One of the main causes of illness in the workforce today is known as sick building syndrome and it is responsible for thousands of days off work sick each year. Sick building syndrome is not a problem that is just confined to the United States, it is beginning to be recognized all over the world as more and more people are feeling the effects of being in a poorly ventilated building.

Some of the symptoms of sick building syndrome are: indoor allergies, itchy eyes and nose, runny nose, sore throat, headaches, blurred vision, nausea, dizziness, fatigue and difficulty when concentrating for any period of time. Some people believe that these symptoms are purely psychological however if you are suffering like this you will argue that it is very real. Imagine what it would feel like to start to feel ill within minutes of entering your place of work each day and find that you get worse as the day progresses.

Experts have put forward different reasons for this sick building syndrome from outside influences such as person’s general health or family life, an illness epidemic and other viral infections. However these do not take into account the fact that more and more people are falling ill and all have one thing in common – they all work in the same building.

Such buildings that seem to have high levels of sickness related to sick building syndrome tend to have poorly maintained ventilation and heating systems which many people blame for their illness. This theory can be supported by the fact that the majority of people who claim to have sick building syndrome are often in good health when they away from the building and only become ill again their return.

If poorly maintained ventilation systems are to blame for these illnesses then it is important that something is done about them. Dirty ventilation systems can be the cause of many different types of illness as mold spores can grow and multiply and they are then blown through air ducts right to where people are working. This then results in them being ill as the air that they are breathing is not fresh and purified. Mold spores are not just to blame, if rodents get into the air ducts they can cause problems as can a build up of general dirt and debris, so they should be cleaned regularly.

So really it would be fair to say that sick building syndrome does exist but only where there are dirty ventilation systems that are not kept up to standard. If you suspect the air ducts and ventilation system in a building are dirty is it important that it is brought to the attention of someone who is responsible for them. Your local HVAC technician can provide a comprehensive maintenance service that will ensure that ventilation systems are kept clean and running efficiently, reducing the number of sick days and keeping staff healthy. If this sounds like something that your business could use, contact your local HVAC technician to help you improve your air quality.

Giant Mechanical is a leading Chicago area company that provides Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, Refrigeration, and a variety of other services. Find out how Giant Mechanical can help you with your commercial, residential, or institutional needs by visiting http://www.giantmechanical.com.

Regarding work and life most people fit into one of these four categories:

(1) No time, and no money.

If you are an employee, chances are this describes the way you feel. You can’t go shopping on a Tuesday afternoon or tell your boss to take a hike. How will you even be able to afford to send your kids to college, save for retirement or even think of having a life today with no time and no money?

(2) No time, lots of money.

Some so called successful self-employed, professionals and small business owners are in this category. They are slightly better off than the employee because they earn more, but they have to work even harder than employees to keep up with the diminishing profit margins, competition and servicing their customers. As a single mother, do you want to spend much less time with your kids?

(3) Lots of time, no money.

A lot of college dropouts, rock climbers and bums have lots of time but no money. Maybe living close to the ground is bliss, but without a stable source of income, how long can you last? If you’re a single mom, you know that your kids will need food, clothes, plus medical care for that broken arm or leg. Not a great place to be in my opinion if you are a responsible single mom.

(4) Lots of time, and lots of money.

It is the category that big business owners, landlords, investors are in. Imagine, not having to work for money, but having money to work for you by investing them and earning profits by using your money to make money. Also, you’re smart enough to hire the best people so you don’t even have to work. Just think about how many people you could help out in the no time, no money category. A lot of people are comfortable there.

Here are Two Questions for You

1. Which one of the four categories best describes your current situation?

2. Which one category would give you the most opportunity to be a great single mother?

If you answered with time and money you’re the kind of person that stands a chance of getting there. Because as Henry Ford put it “If you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.”

Yes you can do anything you want and with the internet and all the information and services readily available there is every reason a determined single mom could be in the time and money category rather quickly.

Lana Hawkins is the author of http://HowMomPaysforCollege.com blog . If you’d like ideas about creating both Time and Money get the Free Audio Interview and Report with Lana covering many ideas on how single moms can earn money for college go to http://howsinglemomscanpayforcollege.com .

