Renovations Are Not Just For Houses

Last July we launched into a major home renovation which included some drastic demolition. Take a look at the difference two hours can make!

8 am

10 am

As I watched the powerful excavator destroy the home we lived in for eleven years, tender emotion welled up inside me. I thought about the day we moved in, August 1, 2009. At that time our kids were 9, 6 and 3. I thought about each room and the memories that filled the spaces. As the reel of video memories played in my mind, my perspective shifted. I realized that those significant memories would not disappear with the renovation of the house, but would continue to live on inside my mind and heart. Instantly, I felt the melancholy wave break and surge into a shore of hope and joy. Afterall, the demolition of our house was a welcome change, one we envisioned, planned for and sought out. This day was one to celebrate, not lament! The beauty of the new structure that would rise up from the pile of rubble gave me hope and motivation! 

Have you ever gone through a major renovation? Not a home reno, but something major in your personal or professional life that has transformed you in a drastic way. Personal renovation is often voluntary, like when a young person launches from home on a quest for independence, a couple decides to marry, a woman gets pregnant, or a couple adjusts to life with a newborn. On the other hand, some personal renovation is definitely NOT voluntary. For example, battling cancer or other illness, dealing with a loved one’s addiction, enduring the trial of divorce or loss of a loved one. In fact, right now it seems like the entire world is going through a non-voluntary renovation. Countless people are worried about the COVID-19 pandemic and many have even physically endured the virus. The year 2020 has drastically altered many of our routines, employment, health and family situations. Voluntary renovation or not, what happens next depends on your perspective.

For the month of November each of my blog posts were about the topic of perspective. Here is a summary of the power of perspective:

• Perspective offers clarity, drives motivation, grants patience and delivers peace
• Perspective has power to bring more success and satisfaction (S²) to our lives
• A clear perspective produces motivation to move on a vision, increasing productivity and decreasing self-doubt, self-loathing, and negative self-talk
• A clear perspective includes a distinctive understanding of things with respect to their distance & position
• A clear perspective helps us avoid bolting forward blindly towards what we think we want and instead intentionally implement productive processes to create successful outcomes

Right now for many people around the world, life is like the before/after pictures of my home above. Before, strong and comfortable. After, reduced to an unrecognizable heap! During this time of uncertainty, try not to focus on the heap. Instead, shift your perspective to your future. Make time to dream! Create a vision. Once you see what your vision is, ask yourself why you want it, then create the way to get it done! That’s the formula I follow (and teach others to follow) for achieving success & satisfaction in life! With the right perspective, you can identify specific areas of your life need some “renovating.” From a small renovation project to a major rehaul, no reno project starts without a vision and a plan. Thoughts, processes, and actions can be renovated to improve or enhance the beautiful person you are. 

Where do you start? Stay tuned for my next blog post, where I will share a powerful ONE Way process called an “O Loop” to create momentum and improve productivity as you work on your “personal renovation.”