Teri and the TROSA Moving Truck
It started with a glimmer of a suggestion from my partner Jo… “Let’s sell our house.”
At first it was not a suggestion that made sense to me. Why would we would make that kind of change?
For twenty years we’d been making the house our own. We built an addition that I loved working in.
I loved the original heart-pine floors, the oversized moldings, the ten-foot ceilings. It really was my dream home.
I remember a contractor asking me how long did we plan live in this house? I said forever.
As we began to sell, give away, shred (I killed two shredders) and throw away the unnecessary accumulations of twenty years, I realized how much effort improving, maintaining and cleaning the house required. If we didn’t go through these things now, it would only get harder for us in future years. And if we didn’t do it – who would? Our poor heirs would likely make massive trips to the dump and not be nearly as careful sorting through things.
Other things in life were becoming more important.
After what seemed like forever negotiations with the buyers, the closing day finally came at the end of May.
Our belongings sorted and piled
The move has been a major adjustment. Instead of rolling out of bed to work, I am renting office space, getting used to driving to meet clients.
Not everything has its place in our new 600 square foot apartment home. Even when it does, still we won’t be done because we’re renovating another house we own to eventually live in. When that project is complete, our 1000 square-foot home will feel palatial!
Why put ourselves through this?
Simply put the time has come to simplify. To learn to live with less ‘stuff’. To own less. To be more free to travel. To liquefy some of our assets instead of everything being tied up in real estate.
In theory these are great thoughts. Acting on them is another story. Though we didn’t ‘have to’ do this, it just seemed to be time. Something deep inside was calling.
This process and transformation reminds me of my clients who are setting bigger visions for their businesses and organizations. They don’t ‘have to’ do it. None of them are in desperate straits, but something within is calling them into a new, better, more fulfilling reality. The voice becomes so strong, it can’t be ignored.
The biggest challenge for me has been to take these actions to re-set our lives, and still stay focused—to concentrate with awareness moment to moment. Staying focused while moving through change is how a new reality comes into being. I have always told this to my clients; but living it has given me a whole new appreciation for their journey.
Focus, concentrate on work.
Focus, concentrate on relationships.
Focus, concentrate on cleaning the house, on organizing the files.
Be aware of time.
Focus. Stay present to myself, to Jo, to my clients.
Focus, as I continue to re-evaluate everything, to purge, to simplify, to recognize what is most important and let go of the rest.
At times I am tired. (Sometime a lot of the time!)
But being present in the current moment and aware of how I am reacting helps a lot.
I want to be kinder. I want to be less frazzled.
I know I am headed for a better place, but until I get there it’s impossible to know exactly how that will feel and how I will function.
Change is not easy for us human beings, but change brings growth.
What is your story of change, of action, of transformation? What do you do to help yourself through this challenging time? Leave a note below so we can learn from one another how to successfully create and shape change.
