Yea, we bucked the establishment when we were younger. We wanted to change the world. And, over the past forty or so years many of us did make what seems, from our vantage point, to be contributions toward a better world, if even just for ourselves. We never thought we would become part of the status quo. We wanted to be different and we were different. We did life and work ‘our way.’
Now, that 1960s are behind us and we have entered our sixties, we have some since of being survivors. We have some confidence that we will continue to survive and maybe even thrive. Yet, we still want to do it our way. Many of us worked for ‘the other guy’ most of our lives. We are now retired, or about to be, and can become our own boss. Home-based businesses can give us some freedom and keep us committed to changing the world for ourselves and for those around us.
Home-based businesses do not come in a box, or at least successful, money making ones do not. It takes a confident, entrepreneurial spirit to make a go of it. Whether we recognize it our not, by virtue of the times we have come through, most of us do have an entrepreneurial spirit. We do not mind, in fact we often enjoy, stepping out and doing something new and exhilarating. And we have something else going for us that younger, aspiring home-based business people do not have. They are concerned about climbing some cooperate or community ladder, we have found our rung on it and are just looking for a little supplemental income and more than just a little excitement along the way. There is not a lot of pressure on us. We are more driven by excitement of it, than the possible profit.
In our community here on 60s Folk in Their 60s, let’s share ideas, dreams, successes, and lessons we have learned. Some of us are just getting entertaining the idea of starting a home-businesses and others have been at it for awhile. We need each other’s encouragement and honest advice in doing it our way from home.
We are at an age (surely we can talk about age among ourselves) that we have some experience, many years of it, and we not looking to start something completely foreign to us. That would be folly and negating an important advantage we have over those younger than ourselves. We have experience. We have some sense of our strengths and weaknesses. We want to begin this home-based business adventure with some confidence. Confidence will there if we begin with our strengths. Those strengths are the tasks, hobbies, and mental exercises that we do well, or our confidence may come in knowledge of particular subject that we have gained over the years. These strengths, whatever they are, are the basis of possible home-based businesses.
Some of us already have already done some dreaming and planning about starting a particular home-based business. Others of us know that we have to begin this adventure, but are just not sure what business to attempt. We will do well to taking the initial step of making a list of our strengths, both tasks – things we do well – and knowledge – things we understand better than the average bear. We need to start the list right now, taking an hour or so, or keeping the list close by for a day or two, adding to it when our inner muse reminds us of something we have acquire as we resided on this dirt ball for a few decades.
After we have compiled the list of our strengths, we need to narrow it down and decide what business we will begin. Let’s remember that we are are not looking for huge profits, we will take them if the come, but we are looking for some adventure and fun. In business, fun and adventure often result in profit. We are not looking to start some new stressful, got to put all of your energy into it type of job. Hard work was for the years that have gone by. What we what we want now is something that will give us a spiritual and mental buzz, something that will exhilarate us. So, we look on the list and ask, what tasks or knowledge on it give us the most excitement. We will know what those exciting things are because we will feel a bit of adrenaline pump though our veins or a sense of eagerness come on us when we come that item on our list.
Most likely several items on the list that can arouse, stimulate, or otherwise turn us on. Those emotions have narrowed the list for us. Cast the rest, the non-exciting items off. We want to be different, a bit unique, don’t we? So, of this shorter list, we need to ask what skill or knowledge do we have that is probably not shared by a lot of people? From these exciting few items remaining on the list, which ones would people likely ask us to help them with or ask us questions about? They would seek our aid because they do not have the skills or answers themselves. Aha, there may be a market for something that excites us and is desired by others. We can get pumped about providing what they want, and maybe make some money at it. And, take that money to do something else that excites us.
Well, this is a beginning. Let’s dream about starting this new, home-business for a bit, let the expectation and excitement built before we move forward. It may not be the Age of Aquarius, but it is time to Let the Sunshine In on something new and exciting in our lives.
We will be back in a few days to continue this adventure.