Being Different - it's okay

It is okay being different. If you look at the crowds in this country, you’ll see many people that are very much the same – they go to work in a long line of traffic to make money.

They also stand in line at the bargain stores with their purchases on the weekend.

They watch TV talking heads tell them what they need to be afraid of, and they crowd up in stadiums to watch a sporting event or listen to a concert.

Afterward, they get back in their cars and go home, just to get up the next work week and wait in long lines of traffic to earn money to do it all over again.

They aren’t really all the same type of people, but they aren’t very different either. Most people like to fit in. It gives them a place to be. The same is true for many people when it comes to making money, saving money, investing money and spending money. Most people want to fit in and do things that other people do.

Being different may lead to success, but it isn't very popular.

Most people are happy with a job, a weekend of leisure, a new vehicle, and having a little "mad money" to play with after the bills are paid. Most people are also saddled with debt. This type of lifestyle won't make my list of good ideas.

You'll be Different

If you are going to live a frugal lifestyle, you’ll have to get used to being different than the mainstream population, and you have to know that it’s okay being different.

You’ll implement ideas for frugal living, and you’ll invent some of your own. It's okay to be an individual.

When I was a kid, my mother used to tell me about something that was "all the go" and I would dryly remark: "Then I’m letting it go."

One of the most frugal and visible of early Americans was Henry David Thoreau, who had any number of ideas for frugal living. He spoke of a man not keeping pace with his companions because he hears a different drummer. He encouraged us to step to the music no matter how measured or far away.

In other words, be yourself. Being you can be a satisfying way of being self-made. This one concept is really at the heart of all the other ideas for frugal living.

Stay Focused on Success

If you are on your way to financial success, you are going to be different, and that’s okay. Keep your eye on the success at the end, and you’ll be there in good time.

And when you arrive, there will still be ever more people driving to work each day chasing dollars to spend, while you sit back satisfied knowing that you saved your hard earned dollars by having and implementing a mindset of frugal living. And, those ideas will have helped you create a position of wealth, comfort and debt free living.

I'm in "that spot" now, and it feels great. I only wish that I would have stayed focused on frugal living during times I was tempted to forgo it. It's hard to "wind it up" and easy to "unravel" it, so I suggest you stay focused on frugality and becoming debt free with these and other ideas for frugal living.

In the long run, you'll be very glad you focused on frugal living instead of distractions promoted by others.

Done with Being Different, back to Mindset of Frugality