Feeling Small in the BIG World of Work at Home

I do it too.
I have pity parties for myself.
I don’t actually throw down and cry – but sometimes I sit and sigh. That big kinda sigh…..
::ssssiiiiiiggggghhhh::

It’s almost like  a yawn/sigh.

A cross between “I’m kinda bummed….” and “Where do I even start?”….with a little “What am I doing?”

Yep…that’s what it feels like sometimes to be a work at home mom. It’s scary, frustrating, elating and exhausting. And there are days where you think it all might swallow you up because you’re just this tiny entity out there trying to find your way and grab your piece of the pie.

Having a home business or working at home can feel a bit isolating too. Who exactly do you go to when something screws up? What department do you call when you have a tax or payroll question? What’s the extension for the IT guy when you have a computer problem? Yep…..it’s you.

There have been many times over the past 8 years that I have just said…..I quit. I push my chair away from my computer desk or I slam my laptop shut and just walk away. How many all-nighters and obstacles and learning curves does one person have to endure to actually make it on their own??

A lot.
And there will always be more. (Please don’t kill the messenger! But it’s true!)

I don’t really believe in over night sensations on the internet. Not as far as a “mom” website, blog or home business go. It’s little steps….little achievements. Each one building on the other. And it’s hard to gauge these little accomplishments with your head down and working like a crazy woman. But it’s happening.

There is no co-worker or boss to pat you on the back…..and that can be hard. So give yourself credit. Even when you feel you’ll never figure out HTML, widgets, SEO……or whatever – just stop….and take stock in what you have figured out. Heck….even if you just figured out HOW to buy a domain name – and picked a domain name today – that is still a step. A step in the direction of your OWN dream.

MoneyMakingMommy.com was never an over-night success. I have a lot of women email me and say…..”I want to do what you do…..” Or…..”How do I get started…..how do I get traffic…..how do I figure out what to write about….talk about…..sell…..”   ETC

I don’t hold a “magic” answer. There has been nothing easy about this path I’ve been on. I still feel small sometimes – like I haven’t gotten to where I ultimately want to be. And it’s not about money or hitting some kind of income goal….
it’s about self-satisfaction.

Did I really offer anything of help today? Did a single person out there garner anything…even a smile, from something I passed along? If not? I ask…..”How can I do better…..” What path do I take tomorrow?

Every day I am learning something about me…..and something about the lives I touch. It guides me, inspires me – and I pull myself back up to my computer desk and try again. Not everything I’ve done or gone through the trouble of learning has been a success. But I have no regrets – because every experience has a lesson in it.

And if it had ever been just about money – I would have quit for good a long time ago and just gone back to radio. I’ve been knocked down a lot out here on the internet. I’ve looked at other sites, and seen others successes and started to try and measure up – or cut myself down for NOT measuring up in my eyes. Those are the times that lead me off track the most. I allow myself to feel small.

In the grand scheme – maybe we are all tiny – but I’m not trying to be everything to everybody. And neither should you. That’s impossible. You will feel so burdened and burnt out – you’ll set yourself up for failure from the get-go.

So take a step…
Find what you like….
This is what happened for me. I LOVE to write. I LOVE computers. I LOVE researching. I LOVE connecting with people over a common interest (That’s what I did on the air in radio for years!)
So…to this day….that’s my passion. I love it. It doesn’t get old for me. If you hate to write, hate computers, hate great big books that teach you about FrontPage or Dreamweaver……or have no desire to learn about search engine optimization….maybe this isn’t for you. But that doesn’t mean you can’t work at home or have a home based business – it just means…..your path is different than mine. So what?

Start with your heart in the right place….and take the first step. You cannot go wrong.

Author: Kelly Land lives in Weaverville, NC with her husband, two kids, two cats and dog.  She owns the popular, award winning work at home website, www.MoneyMakingMommy.com. She loves writing, gardening, playing guitar and seeking out the “real” deal in life – and then pushing her opinion (in a nice way) about it on others….hence, her blog www.HomeBasedBusinessMom.com.

Tagged as: how to start working at home, Moms wanting to work at home, wahm, wahms, work at home job advice, work at home moms, work at home struggles