A little Saturday something

: It doesn’t matter how many people don’t get it. What matters is how many people do.

: “Trying to get everyone to like you is a sign of mediocrity.” (Colin Powell)

: “If you are really effective at what you do, 95% of the things said about you will be negative.” (Scott Boras)

: “If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid.” (Epictetus)

: “Living well is the best revenge.” (George Herbert)

: Keep calm and carry on

These are but some of the tactics that Tim Ferris advises. Sage advice for me this Saturday.

Comments

  1. Love these quotes Beth! Very hard to follow though, a lot harder than it should be anyway 🙂
    Gorgeous pics too!
    Hope you have a lovely weekend!
    xx Sannah

  2. Wise words indeed.
    There is another quote I like, but I cannot quite remember – something about “other people can only make you feel like shit if you let them”.

    I think it was more eloquently put than that, but you get the drift…I chant it to myself a lot in relation to my evil sister in law…

  3. Hi Beth..beautiful pics! I agree..we can try too hard to be liked and in the end we live with ourselves..so should be true to ourselves and have integrity to our own core values and then we can live with ourselves easily and peaceably. Have a great weekend Beth..have some fun!

  4. Oh, really, if you’re effective people say negative things?? I must live in a bubble.
    I do think & STRONGLY believe this “perception is reality” which explains a LOT about what goes on in blog land. If you preceive something in a certain way, whether it’s misintepreted/ misunderstood/ misrepresented . . . which is easy when people can’t hear your tone or hand gestures when ‘saying’ things on a blog post . . . it’s their reality, what they believe.
    It’s true for all places – work, family, children, school – love Posie

  5. phew – some sanity amid the silliness 🙂

  6. i like you. just sayin’.

  7. Wise words for a Saturday. Or any day really. x

  8. Great post!
    PS. i like you too!

  9. Some good quotes to think about and pretty pictures too xo

  10. Go get em! There’s always the close button for those who don’t want to read……

  11. Loved this post! My favourite Quotation is ‘Those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind’

  12. well there is a silver lining to most negative situations and it seems anon has helped to prove this point! this post was most inspiring for me today… love it <3!!! so thank you Beth 🙂

  13. You forgot,

    “jealousy is a curse”.

    I hope you know you’re amazing at what you do.

    xx

  14. Loving that top quote lady and the pics are stunning as always. You know your stuff is an inspiration to me. Enough said xo

  15. One of my favourite quotes of all time is ‘Living well is the best revenge’! I want it embroidered on a little pillow. I also like ‘Love many, trust few, & paddle your own canoe’ but thats a lot of embroidery & I have no idea who it is attributed to.
    Have a great weekend
    xx

  16. great post, both photos and words. a timely saturday reminder for many! x ashley

  17. firstly, i would like to point out that there seems to be more than 1 anonymous at work here. i am sally who takes exception to bins and lamps, i dont know who the other anonymous commenters are but they sound pissed off.
    secondly, you are right about not reading your blog anymore if i dont want to know about pooey bottoms and new house appliances. i will take my attitude and go back into my hole, or not make any more comments except positive ones. HOWEVER, FIRSTLY, i would like to point out one thing, to you but ESPECIALLY to your gaggle of hysterical defenders who i note all have blogs themselves- do you realise that while we were all over here, making 82 comments about how unfair life is and how important shiny floors are and how absolutely fabulous you are, edens blog about a starving homeless sick family got 16 comments???WTF???did ANY of you make a donation, or did you just move on to peruse the next shopping site? and therein lies my point. what a bunch of spoilt, self centred, shallow, DEFENSIVE whingers we are. as women, the political and financial power lies with us to change the world, to lift our heads and find out how it is for other women in other places, such as the 1200 girls and women raped DAILY in the Congo, and as women with blogs our power and responsibility is even greater to bring important issues to light.and yet we are so attached to our little comforts and our wounded little egos that our world shrinks down till we actually believe that “stuff” is important. and then we wonder why we feel kind of empty. now you will all start denying that you feel empty but i bet half of you are on anti depressants and the other half have considered them. aah, the malaise of the fat, comfortable middle class. thats my point. you all, as women who already have too much time (and you do, or you wouldnt be here) and too much money, have a DUTY to open your eyes a bit, get over the attachment to your “lifestyles” and “hairstyles” and start working for the future of ALL children, not just your own. the world is in a shitty state, and it needs our help, and as bloggers we have the resources to inform, to open others eyes, and get help to those who need it. give some of what you have away,it will make you feel better than buying something new and shiny. i promise, TRY it before you all start squawking like a bunch of cockatoos. make it a habit, instead of a one off.
    sorry for hijacking, and pontificating, but it has been burning inside me for a while as i read all of you bloggers self congratulating each other for what is really nothing other than the pure luck of being born in a place that it is safe to be a woman.
    now get your head out of your arses, bloggers, and go change the world. PLEASE.
    pps. bev, that was the best vlog yet. much more authentic and from the heart. see? it wasnt all negative – with all the traffic, ive done you a favour. You’re MOST welcome.