More often than not when people learn about all the projects I manage at once, and notice that I actually COMPLETE them… they always ask me the same question, “How do you get all this stuff done?” For me, it boils down to a simple process that I go through every time I set a goal for myself. Whether the goal is to get in better shape (like losing 4 pounds in the last 10 days), launch a new program, create a new website, meet a particular expert or publish a book… the process is always the same.

Now, before I share my process with you, let me assure you that “I” don’t get all this stuff done. I do some of it, and my fantastic (and growing) team does the rest. Many people are shocked to find out that I rarely work on Fridays, don’t work on weekends and still have plenty of time to go to the gym six times per week, cook for my family and play with my daughter (Hi-Ho-Cherry-O is her favorite game). And, I take at least two vacations a year not including a whole bunch of weekend family trips. For me, this is the only way to run a business… so that it doesn’t run you.

Anyway, let’s get into my five-step strategy to help you achieve all of your goals:

1. Know WHY You Want To Achieve The Goal.
Any goal worth achieving has to have deep roots in your heart. You’ve got to know exactly WHY this goal is important to you. Because, let’s face it. You’ll most likely hit a few stumbling blocks along your way to achieving this goal, and sometimes you may want to quit. But, if you are deeply connected to the reason WHY the goal is important to you, nothing can hold you back.

2. Be Crystal clear About Your Vision.
Once you know WHY you want to achieve the goal, the next step is to enjoy taking some time to clarify your vision of the goals. You want to ingrain your vision into your mind so it is there all the time, no matter what. Especially if you have a bad day, or hit a block, you’ll rely on your crystal clear vision to remind you of that which you want to achieve. The more vivid the picture, the more connected you are emotionally to the results you want to achieve, the easier they manifest in your life.

3. Don’t Worry About “How”
Ahhhh! This is a good one. HOW is absolutely none of your business! If you ever find yourself up against a big goal and you notice those voices of fear and doubt creeping in to say, “Yeah, but how are you going to do that?” Your job is to ignore them. If you focus on trying to figure out “how”… you will take your focus away from your goal. Remember, what you think about your bring about. Stay focused on the “what” and the “how” will reveal itself to you.

4. Put Yourself In Environments That Support Your Success.
I think this step is my favorite, because I THRIVE on being surrounded by like-minded people who believe in me and my dreams. The best thing about creating supportive environments around you is that they are there to remind you of your greatness. This could mean hiring a coach, participating in a mastermind group, listening to audios that uplift you, etc… these are all environments and a crucial part of the process to achieving all of your goals.

5. Have Faith… and Keep Going.
90% of the time, you”ll find me wearing a ring that says “when you have faith” on the outside, and “all things are possible” on the inside. I wear this ring as a constant reminder that faith is the key to everything. It’s impossible (or at least extremely difficult) to achieve your goals when you have no faith in the greater energy of the Universe/God. God wants you to have everything your heart desires… you wouldn’t have had the desire if you didn’t ALREADY have everything you need to realize it. (As Robert A. Russell says in God Works Through Faith, “the answer precedes the question”.) So, above all, have faith and know that if you keep going IN faith, everything you dream of is yours.

I trust that if you follow this five-step process every time you set a goal, you will achieve it. I know it sounds too simple to be true, but I assure you that any goal I’ve achieved in the past 5 years has been realized by using this process. I wish you much joy as you set (and achieve) your goals!

Copyright 2008 Love Your Life, LLC

Christine Kloser, Author of The Freedom Formula, publishes the revolutionary “Conscious Business Connection” ezine. If you’re ready to put Soul in your business and Money in your Bank, get your FR^EE tips now at http://www.LoveYourLife.com.

When you are outsourcing your work, you have tons of benefits. Let’s just go over some of the benefits shall we? One of my favorite benefits is that money will be coming into my bank account twenty four hours a day and seven days a week. Another great benefit is that you get to make your own hours, and you get to decide on how hard you want to work. So what else is there, oh yeah, it is a less stressful life.

Imagine that you go to bed, with lets just say one hundred dollars in your bank account. You wake up at nine forty five in the afternoon, with two hundred and fifty dollars into your bank account. Wouldn’t that be nice to make money while you are not doing anything at all. This is because when you set people out to do the work for you, you can have people to set up work that will always be earning you money. That way you do not have to be doing anything at all.

