How to Make the Most with What You Have

“One day, while investigating a trash dumpster, the students in the Internet Ambassadors Program found some old monochrome monitors and IBM computers without hard drives. We obtained the needed parts from my friend Greg, repaired the computers, and installed internal 2400 baud modem cards. Each student took home his/her own computer and went online with text-only e-mail accounts donated by UT. The “Jones Junior High Hackers” (JJHH) Internet club was formed! “

– Mike Maveal, www.4teachers.org

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(Cancer diagnosis)…..”It tells the real-life stories of courageous local mums and dads, grandparents and kids who are all celebrating their own life after cancer – and refusing to give in.

All of them took to the catwalk as models for last year’s Life After Cancer fashion show and they give defiant, inspirational and supportive messages.”

-Barbara Argument, Evening Gazette

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(Invention of Wheaties)………”The legend behind this famous cereal’s creation did actually begin with bran gruel, which was what a clumsy dietician at the Washburn Crosby Company was preparing in 1922 when he spilled some on a hot stove top. The gruel drops sizzled and crackled into flakes. Once he gave a flake a taste, the cook realized his accident had created something that tasted way better than that old gruel. He got the head honchos at Washburn on board, and they tried 36 different varieties of the creation before developing the perfect flake that wouldn’t crumble in the box.”

-Tim Donnelly, Inc

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There is an English proverb that says:

Necessity is the mother of invention

We believe that many blessings can happen out of circumstances you find yourself in, mistakes/accidents. and even tragedies.

Low in finances but want to have a pretty home?  You can achieve it!

Suffer from a medical condition?  Have you been able to encourage someone with the same circumstances?

Did you get fired from a job?  Maybe you have a different career path up ahead!

ETC!  ETC!  ETC!

How do you do that?

1) Know Your Goals!

If you want to purchase a new car, how are you going to achieve that?  What can you give up today to get you where you need to be tomorrow?

For US, our family time is very important.  With that goal in mind, we decided that one parent would be home with the kids when they were younger.  That meant that we would have less possessions at that time.

2) Focus on YOUR Game!

You have to keep it in your lane!  If you focus on other people’s goals, you will crash!

When we made the decision to have a parent home, we had to focus on what we were working toward NOT what we didn’t have (possessions) or other people’s game. **

We heard someone, recently, say “If I hear another person tell me to give up my coffee!!!!” in regards to being frugal.  Do you see what happened?  One person might be willing to sacrifice a cup of joe and another not so much.  It’s all about your priorities.  You have to make them and know them.  Others can give ideas, but you have to have your own map!

**That doesn’t mean it wasn’t a struggle.  It doesn’t mean that we didn’t have times were you just wanted to have what you thought others had.

3) Just Keep Swimming!

Do you ever notice how super focused you can become when you are working toward a goal?  Maybe you finally have enough savings to build that dream pool.  Now you have 2,500 pins on Pinterest about pool design.  Maybe you are planning a trip to Paris and your thoughts are on it ALL the time.

When you have the thoughts of making the most of your situations or what you’ve been given, you become so focused on your goals and less time on other people’s goals/wants/circumstances.

4) Surround Yourself with Like Minded people!

This DOESN’T mean to be with people who think the same way as you in every area.  It’s good to be challenged by other view points.

This DOES mean to get a group of people around you who are thinking about their future or how to make the best of a situation.

It’s a mind set.  If you are around others who are lemons to lemonade people, there’s a good chance you will be more apt to think that way as well.  Plus, they can remind you what you are working for….think cheerleaders and accountability partners.

5) Know How to Ride the Bumps and Curves

We all know that there will be challenges, yet the curve ball is SO VERY frustrating, right? 

Can we get an AMEN?

If we know they are coming, PLAN for them.  Have a team in place to encourage you.  Read stories, like the ones above, on making the most with what you have.

We had a Pastor once say, “Whatever happens in life I always think, can I get a good story out of this?” 

“Oh, the water heater broke, is there a good story here?”

Or what about:

Is there a ministry here?

Is there a business here?

Is there an invention here?

6)  Sacrifices will be made

Despite some popular commercials, we don’t believe you will have it all, at one time, or even ever.  SORRY!

If your goal is to travel, you may have to offer up the addition of a second story on your home.

7) Count your Blessings

…Name them one by one!

A big part of knowing what you got is to acknowledge it.  Keep a grateful journal.  Say 10 things you are thankful for in the morning.  Whatever works for you, appreciate what you have. 

How can we expect more blessings, when we didn’t even think the first ones were a blessing?

8) BUDGETING???

Yes, this can be a vital part of making the most with what you have.  If your goal is to start a business at home selling socks, you have to know what money you have to work with.  It you don’t, you may go after a dream and create a nightmare of debt in the process. 

Budgeting allows you to really know how many eggs are in your basket to work with.

9) Help Others

At times, we can get so focused on our plan, goals, and objectives, we may get too inwardly focused.

The danger in that is:

We don’t hear other people’s struggles.

We keep people at arm’s length and only end up seeing what we want to see….rose colored glasses.

There is a kids movie, Robots, in which one of the characters always says, “See a need, fill a need!”  We can’t see the needs if our vision is only seeing our corner of the world.

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We pray that you will be inspired to “Make the most with what you have” here. 

One of the ways we make the most with what we have is by utilizing items to their fullest.  You can read some of our ideas HERE, HERE, and HERE.

Please make sure to follow us on our social media accounts where will feature different ideas on each platform:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PINTEREST

INSTAGRAM

We hope you will find inspiration to rock what you got!