5 Simple Rules to Be Happy

I received an e-mail this morning that can be applied to all areas of our lives:

Remember the five simple rules to be happy:

  1.  Free your heart from hatred.

  2.  Free your mind from worries.

  3.  Live simply.

  4.  Give more.

  5.  Expect less.

Trying to be prepared

I have spent the past 2 weeks trying to educate myself on the ins and outs of running a successful home-based business.  Many nights I find myself up at midnight or 1 a.m. in the morning.  The downside is that when my alarm clock goes off I don't want to get out of bed.  The plus is that there is so much information and resources available to entrepreneurs.  If you don't like to read then you will find yourself at a disadvantage.

Several days ago I took an online course on the Small Business Administration's web site.  They have a number of free courses available that do not require much of your time.  I was also made aware of other freebies out there such as time tracking software, business card templates, and web page design web sites (to name a few).  Without an abundant source of cash on hand I am taking advantage of the free and/or low cost resources that are available.

Equipping my home office was affordable as well.  I managed to find a much nicer and larger desk than I had via Craigslist.  I also bought a sturdy 2 drawer file cabinet that is in very good condition from Craigslist as well.  For both items I spent less than $75.

My brochure that I have been working on is now complete.  This was created using MicroSoft Windows' brochure templates (they have somewhere around 10 to 12 templates to choose from).  I need to get feedback on the style and content before I actually print them out for distribution.

Things are slowly coming together.  Once I have all of my legal documents in place I will be set.  I am trying to create my own vs. spending money on some that are available online.  If I can create it myself then I'm the type of person who would take that route vs. paying out of pocket even if it's low cost.  I am taking advantage of the libraries resources to help me in this area.  Besides, I looooove going to the library and being surrounded by books.

Two Years Later

...and I am posting once again. I'm still in Oklahoma and I am living one day at a time. I have had some joyous moments and some down right wanna bash your head against the wall moments.

My kids are getting older and have just started 7th & 9th grades. I am taking a hiatus from college due to situations beyond my control (this is the bash your head against the wall moment). I hope to start up again in the Spring of 2010. I am praying that I don't get frustrated and just give up pursuing a degree all together.

This break from college classwork has allowed me time to think about the direction that my life has taken. It has caused me to research other opportunities that may exist for me career wise. I have never been interested in being an entrepreneur or having my own home-based business -- until now. I've been reading tons of information about virtual assistants and realized that not only do I have what it takes to be successful at this but I also have the majority of resources (aside from clients). I attended a seminar given by the Oklahoma Small Business Development Center (OSBDC) for those wanting to start a small business. I also checked out books from the local library that relate to small business start ups and I signed up with several virtual assistant networks.

My business is now official. I have designed a website via Wix.com and hope to start attending meetings with several networking groups in the area. My business, VersaNamic Solutions, will provide administrative support services to small business, non-profit organizations, and individuals. I am feeling motivated and understand that to be successful, hard work is required.