  18. Anonymous, you know what I find offensive? Your level of judgement of not only Bev’s “life” but also readers of Bev’s blog.

    Firstly, I’m not a blogger. I don’t even have children! I simply love having something entertaining to read whilst having a five minute break out of my own busy life.

    Secondly, just because your particular passion is Eden Whomever, why should you think that everyone else’s is, and who are you to say that Bev or anyone else who reads this blog don’t have their own passions that aren’t necessarily discussed in this forum? I speak for myself when I say I have limited time and resources and so when I am contributing to charitable causes (monetary and time) I focus my energies on helping the homeless and refugees. And the purpose of my 5 minutes that I dedicate to reading Bev’s blog is to ooh and aah at pretty lamps, wingback chairs and green gardens, to gain a few minutes relief from the day to day pressures that life contains. I don’t come to Bev’s blog to pontificate about my own beliefs and charitable causes, and I don’t quite know why you think it’s the right place for you to do it?

    Thirdly, you have absolutely no idea what the complete story of someone’s life is, only what they choose to share with you. Bev is sharing some of the challenges of her life in an entertaining way on a public blog. If her life is anything like mine, there are lots of major challenges that go on with my family, work and friends that don’t ever go beyond my inner circle. It doesn’t mean the experiences I share with the people beyond the trust circle are any less genuine, they’re just a different view of my life and I like to think I keep it light and entertaining for the people around me. Maybe Bev’s life is as simple and complex as she portrays on her blog, but who really kmows? And I know I am personally thankful for the view of Bev’s world we do get.

    So, in conclusion, you never really know the full story (Bevs or her readers) until you’ve walked a day in their shoes, so please, save the judgement. Now back to your own unread blog Anonymous, and leave us to fawn over lovely lamps.

    Wowsers, for a first time poster on your blog Bev, I didn’t hold back did I? I’m not usually this vocal. I’ll go back to being a lurker now and stop fanning the troll.

  19. Sorry, terrible grammar in my thesis post…I blame only having 5 minutes to type it. What a waste when I could have been reading about antique cupboard handles!!!!

  20. Hi Baby Mac,
    I love reading you.
    Thanks for making the cake, giving me a mention and for just being a good woman. I love your bin,lamp,grass,kids and feisty videos.I also read lots of other stuff and feel that there is room for us all, whatever we contribute.Fair enough? Good.
    Best Sunday wishes to you,
    JHX

  21. ANON, GET OFF YOUR HIGH HORSE! you may mean well but you are being condescending and judgemental.

  22. Time to sponsor another child Bev.

    And Beth, i’d love to hear your thoughts on this Bev character?

    xo

  23. Link us to your world saving blog Anon so we know where we are going wrong with our lives and you can lead the way for us.

    Not everything in life has to be deep, meaningful or a crusade.

    Sometimes it is nice to take a time out and look at something pretty or know that someone else is going through something that you too may be going through, makes life a little less isolating, even if you live in a big city or come from a big family.

  24. Anonymous: you have repeatedly mentioned “edens blog” [sic], and berated us for not making a donation to a starving homeless family that she/he has blogged about.

