First and foremost was my immediate family. Second, was getting my farm under control.  Third, was catching up from being behind for so many years. Have I accomplished it all?  Not quite.  However, things are going much better and I can sense that I have some breathing room.

It looks like serious work can start in September. It takes much more discipline to make progress when you are working at home to start a business. There are so many distractions beyond the daily work of a family and farm. I have a schedule laid out, but it takes some work to keep to it.

Needless to say, I am excited to get started in a meaningful way. I’ll keep you updated!

What led to this? It was a change in my heart, brought about by God.

Three years ago I moved to a farm that is 80 miles from where I worked. Thankfully, my employer allowed me to work from home two days each week. This helped me make the situation work, for a time. In reality, it just became too much to handle a full-time job, 12 hours a week commuting, a farm, and most importantly my family.

God spoke to my heart through this verse:

There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches. — Proverbs 13:7 (KJV)

I had a great job that paid very well, yet things weren’t going right with God and my family. I won’t go into details here, except to say that I found myself always saying that I was too tired, too busy, or too short on time for my wife and children.

I had spent the prior 40 days seeking God’s will about this and some other things that will remain between me and God. Between commuting and the time away from home, I was finding it hard, if not impossible, to be the husband and father that God wants me to be. While I was successful in a material sense, I was not from a relationship sense.

The only real riches are “treasures in heaven” not material wealth here on earth.  These treasures start with my wife and children, extend through my family, then neighbors, acquaintances, and other people I come in contact with. I was not doing a good job with my wife and children, much less anyone else. God woke me up to this.

I had looked at leaving my job before, but the timing wasn’t right.  This time, God gave me the assurance that he will provide for me and my family. I have the skills and ability to develop an on-line business with God’s help.

I will trust God to provide for my family. I will be diligent in building a business from my home on the farm to support us. Whatever comes in the future, I am at peace with this new chapter in my life. I will never regret leaving my job to spend more time with my children while they are still home with my wife and me.

I am looking forward to my new life. It is a blessing from God to take this first step.

Mike

2010 offers a fresh start and I believe it can work.

Here are my goals:

1. Set aside time each week to work on my business.
2. Limit the time I spend on things that distract.
3. Liquidate the remaining physical inventory from my e-commerce site.
4. Read the latest edition of The 4-Hour Workweek and apply the principles to my business.
5. Re-start one of the courses I subscribed to last year.
6. Start earning some income from affiliate marketing.

Now that I have written down my goals, it is time to start working!