Sample Newsletter –
Unlike many bloggers I have given myself very loose requirements for what I write about; I only insist that the topic be something that affects my life. This leaves me with a pretty broad range of topics.
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Often a issue comes up that doesn’t easily fit into one of the categories I usually write about, so it goes into my newsletter. I have decided to post my most recent newsletter for those of you who haven’t committed to pressing the “sign up here” button on my home page. The idea of the newsletter is to give you something to think about while going about your day and to keep you updated with the most recent happenings on This Lady’s House. I promise to keep your email addresses to myself and to never send more than 14 emails per year. I would also be thrilled to use the newsletter to answer questions or discuss topics concerning you and your life. Just leave me a comment!
So, carry on and read this months newsletter about ‘Pinners Guilt’. Leave a comment if this is something you have suffered from or worried about!
– Max Ehrman
When I was in high school I had a clever mother who was always giving me little tidbits of wisdom that were very often quite unappreciated. While getting ready for a high school activity I was complaining that I wasn’t sure the clothes I was wearing were appropriate. I was so concerned with ‘fitting in’ that I stressed endlessly about whether or not I would be over dressed, under dressed, or out of style. My mother’s advice has turned over in my head a thousand times since then, “No matter where you go there will always be someone who is dressed nicer than you and someone who is dressed worse. Just dress the best you can and don’t worry about what everyone else is wearing because I guarantee they aren’t worrying about you.” (oh how I wish you could hear the tone of her voice like I can…)
As 2012 quietly walked away from me I started contemplating the possibilities of 2013. I have never been a big ‘resolution’ maker but I did proceed to make a mental note of the things I wanted to work on throughout the next 12 months. I originally found myself making a list that included things such as; lose 20 lbs, be a more patient mother, keep a cleaner house, be an exciting wife, eat more vegetables, and take my dog for more walks; but I realized that doing these things was only useful if they became PART of WHO I AM! Not just a LIST of what I DO.
Recently I came across an article, written by a professional blogger, condemning the newly embraced institution of Pinterest. I found the article a bit pitiful so I, regrettably, didn’t keep track of where it came from; but the gist of the argument was that Pinterest was making women feel GUILTY for not living up to the high standards set by the thousands of pictures they pin each day. On the surface her discussion was valid in that it is true – spending hour upon hour scouring the internet for ‘ways to make your home smell like roses and lime’ IS A WASTE OF TIME when the first thing we could do to make our homes smell nice would be to get off the computer and take out the dirty diapers. We have all seen someone, (or maybe that someone is you) who has dozens of Pinterest boards with thousands of pins that will never be looked at again, much less implemented.
The portion of the article that I found rather sad was the part where the author BLAMED Pinterest (an inanimate program) for women feeling guilty. Have we really become so weak that A COMPUTER PROGRAM has the power to make us feel badly about ourselves? Is this not the very thing we have been counseling our teenage daughters to STOP DOING with teen magazines?
The purpose of using Pinterest is not to give us one more opportunity to unfairly compare ourselves to others. There is no need for a “Pinners Caution – provided by the Self Esteem Generals office” telling us that the pictures we Pin may cause feelings of inadequacy and failure. All we need to remember is to judge ourselves fairly and realistically. I recommend avoiding the urge to ‘repin’ things that are improbable and/or unrealistic. Make your boards USEFUL so they can be tools for improving the overall condition of YOUR CHARACTER. New Year’s resolutions are not check lists for accomplishing precise tasks (like losing a specified number of lbs) but rather should be issues that you deem worthy to implement into your NATURE in an effort to improve your quality of life (like being physically healthy so you can enjoy activities with your friends and family).
We all need to take my Mother’s advice and STOP comparing ourselves to others. There will ALWAYS be someone who is thinner than we are, or who dresses better. There will always be someone who is a more patient parent or has a cleaner kitchen or has a smarter 2 year old than we do. But chances are, for all the things you admire and envy about someone else they could find an equal amount of things to admire and envy about you. The goal is to work to improve WHO you are, NOT increase the number of items on your ‘to do’ list.
I enjoy Pinterest. I enjoy looking at other people’s undertakings. Some of the pictures I repin for the purpose of working the concepts discussed into my life, others I repin simply because they impress me. Let us not confuse the impressive pins with the pins that can make us happier, more solid human beings. Don’t allow others accomplishments in one realm cause you to forget your accomplishments in another. The world is vast and there is always someone for us to look up to and someone who could look up to us. Increasing your list of things to do for 2013 will not make you happier or more successful. Instead, find an area of your CHARACTER that you would like to change and work towards improvement. Never let the ideas and accomplishments of others cause you GUILT for being who YOU are.
Now; go be who YOU were meant to be!