Big Results With Little Money And No Professional Training

Posted by Larry in

Have you ever made one of the following statements about your family, church, or occupation?

  • “We just don’t have enough money for that.”
  • “How are we going to pay for it?”
  • “We will have to spend a lot of money to do it right.”

I have to agree that in some cases, “you get what you pay for!”  But in other cases there is room to have big impact with little cost.  You may have to work a little harder, be more creative, or learn some things that are new to you, but if you put forth the effort you can achieve much with little.

A couple of years ago I tried to put in ceramic floor in our kitchen.  It looked great for the first few days and then the tiles started to crack.  I realized then that there was a skill to this work that I did not possess.  Thus, I will never be putting down ceramic tile in my house again. 

Now on the other hand, there are some things that I have learned to do over the years that have contributed to making our home more appealing to my wife.  Take the light in our bedroom.  It is a chandelier style light that hangs from the ceiling.  It took a while to read through the directions (yes, I did read the directions) but I was able to figure out everything that I needed to know to complete the project successfully.  I admit that it took me much longer than it would someone who had experience in such matters, but this was my very first attempt at installing a new light fixture.

It is important for us to recognize those things in every area of our life that require a special skill set to accomplish and those things that can be learned so that we do not need a professional and allow us to make a contribution without regard to how much money I have.

Here’s what it might look like for my home:

I cannot put down ceramic tile, but I can but down peel and stick vinyl tile.

I cannot remodel my home, but I can put on a fresh coat of paint.

I cannot completely rewire my house, but I can put up a new light fixture or replace a bad switch.

Here’s what it might look like with my friends:

I cannot fix Joe’s marital difficulties, but I can go to the game with him (and perhaps pay his way).

I cannot mend Sue’s broken arm, but I can take her a meal that I prepared so she doesn’t have to worry about trying to cook.

Here’s what it might look like in your church:

I cannot force Sally’s parents to come to church, but I can take the time to talk with her when she shows up.

I cannot afford to buy Bruce a new car, but I can stop by and pick him up for church.

These are just a few areas where we can have a huge impact with little money and no professional training.  We should quit looking for “white collar” answers and start doing “blue collar work.”

What is it that you can do today in spite of your financial situation and lack of professional training that will help improve your situation or someone else’s?

Tomorrow I will give you 10 things that you can do for your neighbor that you can do for under $20 and will require no special skills or training.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 16, 2009 at Wednesday, September 16, 2009 and is filed under . You can follow any responses to this entry through the comments feed .