Building a Home – It’s Like a Leap of Faith & a Voyage Into the Unknown

Building a home is a lot like living a life. There are twists and turns that you simply can’t predict. Despite a cautious approach or extensive planning, someone or something is going to throw you a curve.

This scares a lot of people and stops them in their tracks. What about you? What holds you back and what spurs you on?

In my years of advising and coaching homeowners and home-owner builders, I’ve been fortunate to learn as much about people as about building and homes. I’ve found there is just as much uniqueness as there is commonality. Whatever the differences, there are two over-arching approaches people take when building (and living.)

1) Extensive Preparation & Planning

Those who know me understand that I’m big on planning before a home building or remodeling project. Extensive preparation can certainly minimize the number and magnitude of challenges that arise. Many people are convinced this is the only way to go.

I’ve worked with masters at charting a clear path and anticipating as many potential problems as possible. But, interestingly, their approach to home building doesn’t always result in smoother sailing.

2) The More Intuitive “Let’s Get Started” Approach

Then these are those who just want to plow ahead. They feel that they’re flexible enough to handle whatever comes there way, whenever it comes. And, they also seem to be convinced that very little will go wrong in the first place. They are the optimists that say “bring it on, we can handle it.”

Personally, I like optimistic people even though I favor more preparation. However, I’m often surprised to see how well it can work for some who do experience relatively smooth sailing despite the curve balls.

HomeBuilding & Life Require a Balanced Approach

Life would be boring if it were all scripted out for us and we knew everything ahead of time. We need challenges and surprises from time to time. It spices up our lives. Yet, at the same time, we need order and routine to give us security and a solid foundation that gives us the confidence to move forward.

It’s the same with home building. We must plan and prepare to get things done but be flexible enough to handle the “uh-ohs” when they surprise us. It’s a balance.

Parents, Teachers & HomeBuilding Coaches

There will always be the unknown. It’s my observation that we get past it, and excel in life by watching, emulating, and seeking advice from parents, teachers and other authority figures. From learning to walk and talk, to understanding how to interact with people, to making a living and reaching our goals, we receive guidance from others who’ve been there … done that.

It’s no different with home building and remodeling. There are those who have experience and knowledge that we don’t possess. Those are the people we should seek out. A home building coach can inspire you. A home building coach can get you started. A good coach can outline your path, provide support, trouble-shoot, and keep you on the straight and narrow.

The Faith to Leap

A good home building coach can inspire the faith to proceed. So, despite your approach to building, methodical or more intuitive, using a home building coach can provide the balance that brings success.

Who is your mentor and coach?

This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged , . Bookmark the permalink.