The Proactive Pro

It's been four years since I first became a work-at-home professional.  I have peddled my services online and have earned quite a substantial income for my efforts.  First, I worked as a home-based call center agent, then a transcriptionist which I still am. I've enjoyed the comfort and convenience of working at home.

There have been some issues that I've had to deal with, though.  As I've mentioned in my previous blog post, loneliness is one of the challenges work-at-home professionals face, particularly if they're single. I have realized that I've been too busy for other things.  I seldom leave my work station.  I have a family to support so I have to earn every penny I can, but I also am a person and I have needs to fulfill.  I need to find a way to maximize my earnings while minimizing the time I spend in front of my laptop.

I've always wanted to be an online entrepreneur. That is why I have been reading about the different aspects of Internet marketing.  I'm particularly interested bum marketing because I have very little money to invest.  Probably, the most that I can afford right now is a domain for my online business.  I have been writing articles that I will sell and post on money-making sites such as Squidoo, Constant Content, etc.  I will use my earnings from this site to start my online business.  I know I won't get substantial results overnight, but I am willing to plod through the long road that I have to take.  Patience is the key to success in Internet marketing.  I will need tons of it.

I just hope that when I finally achieve results in my Internet marketing efforts, I'll have the time to workout (I've gained a lot of weight from sitting at my workstation the whole day), date and find myself a husband (teehee!).  I want to be able the things that I've always wanted to do.

In the coming days, I will be sharing what I have learned about article writing and article marketing.  I will still share some tips on finding a work-at-home job, but I will now focus my efforts more on Internet marketing.  I still am a transcriptionist and I will be maybe for another year. However, I must not limit myself. Neither should you. We should always strive to improve our lot. I hope you will walk with me through my journey. I want to learn from you, my readers, and also, I would like to share what I will discover along the way. Wish me luck and I wish the same to you.

Meet Nicholi. He doesn't own a web cam, so he goes to an Apple store, does his thing, records and uploads this video, enjoying himself without minding the people around him. Days later, he finds himself on "Good Morning America."  He's one of YouTube's emerging stars.

What can you learn from this kid?

After a two-month hiatus, I'm finally back. So where have I been?  I haven't gone anywhere.  A lot of things happened that made me busy.  Well, for one, my Mom was hospitalized due to hypertension. She almost had a stroke. I had to work double time to keep up with the bills. Really, a lot of things came up. But in between my activities, I did a lot of thinking.  I had a notebook at hand.  I was scribbling ideas for this blog as they came.  As a result, I've come up with a lot of material. (I was being proactive, you see.)

I am excited about this blog.  See, I've given it a new look to make it easier on the eyes. The font used to be too small to read.  The predominant color is cool blue.  I like it.  Do you?  What do you think?

Please watch out for my future posts.  I have a lot more useful tips and information for work-at-home professionals like me and for work-at-home pro wannabes.

In the meantime, you might want to learn French.  I've been studying French for quite some time now, and I have discovered a lot of things about learning this language.  For some tips on how to learn French quickly and easily, please visit my Squidoo page by clicking HERE. 

Till next time,

I have been a full-time work-at-home professional for more than three years now and I am speaking from experience when I say that working alone can be very isolating. I had my first work-at-home job as a home-based call center agent. I rented a small room in Pasig, Manila. Since I needed a conducive workplace, I had to stay in a relatively quiet neighborhood. I was prone to depression at that time as I was still recovering from a major heartbreak. I spent most of my waking hours cooped up in that room. I didn't have a normal life because I was asleep during the day and awake at night -- a predicament that most call center agents find themselves in -- so there was very little opportunity to interact with people outside my room. The isolation made my depression worse, and so I had a major depressive episode. I was so depressed that the idea of committing suicide was dancing around my brain. Fortunately, I had the good sense to call my precious friends who then came to my rescue. I had to see a psychiatrist and take anti-depressants and it took quite a while before I recovered completely.

Here are the lessons I have learned from my experience:

Lesson #1: Don't telecommute if you live alone or don't live alone if you telecommute.

