"The best things in life are free", so the saying goes. True -– up to a point!

In reality, most things come with a price tag –- and, quite often, more than mere money is involved. This is particularly so of activities which are deeply satisfying.

For example, if we want to enjoy the many blessings of a happy marriage, the price both partners pay is becoming a little less selfish.

If we want to experience the joy of raising a family, we must be willing to forgo the sleepless nights, first when they are new born and then about fifteen years later, when they should have been home hours ago!

After marriage and a family, probably the next most satisfying activity is the sense of achievement gained from creating your very own thriving business.

Never has there been a better time to set up a business from home with minimal capital outlay and minimal overheads and no staff. Yet -- within a matter of months -- it can provide a very welcome extra income and, in a short while, be expanded to match what you are earning from your regular job.

Then, later, after you've given your boss the pink slip, how much you make is up to you. The sky is literally the limit.

But the price to be paid for the status and financial security of your own successful business is manifold.

Prime among these is what separates those forever doomed to walk the treadmill of a job and those who will soar with the eagles. It's simply this.

When you start, you have to defer pleasure, whilst you lay the foundations and build the structure of your business. It involves no money, yet it's a price few are prepared to pay.

But, if you are prepared to step up to the plate, you'll be head and shoulders above your work mates.

So, while others are arriving home from work, eager for an evening of fun and relaxation, you have to face the prospect of a few more hours work on your project. And your weekends belong to the fledging business too.

And there's the rub: at that stage, you cannot be certain if your extramural work will ever pay off.

That's when the doubts creep in.

Perhaps you're a mug, chasing an impossible dream. Why not be content with your lot? After all, you've a good job and manage to "get by". And there's that raise the boss promised you in the fall, so why not join the boys down at the bowling alley, after all?

This is the hard part.

It's not raising the money, or getting the ideas -- or even getting the customers. All that pales into insignificance, compared with this titanic tussle going on in your mind, right now.

But you do have one advantage. You are entirely in control of this conversation.

So here's the secret.

Flood your mind with vivid images of the exhilaration you'll experience, when that very first order for your new business arrives. Feel the absolute joy! Imagine the look of amazement -- even envy -- on the faces of "the guys at the bowling alley", when your business thrives and you drive by in your brand new, top of the range, Mercedes Benz.

They've frittered their time away watching TV and bowling. So the only explanation they'll find for your astonishing success is either you've won the lottery or are just "plain lucky".

But you and I will know differently, won't we?