Excitement and motivation are always at the highest level when first starting a new venture. This is particularly true when starting your own home-based business and get out of the rat race.

I have discovered three areas to keep an eye on to help make sure your path avoids common pitfalls…

1. Avoid Life’s Inertia

You may have already experienced this after starting your business. You set goals with great intentions but find yourself sidetracked by normal day-to-day life situations (work, taking care of the kids, taking care of the spouse, grocery shopping, going out to dinner, etc, etc).

Expect it. Know that it will happen and plan around it. Making a change for the positive is always tough. Making time can sometimes be really tough.

Find some sort of phrase that keeps you going. Mine is “Get Busy Living or Get Busy Dying” from the film Shawshank Redemption. When I think of that, I always put my head down and grind through whatever challenge is in front of me.

2. Plan on Work

One of the first things to realize is that a job at home is no different than performing well in any business – it requires work (who would have thought?).

There is busy work and there is work that has a goal.

Just putting a few words on Facebook and Twitter does not constitute work.  It is just “stuff.” Make sure you have a list in front of you everyday that shows things you need to get done.

Each of these “to do” items should be directly attributable to a way to make money or increase your business. If they are not, you probably should be working on something else.

3. Feeling You Are Not Ready

Let me say this, “You are ready”!

If you are putting off starting because you don’t want to make any mistakes, let me save you the time.

You will make mistakes.  - Learn from them and move on.

Too many people analyze something to death. They stay on the sidelines always needing “one more thing” before they are ready to take the first step (and most NEVER take that step).

I am not suggesting you jump into the deep end right away. I am saying find ways to START. Start anything…small…and adjust from there.