1 . Do you like the idea of running your own business from home? Most of you do, and the first things you say you like about it are being your own boss, having flexible hours and working in your pajamas.    1    

Being your own boss is definitely one big advantage.    2     You must commit to work on your business regularly to make profits. If not, you will find that your income becomes non-existent.So, have set office hours where you productively work on building your business.

    3    Doctors’ appointments and family commitments can simply be worked into your schedule. Again, you need to arrange your appointments carefully and try to book them together. This way you can get all of your running around done in one day.

Working in your pajamas may seem appealing initially. But it can also prevent you from actually getting your work done.     4     After that, just walk into your office and start your day’s work. Being too casual means getting less work done on a regular basis.

In order to run a successful business from home you need to have a good mindset.    5    

2 . Profitable Senior Service Businesses You Can Start Today

This year, almost 4 million Americans will turn 65. That number will continue to grow for the next two decades. By 2030, it will grow to over 75million people.     1    In fact, the U.S.

    2    As most seniors want to stay independent as long as possible, they, or their grown-up children, plan to use that increased wealth to make their lives better in their senior years. This will provide an abundance of moneymaking opportunities. Because most seniors want to age in place in their own homes, they often need help with daily tasks like meal preparation and housekeeping. Many are unable to drive and need reliable transportation for shopping trips and doctor's appointments.     3     Seniors also often need a reliable resource person-a “senior concierge”-to handle the tasks they are unable to do, such as scheduling home repairs, buying groceries or taking a pet to the vet.     4    

There comes a time-usually in their 70s or 80s-when seniors downsize and move to a much smaller residence or a retirement community.    5    They help reduce the emotional stress associated with moving, so a senior has a gentle, and smooth transition to their new home. The growing number of seniors, and the service jobs they are creating, mean new opportunities for anyone who wants to start a business serving seniors. If you're looking for a rewarding job or home-based business providing essential services to this growing population of seniors, you'll find plenty of choices.

3 . When I was a boy growing up in New Jersey in the 1960s, we had a milkman delivering milk to our doorstep. His name was Mr. Basille. He wore a white cap and drove a white truck. As a 5-year-old boy, I couldn’t take my eyes off the coin changer fixed to his belt. He noticed this one day during a delivery and gave me a quarter out of his coin changer.

Of course, he delivered more than milk. There was cheese, eggs and so on. If we needed to change our order, my mother would pen a note — “Please add a bottle of buttermilk next delivery” — and place it in the box along with the empty bottles. And then, the buttermilk would magically (魔术般) appear.

All of this was about more than convenience. There existed a close relationship between families and their milkmen. Mr. Basille even had a key to our house, for those times when it was so cold outside that we put the box indoors, so that the milk wouldn’t freeze. And I remember Mr. Basille from time to time taking a break at our kitchen table, having a cup of tea and telling stories about his delivery.

There is sadly no home milk delivery today. Big companies allowed the production of cheaper milk, thus making it difficult for milkmen to compete. Besides, milk is for sale everywhere, and it may just not have been practical to have a delivery service.

Recently, an old milk box in the countryside I saw brought back my childhood memories. I took it home and planted it on the back porch (门廊) . Every so often my son’s friends will ask what it is. So I start telling stories of my boyhood, and of the milkman who brought us friendship along with his milk.

7 . I was 6 years old when my father told me we were leaving the Big Apple Circus (马戏团). Until that point, I had spent most of my life on the circus lot, playing with the other circus kids. The circus, by its nature, is one that has a loose structure. So the early years after my leaving the circus to sit in a classroom all day felt more like a prison.

But years later, I found areas that interested me. I took the skills I had learned from being onstage and applied them to broadcasting. And so when Boston’s news station WBUR offered me a job out of college, I jumped at the chance. Along the way, I found I really enjoyed the work. I became WBUR’s news reporter. The flexibility and adaptability I’d learned in the circus as a child helped me do my job naturally and easily in a stressful situation — whether it was a destructive tornado outside Boston, or the Boston Marathon bombings of 2013.

But then a serious infectious disease appeared. Suddenly, for the first time in my adult life, I went for a year without doing any shows. But it became clear to me that performing was what I truly wanted. For me, the circus symbolizes who I am. And stages have always been where I’ve felt the most free. Some people get nervous before they go onstage, but by assuming (扮演) the character of Jacques ze Whipper and drawing a stupid moustache on my face, all my social anxiety disappears.

Circus performances go beyond age, socioeconomic status (地位), and even language. It’s the type of performance where you can go anywhere in the world to entertain anyone — help anyone forget their troubles for 5, 10, and even 30 minutes. And most importantly, for me, it means coming home.

10 . I decided at 10 that I was going to be a teacher because I had a burning desire for superpowers. As a boy, I could clearly see some of my teachers had extraordinary________ .

There was an English teacher in fifth grade who could magically transport us to different worlds by reading to us from books we would have________ never picked up. It was even shocking that my teacher could see the________. I was one of those who lacked confidence. Yet my teacher would notice me hidden in the corner,________ to speak, and the unspoken________ in her eyes suggested that she could see me through. I could still________ remember her lessons about the great masters of art. She did this________ her major was not art, nor geography. I wanted to be one of those all—seeing ones with superpowers that made children feel safe and________.

Being a teacher isn’t the easiest or the most financially rewarding of jobs. And there are occupational risks—your knees can________ from years of carrying piles of notebooks up and down the school staircase, your voice can________ from too much talking. But despite all that, there are those choosing this________.

All my life, I’ve gone to work early each day with________ steps. Occasionally, I meet my former students. Their obvious love for me and fond memories of our time together are my________. Whenever I meet a brand new teacher________ to perfect his/her skills with a brave face on, I feel proud to________ the same group.