Pivots, Renovation & Building Something Beautiful

It was not that long ago, yet in many ways, it feels like forever.

It was about this time two years ago when Susanne and I sold our home in Colorado and moved into an RV.

Our plan at the time was to spend two years as digital nomads, exploring the country. Susanne had put a lot of work into researching full-time RV life and mapping the next 12 months. She had it down to a science and we could not have been more excited.

We pivoted after nine months.

It is not because we didn't like RV life . . . we loved it!

However, we also love the Adirondack Mountains where I spent a good part of my youth, where we had our first child and after seven months, we decided to buy a home here.

And not just any home. We bought an 1888 Victorian.

Our thinking was we would put down some flooring, remove some wallpaper, add some paint, and be done.

Boy oh boy were we wrong.

We took the place down to the studs and virtually did a full rebuild.

We (and by we I mean our contractor), took down walls, put in all new electrical, replaced all of the windows, added new siding, and the list goes on.

What should not have been a surprise was that once you begin a project like this, you find more things that need to be fixed. It seemed like a never-ending game of whack-a-mole.

So instead of us motoring around the country in our RV, we found ourselves neck deep in home demolition, planning with our contractor, and nights when we were thankful for our grill because we had no stove to cook dinner (it was on back order).

We are so grateful for our new home. The finished product is exactly what we wanted - small, simple, and in a town that we love. We also talk about the metaphor that it represents in our lives.

Often times in order to get to something you love, you have to start from the beginning. You have to tear down what is there - take life down to the studs and piece by piece assemble something that can be beautiful.

And, as our contractor helped us, you will most certainly need support and guidance along the way.

Do not be content to live an old, dilapidated, and outdated life. If needed, take the first step toward renovation and experience the beauty of seeing your life unfold in incredible ways.

On the journey with you,

Carlos

This edition was first published in The Life Design Newsletter on LinkedIn.