It takes half your life before you discover life is a do-it-yourself project.

-Napoleon Hill

I learned that a local Texas church just sent their youth group to Latin America so that they could "help" the poor locals by repairing the sidewalk of their church. However, I learned it was one of the village contractors that actually repaired the sidewalk, but that the teenagers were allowed to help with some of the tasks, like mixing the cement. I notice that the sidewalks in front of their own church, here in Texas, are not in good repair.

Here at our home, our children are replacing the rusted-iron fence around our swimming pool. I first had the job quoted by a couple of local contractors, both Latin Americans, and they each came in at more than $7,500. Instead of hiring one of them, I purchased a little MIG welder package for my teenage sons ($750), gas, tank, cart, and wire ($400), and new steel fencing ($700). We already own a grinder, but I did buy some more cutting and grinding wheels ($60). They are almost done, and I will soon need to buy the paint and thinner for them to finish the job ($70).

I have not given our boys any instruction, mostly because I do not know how to weld, but also because there is a massive amount of good instruction available for free on youtube. Mainly, I do not want to steal from them the chance to develop self esteem by doing for them what they can do for themselves. I did tell them that I reserve the right to personally inspect every weld, and that they would need to redo any that did not look absolutely perfect. They know their father well enough to not bring up the fact that I have no qualifications to judge a weld.

They have been spending many hours a day on this project. I have heard rumors of procrastination, argument, negotiation, foul language, mistakes, and threats. I have seen actual evidence of failure, determination, improvement, success, productivity, craftsmanship, pride, and increased self-esteem. The work I have inspected looks great, and the boys are now clearly enjoying the project. Yesterday, I was thanked for giving them the opportunity to learn how to weld.

Here are some do-it-yourself ideas for you, or someone you love, to develop self esteem.

Grow something edible

Prepare a meal from scratch

Host a dinner party at home

Negotiate for and buy some used tools at a pawn shop

Change the oil, oil filter, air filter, and fuel filter on your vehicle

Check the antifreeze, power steering fluid, brake fluid, washer fluid, and transmission fluid

Rotate the tires on your vehicle (far better to learn in your garage than by fixing a flat on the roadside)

Visit AutoZone and have them download the diagnosis for that check engine light you ignore, for free, then consult youtube on how to address the diagnosis

Repair some damaged drywall in the home and then paint it

Replace the cartridge of a leaky faucet

Replace or repair a broken light fixture

Replace the 1/2" screws holding in your one-kick door hinges and locks with 3" stainless steel screws

Sew a missing button on a garment

Launder and press some cotton shirts and pants

Measure and hem some pants to length

Sharpen your knives

Clean your pistol, rifle, and shotgun





Install Malwarebytes or a similar program on your PC

Install additional memory

Meet with one of your elected representatives

Write an article about the meeting, and submit it to ZeroHedge or your local newspaper

Write your own healthy menu and shopping list

Make your own huarache sandals for trail running

Write your own fitness goals and exercise plan

Learn yoga and practice it

Make your own monthly budget and follow it

Write your own savings goals, and a plan to achieve them

Get out of debt (It is OK to get help if you need it)

I hope readers will add their own do-it-yourself ideas and experiences in the comment section.

Peace, liberty, and prosperity,

h_h