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Are you interested in starting your own home based business, but not sure where to begin? Why not start with yourself?

Here are a few steps you can take to determine what you really want to do. But first, have a pen and paper ready in front of you...

Done? Ok, here we go...

1) What Are Your Hobbies?

Write down all the things you love doing in your own free time. Don't hold anything back, because I'm not here to examine your answer. There is no right or wrong here, only the truth, only what you feel straight from your heart.

Why do this? The answer is because hobbies are a great source of motivation and energy for anyone. If you're willing to do something without being paid, you'd definately do it for money. The only difference is, money will only come second, as compared to the immediate satisfaction you get from doing what you love. Write everything on that pice of paper.

2) What Specialized Knowledge Do You Have?

In your current or past jobs, you would have accumulated a great deal of knowledge on a certain subject. Thanks to your boss, you may have become an expert at something. And this expertise, believe it or not, can help others around the world. Don't let this go to waste.

So write down any specialized knowledge you have. Write down any specialized skills you may have developed too, and it could be in sales, event organization, public relations, accounting, counselling, etc.

3) What Corner of The Book Store Do You Go to First?

When I heard someone ask me that, I was like "What? What has that got to do with anything?".

It has got to do with everything. Which corner of the bookstore you visit FIRST usually indicates which topics you love reading about. In a conversation with one of my team members a week ago, I asked him the same question, and his reply was "Well, Gobala, I never thought about it, but I actually go to the self-help section first, because I like reading about how I can improve myself to be a better human being."

Ditto. Your sub-concious actions may hold the answer to your problem. Now we're getting somewhere, so write YOUR favourite section down on that piece of paper.

4) What Did You Love Doing 5 Years Ago?

My life now is VERY different from what it was 5 years ago. How about yours? What did you love doing 5 years ago, but simply cannot find the time for it right now? Did you plan to start something new 5 years ago, but for some reason it never happened?

Our lives change all the time, but if there was something in your past that you're still passionate about, write it down now.

5) What Are You Naturally Good At?

To answer this question, you MUST ask your friends, not yourself. Whatever you already know about yourself is not going to help. Only things you never knew you were good at are going to open doors to your own home based business. So go ahead, call 10 of your best friends, and ask them "What do think I'm good at?"

Make a mental note, or write all their opinions down on your piece of paper. The key to getting this right is to NEVER question or argue about their opinion of you. Take the good with the bad, take it all. By the time you're done with number 10, I guarantee you'll start discovering things about you that you never knew you were good at.

I found out that I'm good at teaching. I also found out that I can explain things in a simple way, and that I have patience when dealing with others. Trust me, I never knew that before I asked. It's amazing what others know about you that you don't know yourself.

The Road Becomes Clearer

When you're done with your list of all the things you love, all the things you've become an expert at, and all the things you found out you're naturally good at, have a good look at it. Does your dream home business seem a little more clear now? Do you see the begiining of an exciting journey, instead of an intimidating one?

You now have many ideas on what type of home based business you can do, and all you have to do is choose. Choose the one that you're most excited about RIGHT NOW and are eager to start RIGHT NOW.

If you rushed through this article without the pen and paper, without taking notes and asking yourself these questions, then let me tell you the truth:

It takes YEARS to build a steady five or six figure income from your own home based business. You can't do it in months, no matter what anyone else out there may say. The only way you're going to get through the initial "make-or-break" years is if you're doing something close to your heart. Something that will seem like fun, not hard work.

Seek the truth, for the truth shall set you free, and show you where you want to go. If you don't know where you want to go, it's no secret that you'll never get there.

Copyright 2005 Gobala Krishnan