One of the problems that many people who are living on benefits have is that they struggle to find some way of earning a living given their particular limitations. They may be limited by caring for their family whether they need care because they are young or elderly or disabled or sick. Or indeed they may be disabled or sick themselves.

It starts by deciding to change

Someone like Larry Wingett tries to provoke people into action by saying that only reason why they are victims is that they have decided to become or stay a victim. I know that sounds harsh but to be honest, I look back at my own experience and I know what he is trying to say.

If we accept a situation or tolerate it or become settled in it we will struggle to do what it takes to change it. If others say you need to be content where you are and accept the situation then it becomes harder to escape it.

The first step of a 12 step recovery program is accepting responsibility because once you do that your situation can change. If you are always blaming others for what is happening then you are saying whatever you do will not change anything because it is their fault.

If you are not looking for something then when you find it it will not resonate with you. You can look around for a pen and find your glasses. If all you want is the pen then it will not mean anything to you finding the glasses. When you find the pen then it will mean something to you.

Facing the challenge

It is incredibly easy to say that you are facing a challenge say caring for a house full of young children on your own and say that it is too hard to overcome that challenge to earn a living. It is not easy but there are ways over, round and through those barriers.

For years I thought it was too much of a challenge to balance home and family responsibilities with a job. I thought that doing double duty as a carer would be too much. After all even those of my generation had additional needs that sapped my energy so made my challenge too great. The problem I found was that those who I lived with thought that I was worthless because I was not pulling my weight in terms of increasing the household income. This then encouraged them to start new lives without me so I lost out in the end.

You see if you tolerate situations and don’t do anything to change them for the better the chances are that they will only get worse. The issue may stay the same but the consequences of that issue will change and not always in a positive way.

Handling the challenge

One of the things about working for yourself is that it is easier to find ways to overcome those challenges. I have heard of women breastfeeding a baby while doing a telephone interview as part of their business. To be honest, if they had not admitted it in the interview then no one would have known. It is easier for the boss to set up a nursery area in the office and bring the baby to work than it is for the secretary.

If you are working for yourself it is easier to arrange your diary so that you have appointments outside the home during school hours and are at home when the children are at home. It is a juggle and no one said it was easy but it is not impossible.

It takes care and planning and a refusal to beat yourself up for not being able to take on both roles at once. If you have time to do justice to 1.5 roles and you are doing 2 and you know you are an ordinary human being then work out your priorities and plan carefully to meet them.

Inspiring but…

It is not easy but it is not impossible. When I heard of someone who made money from selling writing courses online I did not think it was that uncommon. Then I found out that this guy had a progressive illness and that just about the only things he could move were his mouth and eyes. He used a variety of adaptive devices that helped him use a computer and dictate the things he wanted to write. The money that he earned from his writing helped him pay for the care that he needed to stay in his own home rather than go into residential care. He found a way of using the abilities he did have to earn money and be independent when many in the same situation.

Inspiration is helpful. Comparisons can be devastating. Too many shoulds make people believe that the problem is that they are not enough. When they feel they are not enough then shame sets in and it is easy to lose the courage and strength needed to go forwards.

Somehow though a way needs to be made to overcome those barriers if people are to succeed. The beauty of being in business though is that you can set up a business so that you do what you want when you want. You can delegate and automate what you can fit what you do around the other commitments in your life.