Starting a business is easy. Doing it successfully? Now, that’s difficult. It’s difficult enough to create a successful business during the best of economic and personal times. Doing it in the middle of a questionable (at best) economy and in the middle of a chaotic personal time seems almost impossible, but that is what I am doing. Why would anyone even think about doing it then? The answer: I have to.

Okay, so I do not really “have” to do anything. I could just sit and do what I’m doing, but that isn’t working out for me very well. I went from making a six-figure salary to being broke. The reason is simple: I am burned out because I suck at creating personal boundaries. I wanted to help people. I wanted to be a good friend and family member. I didn’t want to dwell on stress, so I threw myself into work. All seemed fine in the beginning. It wasn’t until I began to crack under the pressure that I realized I took on too much while ignoring the wrong things. Now, I’m at the point where I’m most likely going to lose my house, going through an annoying divorce, and my blood pressure is high enough for me to stroke out, but I’m starting a new business anyways.

I’m not doing anything new, but I’m backing off things that pushed me past my limit. I own/co-own a couple of businesses. It’s frustrating to see how much potential a business could have but people are too lazy or dumb to get us there. At least if I’m 100% owner of my own business, my success or failure rides solely on me. It’s both satisfying and terrifying at the same time. In order to release stress, I have to create it. In order to get ahold of my boundaries, I have to create them. What I’ve been doing hasn’t been working; I have to try something different.

I have made a lot of mistakes in the past twenty years. I could be so much better off if I would have done things differently. Alas, I cannot change the past, so I have to look to my future. I am creating a business and a brand that will sustain my family. It will give my older son something he can continue (if he wishes). I’m giving my younger son (who has multiple disabilities) a viable working future. I am not trying to rush anything. I’ve been waiting on things to fall into place in order to help make this decision more apparent. I am not a very patient person in those regards, so it has not been easy.

I have the name, the business registered, a couple of clients all ready to roll. Tomorrow is the first day in this new adventure. I’m happy and nervous. I knew I had to make a change, or I will be dead soon. I know this is going to have some growing pains and some stress, but I am good at what I do. I know I will not be hurting for customers. I have a good reputation. I might not know where I’m going to be living in a couple of months, but I know what I’ll be doing for work. That’s a start.

I had to start a new business to take charge of my life. I’m tired of letting everyone else look out for themselves first while my family took a back seat to someone else’s profit. It was time for my family to actually come first in actions, not just in words and intentions. “The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.” The road to salvation is built with hard work, one brick, one stone at at time.