with conviction, we are unstoppable.
Which is why increasing your own value (through personal growth and development), and believing in the true value of your business and its worth to others is so important. Being in business for yourself yet not by yourself, will be deeply challenging and even more rewarding. And it is one way to help others in a most significant way, if you can provide something they need and want. Are you merely curious or mighty serious? Are you kind of interested or are you really ready? Are you indecisive or do you have a decided heart? Help others, help yourself and therein find happiness.
Helping you turn the economic downturn to your advantage – so you can avoid Boomer to Bust and begin building wealth with heart. Your success is my goal.
As a successful, mid-life Internet marketer and mentor, Linda is committed to helping others avoid going from Baby Boomer to Bust. Despite today’s rocky economy, there are viable options and exciting opportunities. You may personally ask her about them by visiting her websites and using the contact information.
Linda Compton has a BA in Philosophy; a Masters degree in Gerontology; and a Master of Divinity degree. She was ordained in the Presbyterian Church (USA) in 1987. She has 30 years combined, professional experience in multinational corporate management (home healthcare & hospital staffing); non-profit leadership; the interfaith movement; and philanthropy. Linda is co-owner of Wealth With Heart, LLC and is an M3 Master Consultant. Among her passions are Internet marketing and mentoring; photography; puppies; gardening; and exploring the great Southwest. http://www.WealthwithHeart.net
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Linda_Compton
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