A Life of Simple JoyReducing stress, increasing joy one post at a time!

INGENUITY: When things are tight financially in your family, the one commodity you have an unlimited supply of is ingenuity. Your creativity is only limited by your imagination. This is a time to let your imagination run free. This is also the time to tap the creativity of your family, especially your children. Kids tend not to filter their ideas. They may not know what works and what doesn’t. While some of their ideas may be waaaaay out there, it is also possible you can take those way out ideas and mold them into workable ideas. Adults often become so frustrated and discouraged, we begin to believe there are no workable answers. This is a major cloud to our ability to think creatively. You will find, believe me, you WILL find your kids are an unlimited supply of ideas and suggestions. Present them with a problem, a challenge and ask them to come up with some solutions. Set a time to meet as a family where each child can present their ideas. Then, sit back and take notes. Decide on the most promising solution. If it needs work, work it out as a family.

As I said in an earlier post, you get maximum cooperation when everyone is invested in the project. If you have one malcontent, they will slow down if not halt the entire project. Learn to listen for discontent. Never brush it off. If someone doesn’t like an approach to a problem, dig deeper and find out why. Although I might seem to treat all this like a game, I am dead serious about the whole process. When things get tough financially for your family, it affects absolutely everyone in the family. You may think it affects you and your spouse more than your kids but when something bothers you, it bothers the entire family. Address any concerns no matter how minor they may seem to you. Use ingenuity to address problems, concerns, rewards and the future and see how quickly attitudes turn around for the entire family.