Decision Made

The last time I wrote, I was trying to make a huge decision about whether to quite my full time job now, or try to wait another year.  My decision has been made.  I plan to be leaving my full time job by no later than mid-summer.  There are still a few details to work out as I figure out my exit timeline with my current employer. 
I feel both intense relief, excitement,... and fear.

I have no doubt it is the right decision for me, personally.  I am fearful about the financial aspect of this decision. 

I have to keep reminding myself I have thoroughly thought it through and have a sound plan. I also remind myself that there are valid reasons of physical and family need that have led me to this choice and that my "dream" business will hopefully provide a chance to have an income and attend to those needs.

So that's it for now. Spring is a very busy time of year at work and I am not sure how much time I will have to write or pursue my dream. Still, I know that time is coming and I am quietly laying a foundation for myself. 

And the picture today is my garden cup.  I spent a wonderful couple hours in my garden today with my husband and daughter.  It has been two years since I have been able to do much gardening and I thoroughly enjoyed it, even with some physical limitations and twinges from my ankle.  I am looking forward to spending time in my garden writing this summer, too.   Happy May Day.

So Many Decisions...So Many Viewpoints

There are a bazillion people out there on the web, on the shelves in bookstores, and even in person who can tell you the "right way" to do just about anything. And, for them, they may indeed be right. But what about for you, for me? Are they still right?That would be impossible since many of the viewpoints are contrary to each other. They can't all be right, or can they?

You might get lucky and find someone who "speaks" to you and you follow their advice step by step to success and happiness. If so, I think you are one of the lucky ones. More often than not, the ensuing result from seeking answers, may just lead to being overwhelmed with information and getting stuck. You do little or nothing for fear of doing it "wrong." Or, you may get to the point where you have heard enough.  Enough is enough.  It is time to filter through all the advice, then do whatever you think is right for you at the time with the best information you have been able to gather.

Will you always make the right decision?  Probably not. But, hopefully it is better than doing nothing and watching your dreams fade away.  You might even surprise yourself and make a great decision.  However, you will never know if don't do something.

Here are just a few of the questions I have asked myself that have led me to research, and research overload.

-What type of independent business could I do that would be viable?
-Should I do many little businesses or try to lump what I want to do under one umbrella? What would be the unifying mission/theme?
-How would I advertise?  web, blog, newspaper, Facebook.....?
-Blogger, Wordpress, GoDaddy.....?
-One blog or mulitple, webpage?
-What categories?
-Do I have enough useful content to blog?
-What design should I use?
-Should I take graphic design classes?   html classes? 
-How important is design choice?
-Should I do affiliates? How many? What type?
-Should I begin slowly and add on, or wait until I have it all figured out?
-What do I want my pages of whatever I do, to look like?....feel like?
-Should I just up and quite my regular job, go part time somewhere, tough it out as I create this business....?
-How much money should I put aside?
-Am I nuts doing this now?  Should I wait another year or two?

Frankly, I am exhausted just writing that list!  Of course, I found a variety of answers. Some echoed other sources, some were totally opposite from the others. Most were equally well thought out, made good points, and had their own merit. My task then, has been to figure out which answers make sense for me and my circumstances. I believe I have figured out most of it. I have one large hurdle left.

I wish I had a crystal ball because this last hurdle is a doozy.  My major remaining hurdle is deciding whether to quit my full time job now or trying to stick with it for another year. My reasons for needing to leave full time employment are many and go far beyond my wanting to create a new business. In fact, this business was my answer to the need for leaving my full time job and still needing an income. There are many options in between full time and nothing and I am considering them all.  In the meantime, I have limited foward momentum because I don't want to set something up and then not have the time to follow through.

The truth in all of this is that I have discovered that most of the answers I have found from an overwhelming number of people and resources are right...for somebody. In the end, it all boils down to one thing....what is right for me.  Stay tuned.