In the New Year you have resolved to do things differently . Like Zach Heller, you may have chosen to be innovative about your business, your lack of business, about finding time for a hobby-maybe just finding time to exercise for crying out loud.

Whatever it is that you’ve put your foot down for-of course I’d like to hear about it-what’s your motivation? Just yesterday, the Cincinnati Enquirer spotlighted Chanel Stout. The story is that Stout’s husband had had his work hours cut so Stout is trying to pick up the financial slack by making wedding cakes. That is something that could easily blossom into a full time business.

You may be looking for a way out of a job you’re in now, or like Stout, trying to add more money to your household. But look at what you’re already doing first. That could be a career opportunity. That could be one of the best home based business opportunities available.

In the New Year change brings hope. My hope for you is that you have the courage to invite change into your life.

I am one of those people. One of those annoying people who start playing Christmas music before Thanksgiving. I love the look, smell and feel of Christmas. The anticipation of all that will come absolutely delights me. I enjoy the lights, wrapping of the presents and all of the festivities between November and January.

But this year I find myself a little stuck. Christmas is over, the New Year is here and I’m focused on the year that’s passed. What I could have done differently, where did I go wrong, why didn’t I drop those last 10 pounds? But I must remind myself of what the New Year is for.

The New Year is full of opportunities. I really enjoy setting goals-so that’s what I will do, like another online Mom. I will make no resolutions-but will make strides toward larger goals with smaller goals and work on those. I’ll do this with my business as well.

My home based business has grown this year, maybe I’ll fixate on that. I will, but in a progressive way. I’ll look at where I’ve been and move forward to where I want to go. The end of the year tends to hold regrets for me, even though it may not be completely logical. In just day two of 2009 I anticipate great changes for myself, my family, my business and more. Whatare you looking forward to in 2009? Change can come in any form-how will you make it happen this year?

Like any other thirty-something mother, I am challenged each day to spend time with my children, complete work projects, and fit all of my other commitments into less than 24 hours-because face it, we do have to sleep.

A few ways I manage my time are to first, work during allotted work hours. This is a little flexible-I typically will only work in the early morning or evening, but I’ve found that if I leave my schedule open to work whenever I have free time, that may be all that I do. You would think I get more done, but my productivity usually increases when I’m strict with my time.

Next, I don’t multitask…or try not to. It’s a proven fact that when you are less focused on one task and attempt to do several things at once-your brain cannot devote its full energy to doing any one thing well. And let’s face it, when you’re running a business from home your time is valuable, so why risk having to re-do anything? And as a mother, when my kids want my attention, they want it all and they need that undivided time to nurture our relationship.

Lastly, I make sure I spend some time each day doing something I enjoy for pure leisure. It may have an added benefit-like when I jump on the treadmill, I’m doing something for my health-but I’m also not working, not attending to children and not making my house less dirty (which it desperately needs). Some days I don’t get to do what I want the most, but I make sure I get a break (or a few smaller breaks) for my mental health each day.

Tim Berry recommends The Essential Time Saving Guide for Busy People. Although I have not read it in full, I already gained a few helpful tips. Whether you work from home or want to pursue a small home base business opportunity, send me some of your ideas on how you juggle your personal and professional life, after all, we’re all in this together.

Here in my home town of Cincinnati, most of us received about 2-4 inches of snow yesterday. It was a beautiful sight-everything covered in white.

Snow plow businesses/individuals were out in full force as well. If you’re considering a work from home business that may not be Internet based and you don’t mind seasonal work, this may be a great option for you. It would of course require a snow plow or some serious man power-I know we use a good old fashioned shovel at my house. But sometimes quicker is better.

Many of these snow removal businesses use word of mouth to get new business or advertise minimally, but during a snow storm, if the price is right and you can remove the snow in a timely manner, you have the potential of running a very busy company.

Whether it’s seasonal, Internet based, sales or what not, any service that someone would pay for is an opportunity for you to pursue your very own business. And if you’re enthusiastic, I hear the Northeast is trying to dig their way out, so don’t forget your gloves.

It’s a small percentage of businesses that launch each year and are actually successful. There’s no way to guarantee that your home base business opportunity  will be successful, but taking the right steps to invest your time and energy on research, networking, targeting your audience and some form of media/advertising, and your chances will be much greater.