The other benefit of outsourcing your work that I really work is that I get to make my own hours. I get to decide when I want to work, how long I want to work, and how often I want to work. So for all I care I can go on a year long vacation to Africa and explore. Remember the benefit before, how money can always be coming in? Well imagine hardly working at all and have money keep coming into your banking account.

The third benefit that is truly amazing is a far more less stressful life. You wake up, and you do not have to worry about being late to that meeting. You wake up and do not have to worry about being stuck in traffic, you go at your very own pace. Whenever you make a decision, you do not have to worry about having a boss go down your throat because you made the wrong decision. You make all the decisions in the world and there is nobody to impress. You are the one living the easy life.

So look at these three reasons on why outsourcing is so amazing. There are so many benefits out their that we can have. All we have to do is have a little bit of knowledge and know what we have to do with our money. We can always have our bank accounts rising, even in our sleep. Then we can set our own hours, decide how long and when we want to work. Then most importantly we can have a stress free life, maybe even use this less stress to focus on the family.

So what you do with your own money is up to you, you should just know that by setting up a budget, there is a way to have money always going into your bank account. You just hire people to run the boring part of your life is really what you would be doing. The decision is up to you.

Jonathan Hook offers free 4 part audio seminar where you can discover how to Outsource all of the “grunt work” of your day-to-day business. Get highly-skilled, hard-working, dedicated people to work for FREE – or for very low cost

http://www.learn-to-outsource.com to claim your copy now.

There is an inner urge in many of us to succeed and do well in life. For some people this may be measured by their income, their family or by material possessions in their care. How do you measure success? Your salary? The car you drive? A happy marriage? Children?

In order to have a happy and full life you need to define what is important to you, so that you can achieve it.

For the purposes of our lesson here, lets assume that you want to find happiness in your life. For you to achieve this there are most likely different roadblocks in the way. Based on the vast majority of the population, the one thing that limits happiness is wealth. Without wealth life can indeed become very difficult. There are enough pressures in life to worry about, let alone having money problems hanging over your head.

I recommend to all of my clients that they really need to focus on what is important to them individually and then establish a plan to improve their quality of life, which can lead to more happiness. There is some truth in the comment that money is the source of all evil. This can be true, in that the desire for money itself can lead to an unhappy and unfilled life. What I am on about here is that if you have the money side of things taken care of, then it can be much easier to focus on the important things in life, such as your family.

Wouldn’t it be amazing if you could just wake up in the morning, take the kids to school, go for a walk or exercise at the gym, catch up with friends for lunch, read a book, pick up the kids from school and then stay at home with the family in the evening. If you can manage to take out the work aspect of life, suddenly you are freed up to do the things that you love.

For me, I personally love photography. When I managed to get my finances under control, and establish online passive income streams I knew that I wouldn’t have to worry about money again. I was able to cut back on how much time I spent working, because I didn’t need the money. Now I am free to go away for long weekends or a couple of weeks here and there, on photography excursions, where I can spend time relaxing, while also capturing amazing scenery with my camera. Previously I was working 60+ hour weeks and I would never have time for myself. With the money problem out of the equation, I can focus on things that make me happy, like my family and my hobbies.

When you are able to create streams of passive income, that do the work for you, they earn you the money, you can take a step back from it all and realize that there is more to life than just doing the daily grind in the office. Some people that I have worked with to help take control of their lives, have been able to leave their job, where they weren’t happy and go back to study a course that they always wanted to. The best part is that they have been able to keep their well paying salaries, because their passive income has replaced it. In most cases even, after careful configuration, they are earning more than they were spending countless hours working.

I encourage you to take control of your life and you to can enjoy an abundant, happy, fulfilled life.

Matt is a wealth creation coach and is waiting to help you today with your finances. He has helped hundreds of people generate real passive income, which has allowed them to break free from the daily 9-5 grind and enjoy life. You can find out how here at http://www.mdwealthcoach.com.

Have you ever felt overwhelmed and stressed by all your responsibilities and obligations? You work full time, have a long commute to the office, have children and a partner, parents who are beginning to have health problems and volunteer commitments. Feeling stretched to the breaking point, your mood and health might be negatively impacted. Although there are many conveniences which are supposed to make life easier, if you don’t use them, don’t know how to use them or overuse them, it adds to the chaos you may already be experiencing.

