True, some values may be less obvious, but they are just as useful to organization life and operations as those public relations values that jump right off page.

Fundamental Value

Just look at fundamental premise of public relations: People act on their perception of facts leading to behaviors about which something can be done. When public relations creates, changes or reinforces that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-action those people whose behaviors affect organization, public relations mission is accomplished.

Reading those words, can anyone seriously question whether any organization – business, non-profit or public entity – should embrace this discipline?

I believe gold medal value is contained in that very fundamental premise – i.e., behaviors of your key audiences are crucial to success of your organization. If those audiences don’t behave as you would like them to, achieving your organization’s most important goals and objectives will be immensely more difficult. The fundamental premise tells us that precisely because public relations zeros in on altering perceptions, and thus behaviors of your key target audiences, it helps you get to where you want to be. Which strongly suggests that proper application of public relations can be central not only to your organization’s success, but possibly to its very survival.

Strategic Value

Public opinion is leverage that allows us to succeed. But our most significant contribution to organizational achievement is strategic ability to create, change or reinforce existing public perception and behaviors. It is this capability, this talent if you will, that can lead an employer/client to organization success.

Tactical Value

Equally valuable is public relation’s ability to follow with carefully selected tactics tailored to reach target audiences with effective communications, to create and also tailor persuasive messages designed to influence their perception/behavior, and to gain momentum and impact by implementing those tactics with pinpoint accuracy and timing.

In process, employer/client receives value and benefits when public relations gains and holds understanding and acceptance of those audiences, those publics, without which his or her organization cannot prosper.

Reputational Value

Concurrently in process, organization’s reputation is burnished delivering value that only strengthens its ability to pursue successfully its goals and objectives.

A successful business benefitting from public relations values such as these is more able to meet its obligations to society as a good corporate citizen, taxpayer, employer and reliable maker/supplier of quality, fairly-priced goods or services – thus delivering enormous value by serving public interest.

No, cashing that week's paycheck wasn't what I had been keenly anticipating... Leaving a job I hated in order to work for myself full-time in cyberspace was dream goal I had finally achieved!

The goal of leaving "rat race" and calling shots in one's own profitable business - online or off - is common to many people. At times it even reaches point of desperation. Some waste thousands of dollars in an elusive attempt to reach it.

If running your own successful business is a goal you'd like to reach, I empathize with your situation. I'll share some tips in this article that helped me "leave rat race" for my own online business, which may also help you.

Even if you've already achieved self-employment, maybe some tips I share can help increase profitability of your existing business, online or off.

Keys To Leaving The Rat Race

1) Being a doer, not just a dreamer.

One of my favorite sayings is: "When all is said than done, more is said than done." It's easy to dream and talk about our goals, but we won't get anywhere until we take decisive action.

Before I built a successful online business, I did more dreaming and telling others about my goal than I took action toward reaching it. Finally combining my dreams with action, however, was only thing that worked.

Caution: Don't confuse taking decisive action with making rash decisions. Temper your willingness to act with sound reasoning and knowledgeable decisions, based on sufficient research.

2) Effective time management.

Time certainly means money in business world. The ability to manage your time effectively is an asset that can repay you many times over, in both your business and personal life.

Getting maximum productivity from your time is even more crucial if you're working a full-time job at same time you're building your own business.

Back when I worked for an employer, time usually dragged by. Now I find that working for myself, time just breezes by and I often wonder where time went!

At one point, I was making money in my own business while holding down my full-time regular job, but not enough to live on. Moreover, I needed more time than I had available in my spare hours to pursue things I felt would increase profits.

I then decided to cut back on hours at my regular job, which my employer agreed to because he didn't want me to quit. This allowed time to expand my business faster and made transition to running my own full-time business easier. If you can't or don't want to quit your job "cold turkey," consider a similar strategy.

3) Knowledge of your field.