I was having a pre-driving talk with my 15-year-old son and shared my example when I was 16. I wanted to drive a car, but my mom couldn't put me on her policy. I bought my car for $1,300. Then my monthly expenses of car insurance, maintenance, and gas cost a ton. I needed this car to get to my job at the mall, but really I wanted the car to look cool driving to high school. I felt like I was treading water and not going anywhere. Why? I was going to school all day and then working at night. My weekly paycheck after taxes was just enough to pay my car expenses. I was in an ironic situation where I was working just to drive and driving just to go to work. I could have quit the job and hitched a ride to school from my neighbor and spent my time doing something I wanted to do. It took me a few years until I learned how to earn more income with the jobs I took. I was no longer working to drive as I had extra. Thank goodness or I would not have been able to afford taking my girlfriend Teresa anywhere. I could and won her over. I told Kenny. "And now she's your mom."

I then told Kenny another example of this irony, relating to moms. The stay-at-home mom wants to earn more income for the family. She goes out and finds a job. Let's say the job pays her $3,000 per month after tax. That sounds great, except one thing. She needs to hire a daycare service to watch her kids. She needs more maintenance and gas for her car. She needs more money for lunches and coffees and clothes for work. There are so many moms that accept the job before calculating the cost to have the job. Many times they are in the same place as the 16-year-old driver. They are literally working for daycare and putting the kids in daycare so she can work. It's ironic and very sad. Moms have so much on their plates and this puts them into a downward spiral and hurts many families. Aside from the zero profit, the mom is also taking her kids out of the home and getting them around other kids in daycare. Kids in daycare are always sick, so now this mom's kids are sick and it affects the whole family. Maybe the dad gets sick and has to call out of his work or business. This is detrimental.

The lesson here is simple and Jesus says it best. "For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it —  lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’?" That's from the Book of Luke, chapter 14 and verses 28-30. The 16-year-old driver and the stay-at-home mom MUST count the cost of the undertaking before embarking on the plan. In my son's case, he is already making money by cleaning and he get's paid way better than I did at his age. He was afford a car, but he is evaluating the best way to do it. What about the stay-at-home mom? Okay, there are tons of ways to achieve the goal. If she would adopt the "How Can I" mindset, she might decide to look for other options. One such option could be a solo cleaning business. Maybe that's why you're listening to this podcast right now? You may be a mom wanting to make more money and don't want to enter the full-time workforce. Cleaning houses and offices is an excellent opportunity. In fact, I've already spoken to this in the podcast, "How to Start a Solo Cleaning Business" and "The Pros of Solo Cleaning". You can design a flexible schedule, earn excellent income, and help others with a skill you already possess. 


Read the rest of this article at the Smart Cleaning School website