Consider these factors:

I work at home, full time over the Internet.
I have a business that most people just plain do not understand.
I work in a field that most people do not even know exists.
I stay home all day.
I often stay up all night working and sleep in very late.

This looks very bad to 'regular' folks. It's of no concern to me. I'm literally immune to other people's opinions. I've always been a bit of a loner anyway.

What I'm wondering, though, is how does my wife deal with this? I mean, she's not really sure just exactly what it is I'm doing here anyway, and yet she backs me up. For that, I'll have to reward her someday.

It's tough on her at times, though, and it's especially tough on her when talking to others.

I've seen her try to handle the questions before. I remember specifically what it was like when my wife's aunt and uncle first met me. We were just starting to look into moving to Montana, and we stopped by their house to let them know we would be coming to the area.

"So, what does your husband do for a living?" her aunt asked, as I sat across the room talking to her uncle.
"He works over the Internet," my wife answered. This is where Aunt gave my wife one of those looks that's easier to read than a 10 foot neon sign.

Her look said, "But the Internet is a just a play toy for computer geeks and college students. He can't be making any money from that --- unless he's a scam artist."
"What does he do over the Internet?" Aunt replied politely in spite of her thoughts.
"He sends out newsletters," my wife answered. (That's her take on what I'm doing here. For a better explanation, see my web site. It's actually just a LITTLE more complicated than that!)

"Uncle," Aunt called to her husband in return to my wife's simplistic explanation of my business, "Joe there is looking for work."
I can only imagine what my wife was feeling at that moment. Wives like to be proud of their husbands. Heck, wives like to BRAG about their husbands. So having a job that leaves people thinking I'm, well, basically a bum and a thief is probably a just little hard on her ego.

She tries to explain that yes, I do make money, and that no, I won't be going to jail for it, and that yes, I do actually accomplish something, and that no, I'm not just trying to get out of having a real job and...
It doesn't really work, though, and I feel for her. Someday I'll have to reward her for her loyalty.

It probably doesn't help when Aunt comes to visit at 11:30 a.m. and I'm still in bed asleep either. She doesn't know that I was up until 5:30 a.m. working away. She doesn't know that I usually end up working at night because during the day I like to do things with my wife and kids.

All she sees is a bum that "sleeps in 'til Noon!" Of course, the relatives wouldn't dare say anything to me about their opinion. Instead, my wife gets blasted with it.

Friends don't help any either. I've heard the talk. "How can you stand having your husband around all the time like that?" Or, "Run him out of the house! Tell him to get a real job!" Or, "I bet all he does is sit at the computer looking at porno sites all day."

Whoa! Yes, I've been accused! Now, honestly, if there was a way a man could make money by doing nothing but sitting in front of the computer all day looking at naked women, I'm SURE that program would get a LOT of recruits, but until that happens...

Ahem. Anyway, uh... What was I saying?

It doesn't seem to make any difference that I make money at it either. No matter how much time I've spent trying to explain it to people, most of my conversations usually end up with me shying away from job offers. My wife is very understanding, though, and to her credit she really has stuck by me. For that, she deserves a just reward.

In the very beginning, I convinced her to look at the Internet as an investment because I was spending money and not making any. In fact, the Internet remained in the 'investment' category for about seven months. That's hard on a wife. Especially considering I had told her I would have all our debts paid off in the first three. Yes, as a newbie I fell long and hard for the hype of how easy it all was. I owe her for that statement as well, and I will reward her.

While the Internet is now running in the 'profit' category, there is still a desire and a growing need to boost it all the way up into the 'wealth' category. My business is growing, and making more each month so I know I'll get there. However, I'm not yet to the point where my money alone will shut the mouths of all the skeptics.

But by golly, I CAN'T WAIT until I am!

For my wife's sake, of course.

No, seriously, I am a nice guy. I'm not going to ridicule those that ridiculed me. I'm not going to shun those that shunned me. I understand why they view me the way they do. I know they don't really comprehend what I'm doing and so I understand their skepticism and their criticism of me.

Therefore, when I do reach the 'wealth' category, I'm not going to thumb my nose at anyone. I'm not going to painfully remind them of how they mistreated me in the past. Heck, I'm not even going to gloat in my 'not working for a boss, self earned wealth'.

I'll just let my wife do it.

Ha! Ha! There's your reward, baby! You go girl!!!

Pass this one on to your spouses everyone. Let them know their reward is coming. Then let's all push our marketing into the 'wealth' category and enjoy it with them.

I know this ain't church, but there's only one thing that can be said to that...

Amen!

Copyright by Joe Bingham