A Little Support Can Go a Long Way

Something I haven’t really made a big deal about on this site yet is goals, personal development, and other things along that line. While I wouldn’t exactly say I’m a “self-help” junkie, I am interested in always learning how to better myself, or my child. And, as we all know, being a single parent can be rough. Really rough. I think the one of the biggest things we can have to help is positive input, and moral support. Now, if the people closest to you are crazymakers, sometimes your life can be a little lacking in both! And, as a single parent, you may not always have the time that you like or that you need to take for you (and to talk to other grownups)…

One of the ways I manage this is, obviously, online. I have this handy little blog where I can rant, rave, and whine. I also use chat features of things like Gmail and Facebook to connect with the people that I know. And, email is great, too! These aren’t always long, meaningful, conversations…but it does help keep me connected with people that I don’t always have time to talk to on the phone, or go visit with. And contact with positive people, and people that think the same way I do is proving to be very important.

And, the second way that my online access comes in handy is podcasts and mp3’s. Now, one of my crazymakers, as much as I love her, is my mom. Now, let me state clearly here…I LOVE MY MOM! But, she is one of the world’s worst at moral support! She lives far enough away where it has always been inconvenient for her to babysit…but don’t let her hear about my daughter being babysat by somebody else! And, if you are in the middle of a crisis, you go to her to hear the worst case scenario. And how it will happen. And how there is nothing to be done to change it. And so on.

Obviously I am not going to simply stop talking to my mother! That’s much different from dropping a crazymaker customer. So, while I am doing chores, or working, or driving, I listen to mp3’s that I download for free from various places. While I may not know these people personally (although I would jump at the chance to meet my idol, Dan Miller!) They do provide some inspiration, and keep me thinking the way I should be.

Dan Miller (did I mention he is my idol?) Is one of my all-time favorites. He does a weekly podcast in addition to his newsletter, blog, and printed materials. I find his approaches to many problems related to work and income a great combination of common sense and creativity . And, in everything he does, he offers encouragement. For instance, my mother told me I had lost my mind when instead of taking a retail job or something, I was bound and determined to run my own little business. She knew the car was going to break down, my kid would starve, I would lose the house, and have to have my dogs put down because no other landlord would take them…and so on! Thanks, mom!

On the other hand, though, I have people, that I would like to be honored by someday knowing personally, that tell me just the opposite. Dan Miller is a fantastic resource, as is Steve Pavlina and Earl Nightingale.  To be on the sensible side, I keep an eye on job listings and have contacts in local companies that hire in my areas of expertise. But, thanks in part to these gentlemen, I didn’t just crawl into a hole and die. All of them offer encouragement and interesting viewpoints on goals, achieving them, and making money. And, I gotta give them credit; if it weren’t for listening to them, I would be in terrible shape right now. No income at all, no decent local jobs that would actually cover my bills to be found…I could be well on my way to my mom’s vision! Luckily, though, I found creative ways to market and be able to work from home…and while I am certainly not rich, I am making a living!

You may not always have tons of free time to go do whatever you want, and you may not always get the support you need from the people closest to you. If that is the case, listen to encouraging audio, check out single parent support groups in your area (or even on the internet!) and get some encouragement from wherever you can. Sometimes, others just don’t give you what you need, so you have to go find it for yourself. And, if worst comes to worst – email me! (sinmem@gmail.com, just in case you don’t know this already.) I’ll be more than happy to email moral support back and forth with you! In the meantime, take good care of yourself, and your kids.