These days many companies expect you to do more with less. You may be worried about how you will manage to do everything you’re required to, particularly with the time lines you have been given. Your own beliefs about a situation can also create stress. Are you a person who likes to have things done a particular way? Do you sometimes think it is just easier to do it yourself, rather than show others how to do it? How do you react if they do it differently and it is just as effective, if not better? Do you become self critical, expecting perfection?

What about connecting with family and friends? When people are devoting an inordinate amount of time to work, other areas of their life are ignored. This leads to living a life which is out of balance which in turn creates stress. When you experience stress, eating habits generally worsen, exercise doesn’t occur and fun and relaxation isn’t on the agenda.

Doing everything yourself is not humanly possible, besides some of the tasks probably bore you. So what is the answer? A 3 step process consisting of elimination, automation and delegation.

Elimination involves de-cluttering both your working space and your life. Have you ever walked into someone’s office and it looks like a disaster area? Papers are every where and trying to find things can take forever. Creating a filing system which works for you and getting rid of clutter is very freeing. A supportive environment helps to reduce stress and improves productivity.

The ability to refuse requests is another form of elimination. Learning to pay attention to what you can and cannot do is very important. When you are operating from a place of overload, being able to say “no” is a critical skill. Make space in your life for you, not just what others want from you.

Automation is the second step. There are many devices, appliances and technology which are designed to make life easier. You need to take advantage of these things. At the office turn your phone off for an hour and let your calls go to voicemail. At the same time do not look at your emails. Tell your staff not to disturb you during this time, unless it is a “life or death issue.” Spend the time working on tasks which you never seem to finish and notice if you are able to accomplish more.

Maybe it is your turn to make dinner for the family but you aren’t able to leave work until 6 p.m. Preset your oven to turn on or use a slow cooker. Set your watch or cell phone to remind you of particular tasks or events. Experiment with how you might automate more effectively. If you don’t know how to use a particular piece of equipment, ask for help.

Last but not least is delegation. How can others help you save time and ultimately money? What are the things you are doing that you could refer to someone else, freeing you up to do more of what you love. Consider off loading more tasks to an administrative assistant, secretary or team member. If you are a small business owner perhaps it would mean hiring a book-keeper or virtual assistant to do some of the time consuming tasks while you concentrate on building your business.

Timothy Ferriss in his book The 4 Hour Workweek is a big advocate of out sourcing. He feels that it prepares you to manage your life in a whole different way with the end result, having more time to do the things you enjoy. If you have someone managing the daily activities of your business, then you can take off while knowing that you do not have to always be on call.

To live a happier life, you need to incorporate elimination, automation and delegation into your daily routines.

Copyright 2008, Gail Solish.

Gail Solish, provides Executive/Personal coaching to managers, directors and executives focused on workplace development and relationship management. Claim your FR-EE e-course “Unleash Your Potential and Increase Productivity and Fulfillment” at http://www.ActualizeYourGoals.com

Parents are often plagued by more work at home pitfalls than those without kids, just because kids bring a new element into the mix that stirs up more opportunity for interruptions and sometimes means less space is available for the work area.

The first thing you want to do when trying to balance your home life with your Internet marketing business is carve out a space that is dedicated to your internet marketing endeavors. It doesn’t have to be a lot of space – as long as you have a corner spot to place your computer and other online accessories that you use.

It’s best if you can have a space where you can go to work on your Internet marketing ventures without distractions, but this isn’t always possible. If the noise is too much, you might consider setting off-peak hours, such as working only when the rest of the household members are in bed and you can concentrate on what you need to do.

Many Internet marketers love the flexibility they have in working from home and on the ‘net. If the kids have a soccer game, you’re free to shut down the computer and take off on a whim. If your spouse wants to take off for a weekend, then being an Internet marketer allows you to take your laptop with you and log on to check in from anywhere there’s an Internet connection.

If you’re just now considering an Internet marketing business, and want to find an option that will deliver the most balance to your home with the least amount of intrusions, then you might consider affiliate marketing.

Affiliate marketing is one Internet marketing option that lets you simply work on driving traffic to someone elses site. Affiliate marketing is the fastest way to start earning money on the internet. You simply research and choose the product or service you want to market. Clickbank and Commission Junction are 2 sources where you can find affiliate products to sell. Sign up and start promoting.

