Image credits to nkzs
I am a work-at-home mom. I freelance my writing services for a living, wash the dishes, do the laundry and feed the baby at the same time. Sounds like too much of a juggle? I don’t think so.
It is true that being a work-at-home mom poses a lot of challenges, and so do traditional jobs. The only difference is that being a work-at-home mom allows you to still be able to keep a career for yourself while being able to spend quality time with your family. This spells out F-U-L-L-F-I-L-L-M-E-N-T for me. There’s no other kind of work that would allow me to grow professionally while watching my 11-month old baby turn into a charming toddler. And for those who’d rather keep arguing about the challenges of being a WAHM, let me tell you: No pain, no gain! I was a call center agent before and I used to be a sounding board to irate callers. If you aren’t willing to sweat your way to have a good income, there’s no way you are going to get any. I am a work-at-home mom now, and I earn way better than what I earn when I was still working for others. The work is equally challenging, but I get to enjoy the following benefits;
I get to manage my own business
They say that the only way to gain financial independence is to set up your own business. This proved true in my case. Working on traditional jobs comes with investments: transportation, food and clothing allowance. As a work-at-home mom, I am able to work without all these. My desk is just within my room, I get to eat what my family eats (which is within the family budget) and I get to work even if I am still in my pajamas! Now, most of the expenses that used to burden me when I was still working outside home are already well-spent on fun family outings, business investments and/or allotted to family savings.
I treat working from home as working on my own business so there are still times when I don’t get to work in my pajamas. I still occasionally wear the ‘dreaded’ corporate attire when speaking to clients personally or on Skype. I also invest on it, but I get to keep my investment just like my laptop which allows me to work on café’s and out-of-town sans worries of losing business because of unreturned e-mails.
With it as a business of my own, I am able to maximize every earning/savings opportunity that it has provided me with. I am also able to plot my own goals for my own business. The flexibility allowed me to be the best that I can be sans the boss asking me to work harder for a paycheck that’s not even worth it. As a work-at-home mom, I am working smarter to keep my business growing so I can be financially independent very soon.
I get to choose my clients
When working on traditional jobs, choosing a boss is not an option. You have to work with an ‘ancient dinosaur’ whether you like it or not. As a work-at-home mom, I am able to classify prospect clients as either bad or good. Of course, I only work with the good ones.
The good ones aren’t difficult to find. There are more good ones than bad in the market because the marketplace is literally crowded with professional and business- minded people who are also working smarter to grow their own businesses. In addition, work-at-home people are a lot cheaper to work with than regular employees, so if you are good at what you do, you can expect to attract good clients too.
I get to choose my projects
I prefer to work on writing projects on topics of working from home and freelancing— and I am able to observe this preference when applying for new projects. With a market as wide as the world, you are definitely going to find work that suits your taste and passion. Not to mention finding work that pays you your worth.
I get to choose my work hours
I am a night person. My brain seems to be most efficient at night. Therefore, 9AM-5PM work is simply not for me. As a work-at-home mom, I get to work on my preferred hours without hurting my timecard with absences and lates.
I get to see my family grow as I do all these
Now, the best thing about working from home is the ability to grow my own business while seeing my family grow at the same time. Life is short to spend most days at work, but you can’t earn a living unless you work. I feel so blessed to have a skill that I am able to market online. It allowed me to pursue a passion, earn a living and take care of my family without having to send my baby to day care when I work. Sure, it is challenging, but it is all worth it.
How about you? Are you a work-at-home mom, too? Or are you looking to be a work-at-home mom soon? With time management and strong desire to grow, working from home can be the best career decision that you can ever make. Leave your tips and questions as comments below.
