The other day I was flipping through the channels (yes, when you work from home sometimes you catch a few more TV shows than you’d like to admit to), I saw Maria Shriver on Oprah. I happened to flip at the time when Maria Shriver asked the question, “What do you want to be famous for?”

A little soul searching

Maria Shriver’s question coupled with the very recent and unfortunate passing of a loved one brought the whole legacy and fame issue to the forefront of my mind. I won’t bore you with my personal epiphanies and revelations, but I do want to pose the question to you, on a much less personal note. What do you want your blog to be famous for?

Did you create a blog just for the sake of making money or did you create it because you are passionate about your topic? Did you create your blog to help others or to right a social wrong?

Why I created this blog

Personally, my reason for starting this blog is the realization of a dream that began a little over 17 years ago. Way back then, in the stone ages, before the internet was so commonplace, I wanted to find a way to make money from in a way that would enable me to stay home with my children.

I was able to make a little extra money from home using my typing skills, but not enough to replace the income I was making from my full-time job. My dream way back then was to come up with some type of business whereby parents could earn money from home and not have to worry about putting their children in childcare.

Not being the salesperson type, Tupperware, Avon and all of the “Home Party” type businesses just were not for me. I tried several projects, but they just didn’t seem to work out as I had hoped. Now, several years later, I get a chance to share information and lessons I’ve learned along the way to help other parents become successful in their quest to work from home.

No other option

Now that I’ve rendered myself unemployable, my money making source of choice is through self-employment, of which the Internet plays a major role.

Back to the original question…What do I want this blog to be famous for? I’d like it to be known as a down to earth blog that shoots from the hip to provide information, insight and encouragement for anyone looking for ways to earn money from home.

Only time will tell if I was successful in achieving that legacy.

For those of you who just can’t seem to find the right job to keep you challenged and happy, maybe you’re suffering from the same condition. Here are a few clues to help you self diagnose:

1. You might be mentally unemployable if you don’t want to go to work at a job. The mentally unemployable don’t mind working, but it’s just the need to get up, get showered, dressed, make the lunches, get the kids off to school. They partake in the usual the usual morning madness of rushing just to hurry up and wait in traffic or on the train or in the elevator to get to a job where you spend hours in strategy meetings reviewing the same thing over and over again.
2. The mentally unemployable understand the merit rating system. If I work real hard, I should get really paid. If I sit at the water cooler all day, I shouldn’t get paid.
3. A mentally unemployable person’s middle name is efficiency. Mentally unemployable folks tend to find a faster more accurate way to accomplish a task. They get work done and get it done well.
4. The mentally unemployable just cannot stand the thought of wasting several prime hours in the morning commuting when they could actually be accomplishing a task that brings them closer to their goals.
5. The mentally unemployable are constantly flooded with ideas and new ways to accomplish tasks. Their minds are constantly flooded with brilliant ideas only to be shot down by upper management (who really doesn’t understand).
6. The mentally unemployable are bored at work. They lack a worthwhile mentally stimulating challenge.
7. The mentally unemployable constantly think of ways to earn money doing something they enjoy. It’s more than just a passing thought; it’s more like an obsession.

The irony of it is that the mentally unemployable are usually well-respected good employees because of their driven nature. They know how to view and analyze a situation, come up with a plan of action and implement it. They know what it takes to get things done.

If you suffer with at least half of the above symptoms, my friend, you are in the same boat as I am. Welcome to the mentally unemployable club (do not confuse mentally unemployable with work-aversion-itis).

Now that you have your diagnosis, what are you going to do about it?

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