It’s absolutely the safest, fastest, cheapest way to get started. You won’t have to worry about setting up systems, creating a product or website, or dealing with outsourced services.

Make sure when choosing an affiliate program that it is paying at least 50% commission.

The real key to successful affiliate marketing, and one that most don’t do’ is you must have a squeeze page. A squeeze page is simply a site you drive your traffic to. You offer a high quality free report or eBook in exchange for their name and email information.

If you are not capturing their names, before they go to the affiliate’s sales page, then you are missing out on massive future sales. When you capture their info, you can start building a relationship with these customers, and potential customers, in order to make back end sales that are essential for your success.

It takes an average of 5-7 exposures before people will buy, so collecting their information and building a relationship should be your highest priority.

Even if you do create your own product, you should know that once a launch is complete, the system should allow for more balance because information products are more or less automated. Your site is set up to automatically process orders and deliver the buyer to a landing page where they download the product.

Balance will come about through time, so take all precautions to automate your systems and outsource tasks to others. Patience and consistency are critical for your long term success.

Ron Richardson is an online entrepreneur and consultant. Improving your business Is My Business.
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I am sure you would agree that the most important resource of a business is not really the product or service, nor in the customers; it is actually in the employees, without whom the business would not exist. And if the employees are not well then the performance decreases, and with it the productivity.

In fact, our performance and personal productivity is strictly linked to the way we feel, to our emotional state. There are so many reasons for which we might temporarily feel stressed or anxious or depressed, reasons due to problems both at work and at home; in fact, what goes on at home is brought into work and vice versa.

Now, is there something we can do when we do not feel good that is really effective and lasting? Can we empower ourselves to take control of our emotional state? Is it possible to feel good no matter what goes on in our lives or around us? Yes, but let us consider first the approach we would normally have when we experience an emotional problem.

Perhaps the first thing we would do is try to figure out why we feel anxious or stressed or depressed in order to do something about it and solve the problem. Now, if the reason is of a practical nature, let’s say for example we need to delegate, then the problem resolves itself as we take action. But often the reason which causes us not to feel good is of a different nature and that approach does not work. Let me explain.

The way we feel depends on our thinking, on our beliefs and attitudes; it depends on our language, our self-talk, our physiology; it depends on the questions we ask ourselves; it depends on our focus; it depends on our assumptions, on the meanings we give to events, people’s behaviours, situations we experience, which determine our reactions / responses; and it depends on the way we treat ourselves, on the level of care we have for ourselves. And the majority of our thinking patterns are below the consciousness, they are stored in our subconscious mind.

Now, if we focus on the problem, let’s say we feel anxious, and we try to analyse it to find a solution and we try to understand the reasons why we feel this way, maybe even looking back to childhood, it would actually create more of a problem. And the reason is very simple, but often we not aware of it.

It is simply basic metaphysics: what we focus on increases in our neurology and we create more of it. We often are not aware of how the basic spiritual laws of the Universe really influence our life, but once we know something about them, our life becomes much easier: the pain and struggle tend to disappear to make space for wellbeing and flow.

And there is something else to say about problem solving. Let’s say for example we have a problem and we try to find a solution; do we find a solution? No, otherwise we would not have the problem now! It is just our mind that tells us that the solution is in our mind and even more, it tells us that if we do not find a solution, we need to beat ourselves up! Smart, isn’t it? Our mind tells us we need to beat ourselves up because we have not tried hard enough or maybe because we ‘should be smarter’ or something similar. And so, we beat ourselves up, but we still have the problem and so we try to figure it out harder, we do not manage, so we beat ourselves up even more, and the circle goes on again and again trying to find a solution. And how do we feel? Worse!

Now, Albert Einstein said: ‘No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.

The solution is not in the same level of consciousness and it does not come from the mind. If we think we are our feelings or our minds, if we identify ourselves with our feelings or our minds, then we get stuck. We are not our feelings, we are not our minds, no matter how bright we might be, we are by far immensely more than that.

And if we let go trying to figure out long enough, we will actually allow the solution to the problem to come to our awareness. Does it make sense? Probably not!

This is a different way of thinking which, combined with NLP techniques, will bring us freedom from limiting patterns, and thus wellbeing.