    I have no idea who Eden is, and why you assume that every BabyMac reader also reads this person’s blog. I am beginning to wonder whether you are “edens blog”. I apologise to the real “edens blog” if this is not the case – they may well not be the type of person to make judgmental comments on others’ blogs.

    Anyway, I have just tried googling many combinations of keywords regarding eden, blog, homeless, family, starving etc and come up with nothing that seems to match your comments. If you are so keen to open our supposedly superficial eyes you might want to link to this important blog post.

  25. Beautiful photos, Beth! Great quotes too. xxx

    To dear friend, Anon – good on you for putting a stereotype on all of us ‘hysterical’ and ‘shallow’ bloggers. You don’t know us. For all you know, I could be saving the world in the time that I’m NOT reading BabyMac!!! I come here for light hearted reading, not to try and save the world.

  26. hellebores and daphne. lovin!

    (I’m with Miss Jane Hall,… you’re a good bird!)

    love x

  27. Beth what have you done to make poor Sally hate you so much?
    Obviously we are all fat middle aged pill popping ladies who lunch that have nothing better to do than defend Beth. Maybe Sally needs to try out the anti depressents and calm the hell down.

  28. You must be the ‘Anon’ that can actually spell. I can’t take a poor speller seriously. There, I said it.

    Sally, I thought I might weigh in on this one. I’m no crazed defeneder, I’m just a woman with a POV.

    Anyway. I think you raise some valid points. Yes the thousands of women being raped daily in the Congo ARE important. But just because you talk about a bin on a blog doesn’t mean you don’t give a shit about it. Or that you don’t do anything about the state of the world to make it a better place to live in.

    Blogs are just ONE expression of a person. People are multi-faceted. So there’s much more to me than my own blog. Sheesh I’d like to think so, because I post about getting my ‘mo waxed, FFS!

    We’re all global citizens. I know this. I’m sure Beth gets this. Maybe she sponsors children from developing countries? Maybe she donates generously to a range of causes? Campaigns online for the rights of those with few?

    I think you’ve been rather quick to judge. And I think you are very angry. I just hope you can channel that energy in a good place. And find a way to express it all somewhere really positively.

    Best of luck to you. Peace love and lentils, dude.

    xx P23

  29. Shit that was long. Sorry.

    I’m a bit sick of all the anger out there. Let it go lady. Let it go and do something proactive with it.

    xx

  30. There is so much I could say but where to begin and why here, in a comment box?

    She has a point – and a good one at that – but it’s laden with so many sweeping generalisations and insults I don’t have the energy to do so.

    There are many many bloggers writing on what Anon is concerned about.

    But this, Beth, is your corner of your world. To celebrate YOUR life, or whinge or cry or laugh or WHATEVERTHEFUCK it is you want it to be.

    This is not a blog about current affairs or international events and getting angry at you and your readers for it is just misguided.

    It seems a damning and spurious link to believe that simply because someone writes about their home and their shiny new bin they are not aware or involved or concerned or active on issues much much bigger.

    You see, I’ve started now and could go on and on. But I shan’t. Because all I am doing is fuelling a fire that is doomed – best to accept she is not going to see your point of view, is going to always cast a somewhat dim view on your world and simply move on.

    Onward!

  31. I always believe that anonymous commenters who only have mean things to say are jealous people hiding behind their computer screen, their pretend name and pretending to be anonymous. The problem is theirs and if they don’t like what they read then don’t read it! simple.

    personally I think your anon needs their own blog where they can go and waffle on and try to offend people there.

    corrie:)

  32. I think the main thing I am taking away from all of this is…. My bin is crap.

  33. so… I am wondering why anonymous is here, wasting her time, and why she not sharing her blog, so we can see how she is saving the world???

    Sally….you not saving the world, you adding to downfall, mate…so not cool to put your name to your blog while you put others down.

  34. I have a lot to say. I’m doing a lot of pondering – I hope you’re ok.

    Hang in there my love.

    Those pics of Rob in your current post? Lucky he wasn’t there when I went to your house coz I would have jumped his bones.

    Well probably not but I definitely would have thought about it.

    xxoo

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