If you have been lucky enough to find or create a career where working from home is an option, there are still challenges you will face. For many moms, changing course and starting to work from home seems like a dream come true. Unfortunately, there are issues that will come up that were probably never even considered. A few are listed to help you prepare for the inevitable so you can make the most of the opportunity you have.

Challenge 1 - Discipline when Working at Home

The number one issue when beginning a work-at-home career is discipline. When you work outside the home, you leave the distractions of home life behind for the day and focus on your job, in most cases. When you work from home, the distractions are there full front all the time.

It takes incredible discipline to carve out a working space in your home and create working hours. Actually, the hard part is not the carving out and the creating; it's the sticking to it. If you lack the right amount of discipline, a project that would normally take an hour, could end up eating away most of the day. It's vital to your success to set strict working hours and to focus on your work during those hours. It's also vital to have the appropriate space to conduct that work.

Challenge 2 - The Distraction of Chores

For many work-at-home moms the distraction of chores plays a huge role in the lack of discipline arena. It can be an overwhelming challenge to ignore things that need to be done around the house. However, business success depends on being able to compartmentalize your home and your job obligations. Again, the challenge of being able to put your home 'on hold', even while you are sitting in it, takes incredible discipline.

Challenge 3 - What About the Kids?

If you have children that are too young for school, it's important to put child care into the work-at-home equation. Unless you plan to get up extra early every morning or stay up really late at night, you need to have some time to work without the worry of entertaining and supervising the children. Child care doesn't have to include an expensive day care or the children being gone every day. Even hiring a college student to come in for a few hours a couple of days a week will get you the valuable work time that you need in order to focus.

Challenge 4 - Generating an Income

When you put the challenges of working from home all together, the bottom line becomes how you will generate an income that makes it all worth it. If you don't have the discipline that it takes to work from home or the ability to ignore the chores and the assistance with the kids, generating an income becomes the biggest challenge of all.

It is possible to be very successful when you decide to work from home if you consider all situations and possibilities ahead of time.