For the last four months, this view of my new living room windows has kept me going through a lot of…for want of a better word, admin.
Phone calls. Forms. Emails. Questions about home reports, and adjusted and refreshed home reports. Surveys. Issues with structural engineer surveys. Issues with home reports (again). Calls to solicitors. Endless emails to solicitors (and from solicitors). More forms. Forms which need to be printed out on an actual printer. Deposits. Mortgages. Changes to mortgages. Emails and texts and calls to mortgage advisors.
And that’s all normal for any big purchase…but in addition to all of this admin is the mental and emotional ups and downs to deal with.
Will it go through? What if it doesn’t? Sure I could find another house but it’s taken me two years to find this one in the right part of the island…okay just keep going…don’t think about it not working out…
I’m a planner. I plan for what is happening, and at the same time I make at least three backup plans for all the things which might or might not happen. I do recognise that no matter how much planning I do, there’s often an outcome which wasn’t on the plan or backup-plans list at all, but I still do it.
I’ve also had some real toxic and traumatic things in my past which led me to lean into this planning/protective approach, because it’s hard for me to believe that I will actually. get. my. dream.
So I hesitate to presume. Someone asks if I’m moving to my dream island and I say Well, hopefully, we’ll see, things are in motion….!
Helpfully, I am stubborn as a rock in the best possible way when it comes to dreams.
There were at least three significant points in this process when we had to come up with a clever alternative route to make sure I got the house. And I dug my heels in and talked to more people and got more advice and tried it another way and we figured it out.
And now I own my house.
On my dream island.
I moved out on Thursday, and dropping the last few keys through the letterbox was definitely a good moment. Like a literal weight being lifted, because that part is done.
There’s plenty more, and moving to an island has its own layers of challenges – but basically moving is chaos and a bit of stress (as much as you allow plus some bonus extra) and you feel unsettled.
But I’m leaning into the mindset of happy chaos.
Anyway, back to the windows.
These windows have gotten me through a lot. I’d hit the stage of “arghhh this is so frustrating this will never happen”…and then I’d think of sitting in front of those windows with that view, beautiful regardless of the weather, looking out on peace and tranquillity. I’d take a deep breath and go again.
It gave me a real visual (literally) on what it’s like to have a “vision”.
I could see these windows in my mind’s eye. From many miles away, on the mainland, on a busy street, on a train, wherever… even at the most stressful times I’d see the windows – the sun shining in or the rain pouring down or the wind moving the trees, and it would get me through the minutiae which need to happen in order to get the dream.
So whatever vision you’ve got for your life or your business – literally keep your windows in mind.
It could be something physical which exists already, like my windows; or it could be an imagined vision. A house you’re building, offices you want to own or work from, the team you want to have.
Make sure that visual is nice and strong, because you’re going to need it.
After all, I know moving is stressful. And I expected it – or thought I did. But there were so many new things and confusing things and processes which are different now than the last time I moved.
Life is hard. Business is hard. I’m talking to so many business owners right now -not just accountants but in multiple different industries – and I’m hearing that the last 12-18 months have been the toughest we’ve ever seen.
We need our windows.
You need your windows.
I’d love to hear what your windows are, or look like (even if they’re not windows at all)! Feel free to reply with a picture!
And just keep going.
