For more than 13 years, Lyn and I lived in a house that was too small. While it was a place we loved, it was less than 1,500 square feet, and as our daughters were born — first Emmie, then Gigi, and Sloane six years later — it became more and more uncomfortable to squeeze everyone in. For years, we talked about moving. We imagined where we’d live someday, how many bedrooms we’d have, and how big our yard would be. It was a beautiful dream, but for some reason, we never did it.
Year after year, something held us back. Whether it was the hassle, the cost, or the fear of uprooting the girls, there always seemed to be an excuse to stay put. The ill-fitting house was like a black cloud hanging over our family, inconveniencing us at every turn. Then, this September, I started reading Hal Elrod’s “The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life Before 8AM,” and something changed. I started getting up at 4:30 a.m. to meditate, make goals, and review my progress. I got motivated, and so did Lyn. That same month, we finally made the decision to sell our house. In just a few weeks, I had our things packed, and Lyn had the house beautifully staged. Less than 35 days after we put it on the market, it was sold.
So why am I telling this story? Well, first of all, I want to share my excitement with you. This is a huge step for my family, and we couldn’t be happier to be moving into our new, bigger house! But apart from that, I also want to share what I learned along the way, particularly now that the time for New Year’s resolutions has arrived.
One of the things I realized while struggling with selling my home is that if you have black clouds hanging over you or things holding you back, you won’t be able to move forward until you address them. The best thing you can do for yourself in 2020 is face the things that have been bothering you for years head-on. Identify the problem, brainstorm solutions to solve it, set goals to reach those solutions, and then write those goals down and stick them where you’ll see them every morning and every night. If you set two or three of those goals and keep them at the front of your mind, I promise that you can achieve them!
That strategy definitely worked for my family when it came to selling our tiny house. We finally stopped talking about it and just did it! Now, we’re moving into a house that’s twice the size of our old place and in an area of the city we never thought we’d be able to live in. Best of all, the whole family is happy.
Of course, your goals won’t be the same as mine. Maybe you’d like to lose 10 pounds, or pay off your student loan debt, or avoid an impending foreclosure. If you’re struggling with foreclosure, one step toward taking action on that goal could be calling my firm. We’re experts at staving off foreclosures and keeping people in their homes, and we’d love to help you fight for your dreams of a better 2020. If you’re ready to take action, call us today at 510-982-3001 for a free consultation.