Sometimes Discouragement Hits...And Then I Remember

I can remember when I made the decision to quit my last "real" job.

It was a terrible day for me, and I was shaking and crying, almost uncontrollably. I didn't know what I was going to do, but I knew I couldn't continue to work in that environment. At that time, I had no idea that working from home was even an option for me. Oh, I knew that people worked from home, and some of them were really good at it. However, I didn't know that it would be quite so easy for me to do.

Once I realized that I could write for businesses from the comfort of my own couch, I was excited to start. It wasn't long before I was making an income that was comparable to the amount of money I worked outside the home. Only I was able to stay home with my son and raise him myself instead of paying someone else to do it. It was wonderful.

It's been almost two years since I started working from home, and I'll admit that sometimes I do get a little bit discouraged. I've gone through a few different transitional periods as clients have moved on from getting my services, and as new ones have decided to give SEO a try for their businesses. During the times when all of my clients seem to be happy with their content, and the ones from the websites I work for don't seem to need any more, I frequently find myself thinking, "Maybe I should just go out and look for another 'real' job." I would have to say that this happens to me about once a month or so. I reason with myself by saying that my kids are all in school now, and when they're off from school, I have a daughter who's old enough to babysit the younger ones. Aside from having to make some transportation arrangements for them, I think to myself, "I really could get a job outside the home now, and we would all just adjust accordingly."

And then...moments like this morning happened.

We woke up my sons for school at 6:30. This was their first day back to school after the winter break, and to be honest, I was looking forward to having the house back for a day. My oldest son came out of his bedroom, and he could hardly breathe. He was wheezing terribly, and coughing unlike anything I had heard before. It did cross my mind that maybe he was pretending just a little bit to avoid going to school, but it soon became apparent that he wasn't.

I had to take him to the doctor this morning, while the other two went off to school. I found out that he has strep throat and an upper respiratory infection. We were given a prescription for an antibiotic, and the doctor told me to give him some cough medicine. He spent the day on the couch under his blanket watching his television shows. I sat here, working while he recuperated.

It occurred to me how flexible I can be in my job. I have truly been blessed with being able to work from home. I can come and go as I please, as long as I'm up to date on all of my deadlines. When my kids need me, I'm available to them. When there's an emergency, I don't have to call in to anyone, and risk my boss getting upset because I'm not at work. After all, like I said in my last blog post, my kids really are my number one job.

Do you work from home? Have you ever considered quitting your work from home job to take a job outside the home?

My Most Important Job

This morning my kids had a two-hour delay from school, so I got to spend a little bit more time with them before their ride picked them up. My youngest son, Caleb, has this little jingle bracelet that I think he made in church. He's been wearing it all the time, even to sleep in. This morning he came to me in tears because one of his little bells fell off. He was holding the little bell in his hand. The bell is no bigger than a pencil eraser, so it's amazing that he didn't lose it. He said, "Mommy, can you fix it?"

My heart went out to him, and I saw that the hole where the little bell had been attached was torn. I knew I'd have to make another hole, but when I tried to do it, it wasn't working. This was going to be an extensive fix. I gave him a kiss and a hug, and I told him that I would work on it today while he was at school. Then, it would be all ready for him when he got home. He thanked me, and went on his merry way. 

I picked up the bracelet right around lunch time. I knew I had to find something to make a new hole. I found one rusty safety pin in our bathroom (which is now going in the garbage, after it served its final purpose), and I made a new hole in the bracelet. My fingers were shaking the whole time because this was such an intricate procedure. However, I managed to fix that little bracelet with a little time and with some help from some needlenose pliers. You can see the finished product above.

Do I think this bracelet is going to last forever? No, of course not. Especially not if he keeps on sleeping with it on. For now, it's almost as good as new, and I know when he gets home from school, he's going to be one very happy little boy. 

My job keeps me very busy. I'm constantly in contact with my clients, talking to them about what their needs are, and how I can help them increase the amount of customers or clients they see. Every other month I'm almost swamped because of one project in particular, which is editing a newsletter (which is more like a magazine) for the International Thunderbird Club. That takes up the better part of two weeks every other month. However, I must never lose sight of what my most important job is.

Mom.

There are three little people living in this house who depend on me for practically everything. They depend on me to be sure their clothes are washed (even though the older two do their own laundry, they still need reminders from time to time), they depend on me for their meals, and for the little things they need for school or just for their pleasure. 

Yes, my clients are important. They're the reason my business has grown so much in such a short period of time. They're also the reason it's going to keep on growing in the coming months. However, if I lose sight of what my most important job is, I'm not really going to be successful at all. 

I needed that reminder today.