I have since moved out from that dismal, four-walled inferno that I once called my room and have returned to Kalibo, my hometown, where I live with my family. I thought living alone would be good idea because I wouldn't be distracted at work. I was wrong. For me, it's easier to deal with distractions than with loneliness and depression. We need people to help us pick ourselves up when we feel down. Social networking sites such as Facebook, Friendster, MySpace and instant messengers are good tools that help you get in touch with people, but trust me, there's no substitute for having face-to-face conversations with people in the flesh.

Lesson #2: Make sure that you're living a well-balanced life.

Telecommuting gives us the freedom to work long hours. We don't have to worry about rush-hour traffic or going home too late (duh!). But we must remember that there is more to life than making oodles of money. We must never forget that we are social beings and we need to be with people every now and then.

Where to find people:

• Gym -- We need exercise. I do. I've grown significantly heavier since I started working at home. Sitting for long periods at our workstations will cause our waistlines to expand considerably unless we do something about it. Plus, going to the gym gives us the opportunity to meet attractive people (for single people only), or at least feast our eyes on them. ;)
  
• Clubs and Organizations -- You may want to do some volunteer work or pursue a hobby. Let's be well-rounded individuals! You may also form an organization with fellow telecommuters in your area.
• Cafes -- You can even work there if the nature of your job permits you to do so and if it's not too distracting. Take advantage of the WiFi especially if it's free. You don't have to talk to people. Hearing people talking in the background or just seeing them around can help you feel less isolated. In my case, I don't go to my favorite cafe to work. I take a break from work and go there to have a nice chat with my best friend over some cappuccino or latte.
  
• Bars -- Loosen up and grab a drink once in a while. Or better yet, buy someone a drink. ;)

Lesson#3: You are more important than your job.

We must not forget that we have needs. We need warmth, appreciation, love and affection. We need to interact with other human beings in order to grow. If we spend most of our waking hours in front of our computers, we would soon find ourselves emotionally starved. If your home-based job requires you to sacrifice your needs, then you might want to do a lot of serious thinking about it.

Loneliness is a challenge that every telecommuter faces, but it can be overcome. We need to have people nearby to make us feel supported and less isolated. Balance is essential. We need to give ourselves time to loosen up, be with our family and friends and meet people. Most of all, we should never neglect ourselves. Remember, there is more to life than work.

A chubby middle-aged woman with bushy eyebrows walked across the stage and stood there amid the laughter and sneers from the audience. She played along and did an awkward little dance in response to the wolf whistles. A young girl made a face when that woman said she was trying to be a professional singer. The audience thought she was a joke and expected her to fall flat on her face. And then, she sang...

Susan Boyle reminds us about two things: 1) Never judge a book by its cover or you'll never know the story it tells and 2) It's never too late to go for your dreams. Britain's Got Talent judge Amanda Holden said, "It was a complete privilege listening to that." I totally agree. Play the video and be counted among the privileged ones. And oh, get a hanky because you might need to wipe some tears.

I'm out of sorts today. I feel a bit depressed and grouchy. I had to drag myself out of bed this morning. I had to force myself to turn on my laptop and work.

I'm a woman and it happens every month.

Okay. I've got to admit that sometimes, I hate my job especially when I meet difficulties along the way and when things don't turn out the way I want to. Yes, there are times when I feel like tossing my job out the window. PMS magnifies the feeling ten times.

But I also know that there are a lot of people who would love to have my job, people like Jen, my next door neighbor who is a teacher. She has to get dressed every day, wear makeup, buy gasoline and drive her motorcycle to the next town to teach nine sections of grade school pupils. She hates her boss, the principal. And she earns only a little over 1/10 of what I make each month. I ask her, "Why do you do this?" She just shrugs her shoulders and says, "It's the only job I can get." By the way, Jen was here a few days ago, asking me to teach her how to do my job.

I, on the other hand, just have to drag my butt out of bed to my work station which is literally just a few steps away. I can work in my pajamas. I don't even have to wash my face and brush my teeth before I start working (But of course, I brush my teeth and wash my face). It's just me, myself and my laptop. No fire-breathing bosses. No gossipy co-workers.

Sometimes, when I feel like bitching about my job, I have to remind myself what a lucky beeyotch I actually am.