Not so perfect

I love to write about living a chic and beautiful life and it’s true, that’s what motivates me; however, my life is far from perfect.  I’ve already written about this once before – ‘My normal and imperfect chic life’, where I gave up all my deep, dark secrets (hehe), however I think it needs revisiting.

Every day I see gorgeous images on my Instagram feed – one I saw recently showed the simplest white laundry with two bottles of designer cleaning product.  I wish my laundry looked like that!  Instead I have a 1990s-tastic (and not designer 1990s-tastic) very basic laundry, where the latch on the laundry tub cupboard doesn’t quite hook so the door is always open a little bit.  But guess what, I’ve never owned a house with a laundry before, so whenever I remember ‘I have a separate laundry!’, it doesn’t matter that it’s the size of a toilet room and has scuffed lino; I love it.

I do enjoy being inspired by others photos, but I don’t let them burst my bubble.  I remember how grateful I am to have my own home.

Whenever I put photos on Instagram, or Facebook or my blog, of course I don’t show you the clumps of cat fur on the carpet or my teetering stack of library books.  Of course I don’t show you the dishes in the sink before I wash them or my messy pantry before I straighten it up.  Although I am showing you Jessica-cat breaking into the dvd cabinet in the photo above, cat toys scattered for miles while I'm watching series two of Cedar Cove with lunch.

In fact, following very organised people on Instagram who love to show their colour-coded closets and basket system pantry gives me a kick in the pants to do something with my own closet or pantry.  It doesn’t involve spending money, because even though it won’t be as perfect as that Instagram photo, it still looks a million times better than it did.

I definitely think there is a relaxed place to reside in between Slothville and Perfectown.  It’s about making the most of your own home and being inspired by others without going nuts with envy.

I watched (again) a few weeks ago The Joneses, a movie starring David Duchovny and Demi Moore.  It is such an eye-opening story of how far marketers will go to sell their products.  When it ended, I was reminded how glad I am to live a low-cost, low-stress lifestyle where I can sleep at night because I am financially sound.

I understand that people can get into money troubles through no fault of their own, however many problems stem from over-consumption of consumer goods, and living a glittering, brand-new lifestyle, as shown in The Joneses.  If you like to shop for fun and want to stop but don’t know how, I think a viewing of The Joneses could do the trick for you.

The thing with viewing others social media, is that you can’t see into their bank accounts.  Of course there are people you already know are extremely wealthy, such as Aerin Lauder, when I drool over the photos of her beautiful homes online (she has a personal net worth of $1.64 billion - cough - according to Forbes), but when we see normal, ordinary non-famous people and their gorgeous photos, how much are they spending?  Are they spending everything they have and more to project that perfect image?

Living within your means gets such a bad rap, and I want to make it sexy again.  I’m all about thinking abundantly and being prosperous, and I do think the Universe gives you what you ask for and expect; however, I don’t believe spending beyond your means is a good way to go about things.  Although I do love the Oscar Wilde quote ‘Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination’.

While we’re on the subject of personal finance, I’d like to thank Janelle of the wonderful blog Distant Francophile for giving me a mention about my new book Financially Chic.  I am thrilled with the response this book has received and it vindicates my belief that we have to make learning how to manage money well a fun and desirable thing to do.  Who wouldn’t want to be a financially savvy and chic woman?

What about you – is your life ‘perfect’?  Do you sometimes feel ‘less than’ when you view others curated lifestyle images?  And if you are game for some fun, please tell us an imperfect secret about your life that will give us a chuckle.  In the post I referenced above (‘My normal and imperfect chic life’), the comments section is so good that I sometimes visit it when I’m feeling flat and need lightening up.  It’s guaranteed to raise at least a little smile by the time you’ve finished with everyone’s comments.  Mostly I finish with that post and all the comments, with tears of laughter in my eyes.

Wishing you a lovely day!
Fiona

PS.  My favourite money mentor Denise Duffield-Thomas has the best and most fun take on money.  Her book Get Rich, Lucky Bitch educates on how to release your money blocks as well as being extremely silly and laugh-out-loud funny.

And she has some fantastic free resources too (my favourites are below).  I’ve followed Denise for a year or two now and she has a great way of teaching important concepts around worthiness and deservedness when it comes to money and success.

Denise's freebies: 
Lessons from becoming a self-made millionaire
How to track your income to create more abundance
Free manifesting course

PPS.  My Financially Chic tips 10-day video series is now up on YouTube in its entirety.  You can view them here.