One month! That's how long we've already lived in our new home! Time flies when you're picking out paint colours, spending your days at Home Depot like it’s the hottest new vacation spot, and unpacking all the things you forgot about for a few weeks! It’s so crazy to think how much we've accomplished in such a short period of time. From painting 1/3 of our home, having multiple meetings/chats/emails with our real estate/mortgage/legal team, moving all of our stuff, realizing we have too much stuff, moving out of our rental home, planning our renovations for this year, and finally getting to decorate things! Home ownership is no joke, you guys. You really pull out all the "adulting" stops to make those dreams a reality.
While transitioning from our rental home into our first “oh em gee we own this” home has had its ups and downs, I’ve learned a few things along the way that really resonated with my small business.
Doing the less exciting things that you don't want to do are just as important as the things you're super pumped to work on.
There were many times I just wasn’t feeling it, ya know. Like who wants to wash all of the wall surfaces in sight and tape edges for painting for hours on end ... like how boring, right?! Well, if it wasn’t for those less exciting tasks, I wouldn’t get to do the way cooler things I was looking forward to... like, you know, actually painting those walls. There is nothing more exciting (okay, maybe like chocolate cake or seeing a celebrity) than seeing the colour you had in mind for your home come to life (hellooo burnt orange to bright turquoise walls). The same applies to things like taxes and organizing your files or maybe it’s client communication or your creative process. Either way they’re all equally important and part of the process to help you meet your goals.
It’s okay to change your mind.
I’ve really felt like my priorities have shifted since we moved and my ability to make final decisions seems to be a lot harder. Maybe that’s just me though and my love/hate relationship with interior decorating - like when you find a beautiful yellow armchair at HomeSense that is PERFECT for your space, but you have to have an internal conversation with yourself because it’s $300 and like do you REALLY need it?! There’s nothing more intimidating than having to decide on something that will be in your home for a veryyyyy long period of time. Baseboard moulding, kitchen cupboards, and roof shingles are things I never thought about a month ago and now I’ve always got at least one of those things on my mind - and I’ve changed my mind at least 3 times since moving in about each one. Sometimes even picking the right font for your client’s project, deciding on whether you should move your website platform to another company, or starting a new product or service can be challenging to know if you’re making the right decision. Just do your research and try things out till they work for you. Worst case you don’t like and take another route and try again!
It’s okay to have no idea what you’re doing.
Speaking of moulding, cabinets, and shingles - these are not my area of expertise and I am okay with admitting that I have absolutely no idea what the difference is between the varieties and qualities of these items. Same goes for things like your business finances, writing legal contracts, and perhaps just inbox management. If it’s not your ‘cup of tea’ then calling your Dad, your best friend, that nice contractor your realtor referred you to, or a sweet local lady boss you’ve been wanting to reach out to to give you a hand figuring things out is a sure fine plan.
Good things take time.
This one seems like a no brainer, but I wanted to include it anyways. When I was younger and would watch those house reno shows where they would flip someone’s house in like 10 minutes and then see people in real life renovating their home over a 5 or more year period I never understood why they were taking so long to get their home the way they wanted it. But, folks, I get it now. Unless you’re a contractor yourself and are planning on spending all of your days working on your home, it’s just not realistic, but if you really wanted to spend 1 week, 1 year, 5 years, or 20 years working things out and getting things done then you do you, girl!