What if the most important thing our hopes and dreams need is a kickstart?
I’ve mentioned in a previous post that after 22 years, we are selling our home. It’s something we’ve dreamed of for a decade, but with a large family and a rollercoaster economy, there was always something keeping us from listing it. Isn’t that just the way it is when it comes to stepping into the one thing we really desire?
By the time you read this, we’ll be packing the truck and changing zip codes. It’s not a huge location change, but it is a huge personal change. One that is very exciting because the market is good, and this positions us in a better financial standing for our future. One that’s scary because there’s a certain element of security and normal that is lost in letting go of what we hold dear and comfortable in exchange for unpredictable and unknown.
Through it all though, I’m experiencing how hopeful and refreshing a someday dream can be, but I’ll be honest and admit that it took a kickstart to really get us serious about something we’ve never done before. I had certain expectations of how I wanted it all to unfold, a timeline I wanted to fit within and a certain level of chaos I wanted to keep harnessed.
Of course, I wanted everything to be perfect and updated and clean…and then Hurricane Irma came.
I didn’t want to see the discerning eye of anyone who was less than thrilled with our home…and then the Inspector came.
I really wanted everyone who entered our home to feel “at home”…and then the buyer came.
In the midst of all that was less than perfect, less than clean and still in need of a tiny bit of updates, they stayed…because as they said, “It felt like home.” And now walls that hold a thousand stories of our family will hold a thousand more for theirs.
Sometimes our someday comes when we decide to get a fire in our belly. When we find the gumption to step out and bravely tackle the big, scary dream. And we find out it’s really not as scary as it once seemed, especially when we implement a few kickstart tactics.
Practice saying No
Over the past 6 months, there were so many things I would rather be doing than working to get a home ready to sell. The timeline changed more than once, and plenty of afternoons of painting were traded in for a matinée or shopping. But the time came for saying NO. Because my end goal couldn’t be realized without denying myself of what seemed good at the time.
The more we allow our hopes and dreams to take shape through giving them intentional space, the easier it becomes to recognize what best looks like. The more visible best becomes, the easier it is to say no to anything that doesn’t align. And no stops being a disappointment or an excuse. It becomes an avenue to success.
“Learn to say “no” to the good and the advantageous, in order to receive the best.” ~Sunday Adelaja
Value Brainstorming
When the reality of listing our home came really took shape, we began to allow ourselves to think outside-the-box. We thought about where we wanted to go, what was important to us and how we wanted our future to look. It’s been fun and amazingly freeing to brainstorm and consider something new and different.
There’s a sense of hope and excitement that comes with the process of throwing out ideas void of critical thinking or judgments.
Brainstorming kickstarts us into the realm of all that is unequivocally possible. Share on XIt’s not the time to self-edit. It’s the time for endless possibilities and unfettered creativity. The time for discernment will come later. There’s great emotional and mental therapy in giving ourselves space to imagine beyond our own reason. The thought that no idea is so outlandish that it should not be considered has created space for dreaming.
“No idea is so outlandish that it should not be considered with a searching but at the same time steady eye. Winston Churchill
Guard Confidence
I realized quickly that kick-starting my someday required pressing through doubt that came with never selling a home before. It was easy to be comfortable and let the doubt push my someday toward an indefinite future instead of a tangible today. And as a result squeeze out any space for optimism and confidence that comes with taking action.
There’s something to be said for kick-starting a dream and its direct effect on confidence. Confidence helps us believe even when we don’t have a full understanding. It reveals new horizons and greater perspectives.
“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.”~Hellen Keller
Routine
I’m tired, and I’ve been tired throughout this process because the list of all that needs doing never seems to end.
It’s like that when we make the choice pursue our hopes and dreams. But regardless of how tiring the pursuit, we have to show up every day; it’s not an option. It’s in this daily routine of showing up that we begin to build a strong foundation to sustain our someday. And the routine isn’t something we have to do. It’s something we want to do.
Commit to Finish
I’m sure anyone who’s renovated and sold a home knows it’s not a smooth process. There have been bumps, hindrances, and disappointments along the way. Not a lot, but enough to threaten momentum. Some brought doubts of timing and questions of whether we’d done enough to warrant the price we were asking. We wondered if it would be easier just to back out and be content with where we are.
But we entered into a pact to keep moving forward over each hurdle. We committed to finishing.
That’s what we all do when we decide to kickstart our someday. We choose to do whatever it takes to finish. Regardless of the bumps in the road, the difficult setbacks or the doubts of whether we have what it takes. We put on our big girl pants, and we keep our eyes on the finish line.
Because we deserve to live our dream.
Have you missed previous posts in the September Someday Series?
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