The one decision that changed it all…
Why we are more productive and happier than ever before
It is now my second time to write! I know everyone is waiting for the next “no pajama Wednesday” of my post, but that ain’t happening this month. I received more than enough, “so tell me more about these ‘no-pajama Wednesdays’” texts from friends that I think one should last us awhile ;) But don’t let that spoil your appetite…
Do you ever find yourself flirting with “if” statements?
“If I get up early then I can…” or “If I made just $10,000 more a year we could…” or “If the day lasted 2 more hours I’d have time to…”
Nick and I played around with an “if” statement that changed our relationships with our families, productivity, health, and unity as a couple.
We are now into our 10th month of marriage! During these past 9.5 months, we have been able to read, travel, write, pray, grow, build things, and the list goes on. Part of the reason we have been able to do so much and feel like we are closer than ever is because when we got married, we made a decision. One that started out strictly as a financial deferment but quickly became a blessing in disguise.
We asked ourselves, “What if we don’t put a TV in our home?” Now, that may sound crazy but don’t gasp, we were (are) newlyweds and figured we would be busy nesting and tending to other newlywed tasks. During this time, we had casually discussed a Netflix or Amazon Prime account, but decided against it. In a way, it became a challenge to see how long we could go without caving in. Besides, we had plenty of other distractions and activities during the evenings that we didn’t have time to want a TV. The thought of not being able to host movie night for our friends was the entirety of our concern, but Nick quickly solved that issue when he brought home his projector from work one night.
We had to find a new problem. But maybe there wasn’t one. Every month, however, the discussion was had — do we or do we not just get one. Well, by about month #4, we had a discussion about what we would miss out on if we did get a TV. We probably wouldn’t talk as much, we wouldn’t have built my awesome oak night stand, and we probably wouldn’t walk to the chapel as often, read, call our families, or feel as close to one another.
9.5 months later, we still do not have a TV and it has led to our new hobby.
One of the things we like to do is build and create. Whether it is a website or recipe, we enjoy building things — especially together. Since I cannot read a line of code, let alone write one, and since Nick would prefer I take charge in the kitchen, we wanted to learn something new together. So, we thought it would be fun to make candles! Nick gets the credit for this one. (I think he wanted to solve my candle addiction in a more economical way than buying Yankee candles each month.) We read a few articles that week about the process and decided it didn’t seem so difficult after all! (If you are serious about trying it, we recommend this Art of Manliness article.) The next week we had received our first box of supplies. For those of you who have not made candles, the process is rather easy.
- Decide what type of candles you want to make. We went with jar candles. This gave me a reason to use all my broken “I can fix it!” coffee mugs and old mason jars.
- Decide what type of wax you want to burn. We went with an all-natural soy wax because it burns cleaner than paraffin, holds its shape well, and is odorless.
- Order/gather your accessories: wicks, fragrance/essential oils, double boiler, old pens or similar shaped item, a food thermometer, spatula, and old newspaper
- Order/purchase your oils! Oils are the fun but challenging part. You have to be careful with who you buy your oils from because some release toxic or headache-laced toxins. Check the facts! Some local stores sell reputable brands of essential oils.
- After you gather all your supplies, follow the steps of the article we mentioned above, and voila! You will have your very own candle. Here are a few of ours:)
My goal in writing this post is not to tell you that you need to drop what you’re doing, sell your TV and use the money to buy candle making supplies.
My goal is to encourage you to take a look at how you spend your day or week and see if there is any time to create something. Even if it is making a new recipe (props to Mom who does this weekly), working on your website or app you’ve been trying to finish for months (shoutout to Braden!), starting on those DIY’s for which you’ve already accumulated the materials. Just create. Creating something, especially if you can work on it with someone you love, is one of the most rewarding and edifying ways you can grow in confidence, accomplishment, and simply skill in a new hobby!
Go create something beautiful and post what you started below!
