I don’t have a lot of time today, but I wanted to express something short. We become like the people we spend the most time with. If we want to be savers, hanging out with extravagant spenders will influence how satisfied we are with our meager existence.
Have you ever heard someone say, “I grew up poor, but we didn’t know it. Everyone around us was the same kind of poor.”
If I want to be thankful for my home and patient with the 1970’s decor and 43 year old carpet, then reading blogs that complain about “builder’s grade” and “boring beige” in their brand new home is not going to help my attitude.
If I want to be a good work at home mom, then I should listen to those who are already good at it. (Plus a little Zig Ziglar and Mary Kay Ash wouldn’t hurt.)
I’m keeping my real life, in the flesh, friends. They are my people and God put them in my life, and I’m thankful. I don’t have a lot of complainers, mis-managers, and snobs in the mix….can’t think of any, really. But if I did, I would still love on them when we crossed paths even if I didn’t go out of my way to cross paths often.
The blogs I follow online are different. It’s not personal. If I need to take someone out of my life for a time, it’s one click of a button, and I can click back when I’m ready. I subscribed to every interior design blog I came across over the last 3 years (while we were planning changes to our fixer-upper), and the emails have been coming in daily since then. I learned a ton during that time, but I’ve also found myself becoming more and more discontent. I’m unsubscribing today.
Instead, I’m looking for encouragement to be patient with our mess, content with my family, to manage my business well, and to be thrifty even when it isn’t pretty. Along with my purging, I’m keeping my subscriptions to this, this, this, and this. And reading often here and here. These are some of the people that I can learn from without feeling discontent.
Where do you find encouragement to be what you need to be?
P.S. I’m really close to 2,000 facebook likes. If you have time to click “like” up in the side bar, it would make me giddy.
Yes. I find this with homeschooling. there are some homeschooling blogs that are encouraging to me, and some that are guilt inducing…I have learned to just avoid certain ones. And it definitely isnt personal. Something that I find overwhelms and discourages me I know is loved by others!
Melanie, that’s a great point. It’s definitely not that one blog is bad. I’ll likely resub to some of those blogs I just cut loose once our emergency fund is finished.
I am enjoying your blog, and you have been giving me things to think about (I am working on our budget). 🙂 Thank you for sharing your insights and knowledge.
Thanks, Kristie. The most surprising thing about budgeting was how freeing it is. Now it’s something we look forward to. I’m off to check out your blog 🙂