What used to “fire me up” had finally “burned me out.” After 30 years of nonprofit leadership and management – 30 MOSTLY-wonderful-years, mind you–I woke up one day, felt weary-to-the-bone at the thought of going into my downtown office, and just knew that I had to make a change once and for all. I didn’t want the last – and potentially best – 12 -15 years of my career to be just a matter of hanging on only to die on the vine. I had seen too many of my colleagues and friends go this way over the years, and that wasn’t going to work for me. Here’s what I did….

First, I had to get clear about what I WANTED in my life; I knew what I didn’t want and that was 15 more years of what I had created so far. So I had to ask myself, “What matters most to me NOW? What would my dream life look like?”

At first, all I could think of was how nice it would feel to wake up and NOT have to return to my present job – ever again. I let myself go with that good feeling, and started to build on it. What would I DO with myself? How would I support my dream lifestyle? How could I create change from the inside out?

If I didn’t have a strong and decided sense of “why”, then I wasn’t going to have what it took to create a new “what” in my own life, much less a sense of “how” to go about it. While I needed to be sure that I could generate enough income to meet my needs and wants, the images I was beginning to have of my life, didn’t begin and end with money. I knew that what I was ready for – longing for – was freedom. Freedom to decide when, where, and how I wanted to work – and play; freedom to support others in achieving their dreams; freedom to spend time with my family; freedom to donate money where it can do the most good in the world. Complete lifestyle freedom.

My Inner Entrepreneur - that energy and spirit that has always prompted me to take the road less traveled, to march to my own drum, and to look at things and see their possibilities, not their limitations – was speaking to me. Quietly (at first) and persistently, she was telling me that the moment had finally arrived for me to start my own business and never exchange time for money again, in a traditional job. And setting up a business from home would be ideal; there was no place else I wanted to be as much as I wanted to be at home. How perfect would that be!?

Once I GOT that, I only needed to fill in the details about what my business would be. Hmmm. I took my search online and it wasn’t long before I found a solution that seemed to have been made just for me. I could hardly believe my good fortune. I discovered that there are many opportunities to create businesses using the Internet; not all of them appealed to me, or even seemed legitimate or believable; some were downright skanky. I was pretty excited, then, when I came across what, over the next four months, changed my life and brought me to where I am today.

I could go on about the details, but the point of this brief “testimonial” article is to offer encouragement and a cheering on from the sidelines, to anyone else out there who may be feeling stuck, trapped, or just plain itching for a change in work and lifestyle. There ARE options; one doesn’t need to cling to the job-vine and then die a slow death there. If you too would love to find a better way to live your life and carry on the rest of your career, then listen carefully and see if you too have an Inner Entrepreneur speaking to you from the inside out. S/he may be trying to save your life!

Be amazed and amazing today!

Ready to save your life too? Let me show you how I did it, and decide for yourself.

Thia Hamilton, Ph.D., successfully launched her own independent Internet Marketing and Home Business Coaching company in the Spring of 2009. Since then she has been a valuable and trusted role model and mentor to more than 100 adults moving from traditional employment to home-based Internet marketing careers. Assisting and encouraging mid-life, career-changing entrepreneurs is what Thia loves best because she walks the talk! Her expertise, passion for supporting others’ success, and great sense of humor have evolved through 30 years of leadership and management experience in the nonprofit sector. In her long and rewarding career, Thia has been mentor, advocate, friend, and career coach to thousands of individuals as they overcome huge obstacles in order to live prosperous and empowered lives.

She has carried this new passion to help people succeed into her business and is always interested in meeting others who dare to succeed.

You can learn more about Thia, and be directly in touch with her at http://ThiasPlace.com and http://MeetThia.com.