I’ve seen good friends and strangers fail because they failed to develop a business plan–I’m not talking a plan to obtain financing, I mean a simple 5-10 step plan that lays out their processes and goals. Having a simple strategy where you’ve laid out the goals of your business or even your job will determine where you want to be and what you can accomplish for your customers. 

A blog I read pretty frequently, My Wife Quit Her Job, listed a handful of businesses that Steve C (the author) will patronize as long as they’re in business because of they way they do business and the investment they make in him. Your business, you as an employee, could be what makes the difference for someone else out there. That requires no money. Others will return to your place of business, maybe to you specifically based on what you do. Wouldn’t you like to be one of those businesses?

I recently listened to a teleconference where Lee Milteer discussed a variety of topics related to business, self-image and time management. In roughly 60 minutes I gained a priceless amount of information. Her free report is available as of today’s date, I’d recommend reading it.

Milteer made so many good points surrounding those three topics I filled several pages with notes. Something that impressed me immensely was the whole idea that in order to be successful you must first see yourself as being successful. Your mindset must change and essentially be reconfigured, your brain patterns altered, in order to then follow through with the work that being successful will require.

There couldn’t be more truth to the idea that your work from home business can give you time AND money. With Lee’s information, you can maximize and prioritize your time and money. If you are just starting to work from home, it doesn’t necessarily require a lot of money to be successful. You should be working your business with the intent of being successful, or else you’ll be stuck where you are forever, but grow your business from the inside out (that means starting with yourself), no matter what your business is, and results will follow.

In a rough economy, with people losing their jobs, their homes, basically their security, they are starting over. Here at Work From Home Jobs, we’re dedicated to not only helping you find legitimate work from home business opportunties, but spotlighting specific jobs and companies as well.   

I’ve been doing some perusing online and found some great mom’s blogs and of course a great work from home position. A friend on Moms Like Me gave me the heads up about a Google job, Ads Quality Rater position.   

The job does not require that you have any specific experience with computers or advertising. This position would utilize online tools to review and rate advertising related data. I’ve been told the hiring process can be a bit lengthy, as you have to pass a series of screenings, but it sounds like a great opportunity.   

If you’ve found a particular company or opportunity you are interested in or would like for us to review, just leave the information in our comments section. The more information you have, the more successful your search will be.      

I stumbled upon Ann Voskamp’s (mother, educator, writer) blog through a friend. A must read for anyone and everyone.  Would you work for no pay? 

If I were completely honest, I would admit that in the past, I envied my husband’s job-or rather his freedom to leave everyday. Completely honest-right-still am a bit envious on certain days. Parenting, managing our home and working (in the past it has been part-time out of the home) feels like a challenge on Survivor. I don’t always have the right tools, I’m sleep-deprived and in my case ridiculously over-caffeinated.

I will say I have managed to hold it together though, unlike this mother. I’ve definitely encountered the urge to call it a day at 5 pm and send everyone to bed. I’m incredibly grateful for my home employment opportunity. There are days when I can’t imagine someone else tolerating my children. And my children tolerate me as well, don’t get me wrong.

Parenting will be difficult all my itself. Mix in work, single-parenting, financial struggles, health issues-whatever it may be for you-and you’ve multiplied your stress level.

For me, I’ve found a great community online-to connect with, swap advice, and find real information. This has been a great outlet for me and has made my parenting journey not so unusual. And by the way, if you were at Target last evening by my house, that was me with the two year old who screamed while walking the entire length of the store and I’m sorry. And it will probably happen again.

I read a great story the other day about a man who had made it a tradition to randomly hand out cash to people each year around Christmas time. He died several years ago, but since then his generosity has continued through others who have committed to keeping the tradition going.

What a difference this man has/continues to make. He has left a legacy of giving that outshines pretty much anything else he had accomplished (or not accomplished) in his lifetime.

I want to be remembered, I want my business to be remembered for how it changed people’s lives. I want the good to outweigh the fumbles.    When you’re setting up your business venture or even approaching a company about a work from home position, always, always, always look at what their principles are behind their business. Determining what principles will guide your business will determine what kind of business you will engage in. 

Making a difference in your community can be a large project, but it takes individuals to implement any kind of change.   For some more life-changing stories, check out this blog by Sebastian Teunissen.