NLP, in fact, is very effective to help change the thinking patterns: our thinking, our beliefs, language, self-talk, meanings, physiology, and so on. It enables us to instantly feel good and no matter what goes on in our life. And if we combine NLP with metaphysics, with the knowledge of who we truly are and our real power, than we know the secret of true wellbeing.

Copyright Piercarla Garusi 2008- All rights reserved.

Piercarla Garusi is a Life Coach, NLP Master Practitioner, Hypnotic Practitioner. She specialises in helping people achieve emotional wellbeing combining NLP, hypnosis techniques and metaphysics principles. For more information please visit: http://www.pgcoaching.co.uk.

There’s no doubt about it – operating a small business can be stressful. This may be troubling since so many entrepreneurs start their businesses to get away from the stress of working for someone else. Because of this, you may not be prepared for the stress, and that just makes it worse.

Why is it so stressful to start and operate a small business?

There can be many reasons.

If you are working your small business part-time while you are still working your regular job full-time, you are really working two jobs. The pressure of trying to do a good job at work, get your own business off to a solid start, and maintain your relationships with family and friends can be overwhelming.

If you have transitioned to running your business full time, there are ongoing pressures related to sales, cash flow, time management, and simply getting everything done.

If you have employees, the added issues related to managing employees contribute even more stress to your life.

Fortunately, small businesses have been around a long time, and the many entrepreneurs who have come before you know dozens of ways you can keep the stress level down and your work quality up.

Here are a few:

1. Keep your priorities straight. When you are excited about building or running your business, it’s very easy to get caught up in work and forget about what is really important in your life – family, friends, faith (you determine the order of importance). The better you keep your priorities in order, the more easily you’ll be able to manage the stress associated with your business. Yes, it’s that simple. Take some time right now to think about what is really important to you. Reorganize your schedule to reflect your commitment to those things at the top of the list.

2. Get plenty of sleep. Many small business owners will start early and work late, then try to have a family life before falling into bed for four hours or so and doing it all again. This is ultimately counterproductive. A tired entrepreneur is less smart, less effective, less quick on his feet, and less creative. Get more sleep, and you’ll find you actually get more done. Sleep is also vital to your health. Be very careful before you skimp too much in this area.

3. Learn time management skills. There are many books and websites that can help you develop excellent time management skills. You can start managing your time effectively by simply making lists every day, and keeping a time diary noting everything you do in a week and how long it takes. Go over this diary and find the things you can eliminate. Then eliminate them from your daily life one at a time.

4. Learn to delegate. Entrepreneurs are do-it-yourself people. However, you need to accept that you can’t do everything for yourself. Find vendors or subcontractors who can help with some tasks at a reasonable cost. If you have the resources to hire an assistant or other employees, delegate tasks to them. Spot-check what they’re doing if you must, but let go of a little of that control. Delegating authority is one of the most important executive skills, and you need to learn that anyway.

5. Start your day right. Start your day with some personal reflection or inspirational reading, not checking email. Then, prioritize your tasks for the day and address critical issues. Spend about 30 minutes each day centering yourself and preparing for your day. While it may seem like a waste of time at first, you’ll find that not only are you more productive and focused, but you will be better equipped to handle the stress that appears in your life.

6. Focus on the positive and what you have accomplished. If you do nothing but focus on what you don’t have and how much you have not accomplished, your stress level will rise dramatically. Be positive. There is some truth to the statement, “What you think about, you bring about,” so keep your mind focused on positive things.

7. Don’t neglect your physical health. Stay physically active. Get regular check-ups. Eat right. Not only does exercise relieve stress, but if you get so run down that your health suffers and you can’t work, you will experience even more stress.

8. Take some time off. All work and no play is a recipe for disaster. Unfortunately, entrepreneurs typically take pride in how hard working they are, so taking time off is often viewed as a weakness, rather than a positive thing. The truth is that the more tired and stressed you become, the less productive you are, no matter how many hours you “work.”

9. Finally, look for the joy and sense of accomplishment in your business. If you find that your business is only bringing you heartache and no satisfaction, it’s time to change businesses. If you can’t make an immediate change, start making a plan for a change. Simply making a plan and taking some action to get started with implementing that plan will make a big difference in helping to decrease your stress level.

