In the world of online businesses there are numerous companies promoting various opportunities to work at home. Working at home is the new American Dream, especially with the continually rising costs of gasoline, and other related expenses inherent with working for an employer at a central location. The problem we all face with a work at home program is in determining which are legitimate opportunities and which are out right scams.

So, rule number one is to do your research. Find out all you can about the companies you are interested in pursuing. Don't assume that just because you have a computer with an internet connection that you have all you need to succeed. Even with this, coupled with your desire to succeed will not be enough to create a successful work at home program for yourself. The sad fact remains that most people will fail in trying to start a work at home program.

The biggest reason for this failure is two-fold. One, they fall for one or more scams online and find their money gone swiftly, and two, they fall for the belief that making money online is quick and easy and will happen overnight. When they find out this is pure fiction, they usually give up on impatient failure if they don't have their bank accounts overflowing within the first week.

Therefore, before you do anything else in your pursuit of the ideal work at home program, you should set aside your tears, understanding that working at home takes learning, just like anything else, and to not expect overnight riches. While it's true that people are getting wealthy online, none of them got to be that way overnight.

Setting aside the fear of being scammed, by doing your homework, and adopting a more realistic expectation of earnings potential, your next step is to set goals for yourself and your next step is to set goals for yourself and your new business. You want to know what you want out of your work at home program, so that you can guage your progress. This should include both short term as well as long term goals. Write them down! Studies have shown that we are more likely to accomplish our goals if they are written than if we store them in our heads only. Lastly, work everyday towards achieving your goals. One step at a time.

Self discipline and self motivation are also two highly important character traits you need to develop if you are to succeed with your work at home program. Self-discipline is needed to keep you moving forward and to not go off on tangents, especially when researching what work at home programs you want to explore more closely. Working online, you can easily get distracted. Self motivation is the key to keep you moving forward toward your goals. By not working for an employer, you have no one to tell you what to do and when to get things done. If you have a lazy streak in you, lose it now or put away your dreams of a work at home program.

Starting your own Internet business from home is easy. Having success with it is not so easy, but can be accomplished by adapting the character traits discussed above, as well as the following: having a positive attitude, being highly organized, having an acute attention to detail, and developing a business plan to house your goals and strategies. You will need a total commitment, to learning as well as running and succeeding at your work at home program. It will take both time and effort, but doing these things will ensure that having your own successful internet business is possible and can make your dreams come true.