If making a career change or starting a new business is one of your New Year resolutions for 2013, you?re not alone. Yet chances are, with only a few weeks of the new year behind us, you?re already beginning to see your work-related resolutions fall by the wayside. Why is that?
One reason that people don?t keep their resolutions is because they are often too big and they become discouraged at the prospect of all there is to do to accomplish that goal. They become plagued with questions such as ?Will I have enough time?? ?I?ve never run my own business before. Can I really do this?? ?What if I fail?? This is referred to as ?analysis paralysis?.
I?ve found that one of the most successful strategies to prevent ?analysis paralysis? from standing in the way of fulfilling your New Year resolutions is to take a big goal (i.e. launching a home based business) and break it down. When a goal is big, the reward is too far off in the future and we tend not to stay motivated. However, when you set smaller specific goals for yourself, the reward we feel after satisfying that goal helps us to move forward.
For example, suppose launching a home based Homeowner Referral Network (HRN) business is one of the goals you?ve set for yourself this year but the prospect of getting it off the ground is too overwhelming. While you may be confident that it?s a business that you?d enjoy and that there?s a need for a contractor referral business in your community, you still have concerns:
?Will I be able to find contractors??
?Will I have enough time to devote to a new business??
These concerns can freeze you into inaction.
So why not break it down? Set one or two small goals for yourself that will move you in the right direction. For example, contact a few contractors in your neighborhood and ask them if they?d be interested in getting job leads from you. Or, contact your local Chamber of Commerce and ask if they see a need for this business in your community. Even brainstorming on a business name can be a goal that encourages and motivates you. Keep a notebook and jot down notes, ideas and/or names of contractors and networking opportunities that might benefit you if you decided to launch an HRN.
Another strategy for achieving your goals is to decide what motivates you. Ask yourself why you want to launch a home-based business. Do you feel unsatisfied at work? Do you want to spend more time at home with your family? Are you looking for a way to help others in some small way? Do you want more financial security? Once you?ve pinpointed what stimulates you about owning and operating your own business, envision how you?ll feel once that goal is accomplished. And then, envision how you?ll feel if you haven?t taken any steps to get there.
First steps? Set short term tasks for yourself and decide what you need to accomplish in two weeks, one month and then three months. You?ll find that each positive reinforcement of your goal will propel you forward.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR |
| Debra Cohen is President and founder of Home Remedies of NY, Inc.-a Homeowner Referral Network (HRN) that screens and refers home improvement contractors. The HRN business has been featured in numerous publications including Remodeling, Good Housekeeping and Entrepreneur. For additional information, visit her website at www.hrnbiz.com. |
Tags: business start up, home based business, Home Business, work at home
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