Finding Motivation Through Others

My teapot that I found at a thrift store years ago - I love it.  : )

Hi there!  Thank you for dropping by.  Today's post is about finding motivation through other people.  We can all learn from others even when we think we know what we want to know.  There have been many women throughout the years that I have learned many things - women in our small town that always stood out by being classy and stylish, my mother-in-law with her thrifty yet pretty ways of doing things, authors of books such as Alexandra Stoddard or Emilie Barnes and their way of taking care of others, their homes, and their self, magazines that show how to make our homes beautiful, clean, tidy, organized...............

I have often mentioned the importance of always learning.  There ARE ways of doing things differently that might be more efficient than the way we've always done them.  Though I do like the adage of "if it ain't broken, don't fix it" sometimes we can just become lazy or prideful or stuck in our ways to the point of not learning at all.   I feel we all need mentors, whether or not we can actually talk to them (or them to us), or whether we read about them, or watch them.

This past week, three people came to my mind:

*First, on our public television station we used to have a program called "Dakota Life" (I think we can still watch them on-line).  And since I was born and raised in South Dakota I really like this program because they show so many familiar sights.  Anyway.....I'm not sure why they had this particular elderly woman on but she had to have been in her early 80's and she stuck out as a woman that I would love to aspire to be.  In one clip they showed her in her cute blue jeans and cowboy shirt donning a cowboy hat working in her pretty flower garden - the next clip showed her (in the same clothes) in her barn climbing up to the hayloft!  In the next clip they showed her in her eat-in kitchen, this time with a cute pink and white gingham dress making pies while four of her friends were watching her and then she served them fresh-from-the-oven pie with coffee.  That program is stuck in my mind or, I should say, SHE is stuck in my mind!  Because that's how I want to grow old - blue jeans for some jobs and a dress for others!  : )  Seriously.  She was just so cute and agile and "with it" and feminine.  A mentor to me and she has no idea how much she impressed me.

*The second was a friend that came over on Wednesday evening to do some crafting and chatting.  She is the kind of woman who, whenever she wants to learn how to do something she does!  She knows how to do all kinds of things - she could be a REAL Pioneer Woman!!!!  So she motivates me as well just listening to everything she gets done.

*Lastly in this group is how I learn through watching some Youtubers (sounds like a new name for a potato).  : )  But one video is what I needed to motivate me to begin to watch how I looked.  I mean I never want to look sloppy, but even what I do wear in my "off" times I want to look decent and cared for.  I do like my jeans but I want them clean, ironed, and they need to fit well.  Just because we're cleaning our house doesn't mean we have to look like it!

So, as you can see, there are women all around us that we can learn from.  I know that God puts the right people in the right place at the right time for me.  Even those books that I mentioned above - I found them when I was first married and had NO idea how to take care of my home in a way that represented the Lord and my family well.  I wanted to but without some kind of help I would have floundered.  This is not to say, however, that I have it all figured out now!  LOL  I keep looking for others to emulate, ideas to try, and ways of doing things that would work in our own home.  And I hope you do too. 

My assignment for you this week is to find a way to get motivated in something that you need to get motivated in.  Is it cooking?  Is it cleaning?  Is it taking care of yourself?  Is it finding family time ideas?  Is it gardening?  Is it sewing or crafting?  What is it that's kind of nagging at the back of your mind?   I'm not here to endorse YouTube but if you want to learn something you can.  Often you can find just one person who is like-minded and you feel like you can trust her to steer you in the right direction.

God loves it when we use the brains He gave us and He gave each of us gifts, talents, and abilities to use to enrich our lives and the live of others.   Try not to let complacency enter in.  Every new day is an opportunity.  First be thankful and then dig in!!!!!!!!  : )  

My next post will be about trying to find your style - whether that's in your home or the clothes you wear.  I hope you can join me.  God bless your day and upcoming week!!!!  : )