Leaving our comfort zones helps us learn and develop.
By Darrel L. Hammon
A couple of years ago, my wife and I climbed out of our comfort zones, not completely realizing what we were about to experience and learn. After serving a three-year mission for our Church in Southern California, we decided to buy a small townhome in south Provo, Utah, and renovate it. Now, you have to realize that the only thing I have personally renovated in my life is many essays and talks that needed work. So, I enlisted the aid of my brother Brad, whose life had been replete with renovating and building things.
Along the way, we learned so many valuable lessons from our renovation project that parallel our lives and can help all of us move through potential challenges. They include:
Goals will change. We had goals to begin the project. We were going to change the flooring, the cabinets, countertops, walls, lights, etc. They were good goals, solid goals, ones that we knew we could do. However, things do not necessarily always start or finish the way you think they might in construction or life. Realize that things will change on a daily basis, even on an hourly basis, so anticipate that change.
Flexibility is necessary. Flexibility is such an important principle in life and renovation. We spent an inordinate amount of time researching what type and quality of carpet, flooring, countertops, paint, etc. we wanted. We went from one type of flooring to another, one look and color of granite to another. Give yourself permission to change your mind and evolve through the process.
Things cost more than you anticipated. Just as every project has a budget, life has a budget, too, and we get to set it. Often, though, our income does not meet our needs or our wants, and we have to change what we purchase to meet our real budget. Every change we made during the renovation cost more money. Keep track of the changes and their costs—or you will be in for a big surprise at the end!
Changes have a cascading effect. What an understatement! For example, we converted a shower into a closet, which necessitated removing the jetted tub to make room for a new roomy shower with two shower heads, one on each end. When one thing changes, expect other deviations to follow.
Patience is a necessity. At the beginning of our renovation project, we felt we had a good timeline, but everything took longer than expected, causing our patience to wane. However, deep down, we knew this would happen. We were told that things would change, timelines would elongate, and things would not go the way we thought—hoped—they would. Life is the same way. Sometimes things just do not work out the way we planned. Then it’s time to regroup, recalculate, and rethink how to continue forward, rather than choosing to be mad. Always practice patience and move forward with realistic expectations.
Downsizing is a plus. Before we went on our mission, we sold our six-bedroom home and got rid of a ton of stuff. When we retrieved what we had kept and placed in storage for almost 3.5 years, we discovered we still had too much. Our lives are so much like this. We over-stuff our days and our spaces, and we become overloaded, causing stress and anxiety. When something distracts us from our true goals and objectives, we need to let it go—and feel good about downsizing.
Never forget where you began. We can look to the future and forget about where we began. This is why we kept pictures of the townhome from the beginning so we could see our progress. We also should keep track of progress in our lives, either through journals, pictures or videos. This allows us to see our progress! When you take time to record updates and milestones along your journey, over time you will be impressed with how far you have come.
Enjoy the end product. After all is said and done, enjoy what you have accomplished. Savor the moments of getting things done, big or small. Pat yourself on the back, spend some time taking deep appreciative breaths, and reflect. Slowing down to celebrate the wins in life gives you the motivation to move on to the next project—whatever that may be!
Darrel L. Hammon has been dabbling in writing in a variety of genres since his college days, having published poetry, academic and personal articles/essays, a book titled Completing Graduate School Long Distance (Sage Publications), and a picture book, The Adventures of Bob the Bullfrog: Christmas Beneath a Frozen Lake (Outskirts Press). He also was the editor of the Journal of Adult Education (Mountain Plains Adult Education Association). Most of his essay/article writing has focused on topics about growing up, leadership, self-awareness, motivation, marriage/dating, and educational topics. Some of these articles/essays are in Spanish because Darrel is bilingual in Spanish/English, having lived in Chile, Dominican Republic, and southern California, and having worked with Latino youth and families all of his professional life in higher education. He has two blogs, one for personal writing at http://www.darrelhammon.blogspot.com/ and one for his consulting/life coaching business (http://www.hammonconsults.blogspot.com/).