Even though operating a small business is a lot of work, it doesn’t have be excessively stressful.

Veronica Robbins is a successful entrepreneur who has started and operated several successful businesses. She now shares her success by helping others start their own businesses. Read the many tips she has for new business owners at http://www.your-small-business-guide.com

These words are easy to say, but not always so easy to do. Nowhere is this truer than in your fight to invent something new or grow a prevailing business. As you strive to bring your vision to life, you will face countless obstacles and barriers to success. These obstacles can take on many different shapes and forms. Whether it is someone stealing your ideas, business partners flaking out, or even loved ones leaving you behind, the life of a creator is an ongoing test of wills. Can you learn to see the beauty in struggle and persist toward the life you desire?

The world of literature offers an inspiring example of what this attitude means in practice. In the groundbreaking novel “The Fountainhead”, readers meet an architect named Howard Roark. A few years into his career, Roark is alone, struggling financially, and consigned to working in an obscure rock quarry while his corrupt colleague basks in fame and prestigious assignments. While these circumstances are enough to reduce anyone to hopelessness and despair, Roark heroically refuses to give up. His reason?

“Throughout the centuries, there were men who took first steps down new roads, armed with nothing with their own vision. The great creators – the thinkers, the artists, the scientists, the inventors, stood alone against the main of their time. Every new thought was opposed, every new invention was denounced. But the men of unborrowed vision went ahead. They fought, they suffered, and they paid – but they won.”

By staying true to his vision, Roark persisted through his temporary hardships and ultimately triumphed in his chosen field. If you want to keep going, you need to become a man of unborrowed vision yourself. But how can you do what Roark did? It’s one thing for a fictional character to inspire us to great things. It is another for a real flesh-and-blood person to actually do so. Fortunately, history is filled with strong-willed men and women who have done just that. Their larger-than-life stories offer us both wisdom and encouragement to keep going when we know that we should.

One of the most inspiring stories of all belongs to Steve Jobs. Most of us know Jobs as the high-flying founder of Apple, the man who brought us the iPod, iMac, and every movie to come out of Pixar’s studios. But in 1986, Jobs was anything but. Exiled from the company he started, Jobs found himself alone and for the first time in his life, without a purpose. Jobs offers a rare personal glimpse into this dark period of his life in a commencement speech he gave at Stanford University in 2005.

“I was lucky; I found what I wanted to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents’ garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years, Apple had gone from just the two of us in a garage, into a $2 billion company with over 4,000 employees. We had just released our finest creation, the Macintosh, a year earlier, and I had just turned 30.”

If we stop the story there, many of us would envy Jobs. How many people can say that they found the work they love and achieved that type of success at such a young age? However, the story does not end there. Jobs continues:

“And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started? Well, as Apple grew, we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me. And for the first year or so, things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge, and eventually, we had a falling out. When we did, our board of directors sided with him. And so at 30 I was out – and very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating. I didn’t really know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down, that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with the board and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure and I even thought about running away from the valley.”

Here, we see Jobs at rock-bottom. The fruit of a life’s labor gone in the blink of an eye. A gaping void where a beaming pride and sense of direction once was. Against such crushing odds, a lesser person might have simply given up and resigned to failure. Not Jobs.

“But something slowly began to dawn on me: I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I’d been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over. I didn’t see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could’ve ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life. During the next 5 years I started a company named NeXt, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXt, and I returned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXt is at the heart of Apple’s current renaissance. And Laureen and I have a wonderful family together.

Sometime’s life’s gonna hit you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith.” Like Roark, Jobs was a man of unborrowed vision. Cast off from all of his material success and legacy, he retained what no outside force could take away: his intransigent love of what he did. There is a lesson here that every person should learn. It is not your social status, possessions, or professional ability that makes you who you are. They are important, but they are only effects, not causes. They are the just rewards of an attitude, of the refusal to let any hardship tame the fire of your passion and hold you down.

So, if you find yourself staring down impossible odds, keep going. Don’t give up.

Eric Corl is the President of Idea Buyer LLC, a marketplace for new technology and products that gives inventors the opportunity to showcase their intellectual property to consumer product companies, entrepreneurs, retailers and manufacturers. EricCorl@IdeaBuyer.com or http://www.ideabuyer.com