If you haven’t lost your job yet , you worry that you will soon. And while you wait for the axe to fall, your workload has gone up, your downtime has become non-existent, and your duties have only increased.

If all that’s not enough to make your blood pressure rise, a new business school study from Florida State shows that bosses have become more demanding, and that politicking, sucking up, and backstabbing in the office are on the rise. Stress test? The office these days is giving you your own personal version, and, in short, you’re barely passing.

Sure, a certain amount of daily stress is normal. Stress, after all, is simply your reaction to change — either positive or negative . When stress threatens to overwhelm your coping mechanisms, it can become a clinical problem that requires professional help.

Stop and take a few deep breaths. In, out. OK? How about taking just a moment to consider? Is there a viable alternative to this scenario?… If there were, would you want to reach out and grab it?

Eliminating the source of the problem (i.e., finding another job) may be one solution, but really not the most effective in the long term. Until the job market improves, or you don’t need a “job” any more, you will have to try to find ways to regain a sense of control over your time and your surroundings.

OK, Let’s just dream a minute… What if you had your own business? say, an internet business that you could work from home? No demanding boss – No possibility of a layoff or pink slip. Don’t you see your stress level falling right off a cliff?

We can all visualize how different that would feel… Do you know that there is a growing group of people who have discovered that they can leave the “rat race” behind for good?… and are doing it every day?

There are some real obstacles that keep many potential internet marketers from ever starting a viable internet business: “Scams”, “rip-offs”, “junk-information”, maybe fear or lack of funds to invest, etc. etc. It’s true… good information is hard to find, but the legitimate business opportunities are definitely there… hidden “in plain sight” like gold nuggets in the gravel.

Internet marketing is much like any other real business. It takes work, education, dedication and tenacity to become successful. There are no secrets techniques or shortcuts. It is the person who succeeds, not the “system”.

Certainty is the real key… certainty that it can be done… and certainty that you can do it.

Does the recession have you down? Far too many people are running around wringing their hands, worrying about whether the recession will end. The reality is that the recession does not apply to everybody. In Bismarck, North Dakota, for example, the unemployment rate is a meager 3.7%. Last year happened to be very good for energy and accurate culture, two of the state’s major exports. The Internet is the same way. Even if the recession has hit the town that you live in very hard, major commerce is still being conducted online every day. The key is to start a home-based business that leverages the Internet and that can produce a recession proof, highly lucrative income.

A new term has been coined to describe rich entrepreneurs and executives who strive to look like starving artists. The word is Poorgeoisie and according to the Wall Street Journal, the social class has been with us for years. What has changed is that many of them no longer have to pretend to be poor. On the other side of the spectrum are the new entrepreneurs who are launching home-based Internet marketing businesses and who are creating massive wealth in the process. These folks have no reason to pretend that they are poor and are in fact quite proud of their income and their accomplishments.

One of the last vestiges of the old analog days is in the process of disappearing. Photographic film maker Eastman Kodak Co. has discontinued the 74 year run of its premier color film, Kodachrome. It seems that photographers have completely abandoned the film format, in favor of new and more exciting digital technology. If you have not embraced such technological advancements, perhaps it is time to. Even aging baby boomers are turning to the Internet to launch new careers and create lucrative streams of income.

May’s unemployment rate was 9.4%, the highest it has been in 26 years. The federal stimulus funds intended to help create jobs have in fact only slowed the job losses. Despite the fact that there appear to be glimmers of hope that the recession will soon end, the experts all seem to agree that it will take quite a while for the job market rebound as well, and that double-digit unemployment is highly likely. Anyone who is threatened by unemployment should consider launching a home-based business in a recession proof industry.

The first Social Security check was issued to a woman named Ida May Fuller in 1940. The amount of the check was a whopping $22.54. Apparently back then Social Security had no problem funding the payment. Unfortunately, that is no longer the case as the entire system teeters on the verge of insolvency. If you are basing your long-term financial planning and retirement future on Social Security it might be time to rethink your options. Even if the system doesn’t break down, it probably won’t be enough to live on comfortably.

Motorola’s prototype for the first cellular phone — descriptively called “the brick” because of its appearance — dates back to 1973. Of course the inventor of the phone, John F. Mitchell, had no idea that by 1998 wireless products would account for almost 70% of the company’s revenue. The same holds true for the Internet. In the early 90s, marketing online was yet to happen. Today, with the advent of Web 2.0 technologies, the Internet is the world’s most dynamic marketplace. Internet millionaires are being created every day, and this trend will only continue to pick up momentum.

Today, many people have been affected by the failing economy in some way or another. Some of these effects include the fear of losing a job, one’s company going bankrupt, loss of employment, retail sales falling drastically and stocks going down.

With the current economic situation, more people are looking for alternate sources of income, with the freedom and security that comes with being their own bosses. Online businesses have become widely appreciated for the opportunities they offer for wealth creation, financial independence and security. The flexible working hours add to the appeal of a home based business.

Many people say that the internet is the way of the future, but the truth is that it is the way of now. The number of businesses online continues to grow every single day as more and more people realize how many great opportunities are available and how it’s actually possible to run a successful business from home.