I have always blessed the past couple of years, with the help of a steady job to afford concerts, fun events, Starbucks almost every day, eating out, buying clothes, and treating people out.
It was a fun experience, but in the back of my head I always knew I could be a bit wiser with my income. I splurged on many things and spent most of my income without any use of self-control.
Let’s just say things changed when I decided to start my own business in the cleaning industry. I was passionate and determined to make my empire successful. I started strong. After about 3 weeks into the finding my own business I learned so many things that I wasn’t prepared for emotionally and mentally.
There’s a quote that goes something like, “There’s two ways of learning, one from the mistakes of others or two from learning things the hard way.”
Unfortunately, when I started my business I learned the hard way. There were multiple times I was not ready for the rejection from people multiple days in a row. Also, there was a time when I put 100% of my energy and passion into a video to advertise my services which I thought would blow up in a few days, only to get a few views and 1 customer from it. It bummed me out. There were strong aspirations I had when I created this company only to get rocked by uncertainty and inevitable challenges.
Through this hard time (what I like to call the “fire”), I learned many important things. The most important that stands out when you have limited funds is the value of contentment. When you have limited funds you are forced to remain content with what you have. Here are three examples:
1) My dress shoes- I had normal wear and tear on the heel of my dress shoes. It looked crooked from behind. I was telling myself I really NEED to buy NEW shoes! That’s what I thought at the moment, but when I was limited, and on a budget I decided to appreciate and embrace them. So I took them into a shoe repair shop to be fixed for less the money than a pair of new shoes.
2) Coffee- There is a huge percentage of people that buy coffee just for the sake of “buying coffee”. They have energy already and don’t really need it, but it just tastes GOOD to them…yeah I was one of those people. I went through weeks and weeks without coffee. And it seemed like forever. My family threw a party/potluck and invited many people and one of the guest bought coffee for everyone. To me APPRECIATEION there was a whole bag of grinded coffee bag left over. When I discovered this, I was so appreciative and thankful of this bag of coffee. It was a beautiful moment!
3) My room/house- When money wasn’t an issue I would often forsake my chores and daily duties. For many instances my room would be out of order and unkempt. When I became limited I learned to be content with what I have and TAKE CARE of it. That means I dusted my room, cleaned it, vacuumed it and ORGANIZED everything. I also learned to take care of the house I live and treat it as my own.
I know this blog will help you realize and appreciate the small things you have in your life. Your family, car, shoes, warm water, and whatever else comes to mind.
Philippians 4:11-13 says:
I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
We’re all learning, hope to hear from you!
-Matthew Pacheo
It was a fun experience, but in the back of my head I always knew I could be a bit wiser with my income. I splurged on many things and spent most of my income without any use of self-control.
Let’s just say things changed when I decided to start my own business in the cleaning industry. I was passionate and determined to make my empire successful. I started strong. After about 3 weeks into the finding my own business I learned so many things that I wasn’t prepared for emotionally and mentally.
There’s a quote that goes something like, “There’s two ways of learning, one from the mistakes of others or two from learning things the hard way.”
Unfortunately, when I started my business I learned the hard way. There were multiple times I was not ready for the rejection from people multiple days in a row. Also, there was a time when I put 100% of my energy and passion into a video to advertise my services which I thought would blow up in a few days, only to get a few views and 1 customer from it. It bummed me out. There were strong aspirations I had when I created this company only to get rocked by uncertainty and inevitable challenges.
Through this hard time (what I like to call the “fire”), I learned many important things. The most important that stands out when you have limited funds is the value of contentment. When you have limited funds you are forced to remain content with what you have. Here are three examples:
1) My dress shoes- I had normal wear and tear on the heel of my dress shoes. It looked crooked from behind. I was telling myself I really NEED to buy NEW shoes! That’s what I thought at the moment, but when I was limited, and on a budget I decided to appreciate and embrace them. So I took them into a shoe repair shop to be fixed for less the money than a pair of new shoes.
2) Coffee- There is a huge percentage of people that buy coffee just for the sake of “buying coffee”. They have energy already and don’t really need it, but it just tastes GOOD to them…yeah I was one of those people. I went through weeks and weeks without coffee. And it seemed like forever. My family threw a party/potluck and invited many people and one of the guest bought coffee for everyone. To me APPRECIATEION there was a whole bag of grinded coffee bag left over. When I discovered this, I was so appreciative and thankful of this bag of coffee. It was a beautiful moment!
3) My room/house- When money wasn’t an issue I would often forsake my chores and daily duties. For many instances my room would be out of order and unkempt. When I became limited I learned to be content with what I have and TAKE CARE of it. That means I dusted my room, cleaned it, vacuumed it and ORGANIZED everything. I also learned to take care of the house I live and treat it as my own.
I know this blog will help you realize and appreciate the small things you have in your life. Your family, car, shoes, warm water, and whatever else comes to mind.
Philippians 4:11-13 says:
I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
We’re all learning, hope to hear from you!
-Matthew Pacheo