When I began with my first MLM. I remember my upline casually asking me the question "So, why do you want to get started with a home business?"  I came up with a few (I thought) relevant responses, and we moved on.  I don't remember many, or any, more of that type of conversation.  I even stopped thinking about it after a while. 

But things didn't go too well, and after getting involved with a marketing training program, I started hearing that question a bit more often. I also started coming across and working with a few business coaches over time, who posed that same query again and again. For a while I thought the question was bogus; that it was something a coach asked when he or she didn't know exactly what to ask, or a question they used to get to know me better. But the more I found myself thinking about it, the more the question made sense.

I think I was starting to "get it"...

Mine started out as two-fold: to bring in an income from home (we're homeschoolers, and maintaining that is important to us); and to better my family's health (the MLM I joined was in the health and wellness field). I was fortunate enough to meet up with a coach who finally explained the importance of the answer, and it made all the difference in the world. It also changed my "why" dramatically!

In a nutshell: your "why" is what keeps you going. When you can't seem to get your blog set up; when a technical aspect has you pulling out your hair; when you've poured hours into a lead capture page and don't seem to get any leads from it; when the phone isn't ringing even though you're giving away your services; when the directories are refusing to list your website; when your pages are getting the "click" but not the "ka-ching"; when your friends and family think you're crazy for doing what you're doing; when you're tired and want to quit. Those are the times (and there are others...) when your "why" is all that's keeping you in the game.

Realizing the importance of the answer has changed my "why" dramatically. Today, I have at least 4:

* to develop the gifts and experiences God has blessed me with (as a Christian, the concept is called "good stewardship");

* to encourage others by using that development both in homeschooling and home business support, by taking what I learn and "pay it forward";

* to set an example to my kids of overcoming obstacles (yup, as a veteran at-home mom with little internet experience, and business experience dating back to the '80's, you could say I had a few!); and

* to fulfill a need to create something lasting that will benefit others.

I hope these are enough to keep me going for awhile at least!  This is a great time of year to do some soul-searching for yourself and write out your own list.  Believe me, it'll get you through "those days" that are sure to come to us all...

In the meantime - best of everything in your ventures! 

Pat Fenner is a veteran homeschooler of 14 years. Her passion is to help homeschoolers ~ and other at-home parents ~ tap into their unique interests and abilities to develop a viable home business. Using Web 2.0 and the principles of attraction marketing, she coaches small business owners on free and low-cost ways to get their message out without breaking their budget! Visit her blog and get a FREE report on attraction marketing when you sign up for her Learning and Earning at Home! newsletter. You can also follow her on twitter.