Why do you work from home?

Jean - posted on 11/03/2011 ( 4 moms have responded )

Hi ladies, do you often think about why you do what you do, what motivates you? Yesterday I sat and really thought about my WHY for being a WAHM.

In October of 2007, my WHY was very different than what it is today. At that time, I was a new mom, taking time off teaching and my last 3 courses in getting my Masters in Educational Leadership and Administration. I knew I didn't want to go back to full time work and my former career goals of becoming a school principal and possibly a superintendent were no longer a desire to me. I simply wanted to be home, but still earn a paycheck. We were getting into a massive pit of debt, and with only one income saw no way out.


My WHY then: start making some money from home.



A year after that, Jaylen was diagnosed with Autism, he had therapies daily both in and out of the house, and I was pregnant with our second son.

My WHY then: make enough to stay home so Jaylen could get the care he needs, and Xavier wouldn't need to go to daycare.



As time went on my WHY evolved into getting out of debt, saving more money, setting up college funds, and the pie in the sky type stuff: a big house, new cars, a state of the art in home occupational/physical therapy room, vacations, and other "fun" items that required a big financial backing.



And that's where it stood, with a huge dream board and notebook filled with pictures of things I would love to be able to afford. But it didn't work. Those goals were too far off for me to really shoot for,.

This morning it hit me, my new WHY, something that will push me, motivate me, keep me disciplined and focused.

My brand new WHY:

To be financially set enough I only think and worry about money 5% of the day.

Currently, I think about money almost 50% of my day. Sounds extreme, but about 8 hours of my day, 30 minutes of every hour, are spent thinking about money. I can't get it out of my head. I think about our debt, when to pay, how to pay, and when each loan/card will be paid off. I think about paying for both of my sons' pricey karate classes, should we still be doing it? I think about groceries, how much should I budget for this month? I think about emergencies, what if one of the cars, TVs, furnace, or washer or dryer break down? I think about savings, retirement, and college funds, do we have enough, are we doing enough to make sure our boys are set?

And during the tight months, I think about it even more, almost 65% of the day. I obsess over paying bills on time, making sure money goes where it needs to, and what we can and can't afford to do.



The reason for all these thoughts? We are not financially free. My goal for our family is to have complete financial freedom. If I simplify and tell myself the goal is to be able to stop all these stressful money thoughts, my goal is measurable and attainable. I will sleep better, eat better, and relax.



What is your WHY?