“There’s a point in every race, in every work day, in every project where emotion kicks in and you think enough is enough. But the StoryAthlete has the power to renew their mind. To choose a different emotion. To opt for a “mission complete” rather than partial credit. Recall a time when you’ve thought you’d suffered long enough. But chose instead to fight for that little bit extra.”
One house; 10 months, over $70,000 in remodel and holding costs, much of the labor done by myself and my boys. So many times, I just wanted to quit. There were many moments of exhaustion and frustration. Of simply not knowing how to proceed. And then, I would figure it out, watch a youtube video, or one of my teen sons would have an ‘aha’ moment, and we would finish that task. And start the next one. Then the next one.
I’ve had several people express their sympathy to me that I had to pass through such a tough experience. But I don’t regret one bit of it.
Even now, as we are in the home stretch, and I am figuring out how to get the bond to release the illegal mechanic’s lien so we can close as soon as possible. I wouldn’t change a thing. Why? Because this experience has changed me for the better. It has forged better relationships between my sons and I. It has included many lows, but it has also included many highs – for example, when we figured out a trick and started laying the LVP flooring much faster. When we successfully hung that first ceiling fan, and the next, and the next. When we installed the toilets ourselves, when I refinished the bathtub. On and on.
I have come to the realization that if you want to be truly happy, take on a challenge that seems impossible and then persevere to the end. There is nothing like that sense of accomplishment as you fight the daily fight to make it.
Most importantly, it’s not just words or someone else’s biography that I’m giving my kids now. They have seen my living, lived it themselves. We don’t give up. Ever. No matter how tired or spent we are. We finish what we start. That’s a legacy they can carry with them for life. And that makes the whole ordeal worth it to me.