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The Last Piece of Chocolate Ever - Business Tips for the Silver Set Copyright
2004 Android Technologies, Inc.
INTRODUCTION
Right now I am
playing a game that I have played ever since
I was a kid. (I just took
another drink of milk). When I got a box of chocolates as a gift, I would
grab a whole container of milk and run into my room with the box. I would
then try to make the milk last for the entire box, trying hard not to run out
of milk before the last piece of chocolate, or run out of chocolate before
the last bit of milk. To this day I wonder if I had more fun playing
the balancing game than I did actually eating the chocolate. I do know
one thing. Sometimes the game distracted me from the delicious taste of the
chocolate and I do regret that.
What does any of this have to do with
being in business or
becoming an entrepreneur? Plenty, so bear with me a
few
paragraphs more.
THE TRUTH HURTS, A LOT
I have reached that
age where I am now sure of a few things.
One. Time moves only
forward. The number of grey hairs on
my head far exceeds the black ones.
Outside of a dye job I
don't see that ratio ever going back the other
way.
Two. The hands of time spin ever forward and the direction
they
point to is eminently clear. This journey is of a finite length, and I am
now of the age where I can start estimating that length. I am reminded of
this every time I wince at the realization, that I am squarely in the
age bracket those health insurance commercials for the silver set are
targeting.
Three. Although I have many good years left, I
am absolutely out of time when it comes to wasting any of them. Even one
single day. Every day is precious and I need to treat each and every one of
them that way.
BACK TO BUSINESS
One of the dangers of the later
years can be an extreme
sense of isolation. Loneliness. A sense of
being disconnected from the world and those around you. This can be
especially devastating for women. Women by nature are more social than men,
especially mothers and most of all grandmothers.
Take a caring human
being that has been actively involved
raising one or more generations of
human beings. Then place them in a solitary environment, with their
only comfort being perhaps the television, or the occasional guilt
motivated call from a relative. This is a recipe for sadness, despair, and a
loss of self worth. But I would never paint such a bleak picture for you if
I didn't believe that there is a cure.
THE CURE FOR CHOCOLATE
DEPRIVATION
The best solution for isolation is to start your
own business.
All of us, especially women, need to feel that they
are performing a useful service for somebody. For society. To be part of
a group and to be needed. You can of course perform charity work or other
similar work for free (if you can afford to do so). But will you feel really
needed?
Let me put it this way. Have you ever told a friend about a
great business idea you had? I bet in many cases, they were very supportive
and were very excited for you. Now, did you ever ask them for money to
invest in your business idea? I will also bet that in most cases their
enthusiasm vanished and was replaced with negativity, or perhaps a series
of excuses for why they can't give you any money right now.
Outside
of love from your family, the only way you know if
someone really needs your
services is if they pay you for them. The best compliments I have ever
received from anyone were from paying clients, not from friends.
STILL
GOT MILK
What happened to the chocolate?
The good news is that
after the last bite of chocolate, there was still a nice helping of milk left
in the glass. Perfect! Even though I was typing this article I made
a point to relish every chunk of chocately goodness as I washed it away
with milk.
The question is what will you do with the last piece
of chocolate in your box? Will you begrudgingly finish it, holding back
tears of regret and resentment for the life that you could have had, or for
the gratitude not received from the family you did have? Or will you create
a new family and a new self-image based on a sense of empowerment? Power
that comes from creating a new family of people that you help, and who in
return, pay you for the valuable services that you
render.
CONCLUSION
I don't know you so I don't know how many years
you have
left in your box of chocolates. But I can make you
this promise. Try your hardest to enjoy each and every day to the
fullest. Create for yourself at least one more terrific year, filled with a
sense of belonging to the world and rich with the memories of people and
events. If you can do this, it will wash away all the sadness and
life again will make sense. Perhaps in a way that it hasn't for a long
time.
This article has now come to an end and like the chocolate I
just ate, I hope it was as much fun for you as it was for me.
Good
luck.
About the Author:
Ted Riley is an entrepreneur and
educator interested in
teaching others on the benefits and rewards of having
your own home business. He writes frequently for the web site "A
Grandmother's Business", a web site dedicated to the needs and equirements of
the mature woman entrepreneur and job-seeker. To see more articles like this
visit: http://www.grandmabiz.com/
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