I would lock myself in my room and take the phone off the hook...or even better, find a place away from your normal environment, a quiet peaceful place, preferably around nature - in the woods or a nice park, etc.

Once I'm there, I would take a few moments to relax and soak it all in. Get your mind to a calm, comfortable, relaxed state. Then, I would start by making a list of all the things I enjoy doing, all of my interests and hobbies, all of my passions. Since we're starting from scratch, we might as well pick a subject/business that we would enjoy doing, right?

I would spend at least a good few hours on really getting this information out of myself. Think of what your ideal jobs or careers are. What have you enjoyed doing in the past? What did you enjoy a lot as a kid? What are the things that really make you come alive? Add everything to the list. Don't worry about how you're going to make money doing those things yet. Just put together as thorough a list as you can.

See...you want to do what you enjoy, what you love.

Pick the kind of lifestyle you want first - then build the business around that!

Only after your list is done, should you think of turning those hobbies/interests/passions into a business. Pick the top 5 choices out of your list and think of how you can help others by doing them. For example, if you really enjoy cooking and that was one of your top 5 choices, you can now start thinking of ways to turn that into a business.

You could, for example, share your recipes with others, teach them to cook like you, or you could even cook for them. Personally, I love selling information. So, I would probably decide to sell an informational product, say a book of recipes, a 'learn-to-cook' type of manual, or something along those lines.

My belief is that when you do something you really enjoy doing and you find a way to help others while doing it, making money is just a natural end result.

(Feel free to use this article online and in your email newsletters as long as you leave it intact and do not alter it in anyway. The by-line and resource box must remain in the article all links must be active hyperlinks.)