I was once talking to my wife about exercise. I have been involved in health, fitness, and weight loss for years. We were discussing some aspects of exercise, and I mentioned that there was no such thing as a "best" exercise because exercise can be used to accomplish so many things and so many people actually find different exercise niches that fit them best.

My wife immediately came back with, "I know what the best exercise is. It's the one you do and don't quit."

Well, maybe not a stroke of genius, but definitely an insight.

Whether you're talking about exercise or running a home business or building a relationship, don't you think "something you do and don't quit" should be among the top criteria?

After all, what normal person is going to stick with an exercise program (or home business) if that program or exercise is boring and tedious and does not provide some overriding reward that compensates for the tedium (and occasional pain)? Certainly, after time the rewards experienced may cause the activity to become less of a chore, but generally the rewards at the beginning of an activity are often small or even nonexistant. Increased ability may help make the activity more enjoyable. But for most of us, our initial motivation is not going to be able to carry us through the period of adaptation and learning that will accompany the new program.

However, a program devised of activities we LIKE to do may very well give us the motivation to do it day after day.

Just like the "best excercise", everybody would like to find the "best" home business. That would mean leaving the boss, the time clock and the commute behind. Wouldn't that be great? Just the dream of leaving the old nine-to-five behind might not be enough to carry the new business owner through the initial period which often is comprised of challenges, disappointments, rejection, failure, and tedium.

Okay, so what IS the BEST home business?

For starters, I think the best home business for you might not be the best home business for me. By the way, I was going to keep saying "home business or internet business", but I figured out that was too much typing, so when I say "home business", just assume that I am also saying, "internet business" which is a kind of home business anyway. Okay, got it straight? I don't intend to repeat it.

There are going to be a lot of things to think about and problems to overcome with ANY new business opportunity. There will be finances to be arranged, schedules and plans to be drawn up, networks to be established, and so on.

Wouldn't life be a little easier if you started out in a business you knew something about? After all, might there be a reason for so many women doing well with companies such as Avon, Mary Kay, and Arbonne? Who might have the edge with Amsoil Synthetic Motor Oil in today's society? A man or a woman? I'm not trying to stereotype, it's just a woman in our society, is more likely to be knowledgeable about and interested in cosmetics than motor oil, and vice-versa for a man, and you will probably find that the leaders in each of those types of businesses fall into that female/male pattern (although I have been introduced to a gentleman who was a successful Avon distributer, and I am sure there are many ladies selling Amsoil Motor Oil.

Let's look at it another way. Who is going to be more successful selling pet products, someone who loves animals or someone who could care less about animals but figures they could make a few bucks? Better yet, what if that person who loves animals really believes that they have found a great pet product and want to share it with others? So now you're looking for a home business. If you jump at the opportunity to "make a lot of money", what is going to happen to your motivation after a while if that money does not appear? What if, however, you find an opportunity that fits in with your likes and desires? Wouldn't your chances of success be better with that than with a program that you joined because you want to make money, but could care less about the business or product?

A step further. It's a business you WANT to be involved in, you can make money with it, AND you know something about the subject already. My first successful home business, the one I reached a six-figure income with, was in the health and fitness field, and involved selling a product and providing a service that I believed in passionately. There was a long dry spell at first, but I stayed with it because IT WAS FUN AND I ENJOYED IT! I now put a couple of thousand dollars a week into the bank because IT IS STILL FUN AND I STILL ENJOY IT!

You know something funny? I got to the point where I enjoyed running my internet business so much and had learned so much about doing it, that I began to enjoy the act of internet marketing. In fact, that has become my new business. I share the fun and facts of internet marketing with people new to this whole idea. I write articles, I construct web sites, I promote thru various means. I am a member of several forums where I exchange information and sometimes jokes with others who also enjoy internet marketing. We learn from each other, and sometimes hit the jackpot again. It's almost addictive. If you just want to make a lot of money fast, you COULD just STEAL it. That would probably not cause you much peace of mind, and it has certain inherent risks you might not want to take.

However, if you are interested in learning how to make money with a home or internet business, find out who you are first. Find out what you enjoy doing. Years ago, Earl Nightingale, a host of a national radio show dealing with motivation and success answered a question from a listener. The listener was a young man who wanted to know what to do with his life, what career he should follow to make money and be successful. Earl Nightingale told him to find something he enjoyed doing so much that he would do it even if nobody paid him and make that his life's work.

Not bad advice