We live in a world today where we feel things need to be perfect. We must have the perfect house, career, family, car, and vacations. Just do a search on Pinterest for ‘home decor’ and you’ll find there is no shortage of what home perfection looks like. That constant flow of imagery gets hammered into our heads, reminding us that perfection looks like this and that your’s is not good enough. I can guarantee you those same images have laundry baskets, kids toys, and piles of shoes thrown about behind the photographers tripod.
This picture captures beautifully how the ‘perfect home’ appears to most of us. However, if you look closely, it only offers a glimpse of real life behind the gates.
One could simply define perfection as a facade. A mask we place over ourselves and our things to protect what is not seemingly perfect to others. In my opinion, this means that for something to be considered perfect, then it must be complete. And that, my friends, seems like a very boring life. For, if we are not constantly creating, then we are not truly living.
Yet, knowing this, we still beat ourselves up trying to achieve perfection in our homes.
When it comes to styling and renovating our homes, we strive towards Pinterest perfection. Now, I’m not saying we should cancel our Pinterest accounts, stop watching HGTV, and live in a cluttered, filthy mess. Media sites do have a positive impact on our lives as they birth new ideas and inspiration. My point is we cannot look at the images on t.v. and social media and perceive them as real-life perfection.
If we only focus on the lack in our home, then we are completely missing out on the abundance our home is providing us.
Do you remember when you first bought your home? Try and think how many times you told your partner or Realtor how ‘perfect’ everything was? You thought the house was perfect even though you knew the kitchen and bath would need renovated, or that the back yard needed a complete overhaul. What you loved was the size of the living room, the fact that everyone had a bedroom, the natural hardwoods, and “oh, we finally have a fireplace!” There were more reasons you fell in love with the house than not.
It’s only after life, careers, kids, and activities eat up our time, attention, and money that prevent us from turning those interior dreams into reality. After a few months of living in the house, we start complaining that we don’t have the time or money to accomplish our original renovation goals. We now hate the kitchen layout and pink bathroom. We don’t have the money to fix the fireplace or the yard and on and on it goes. Next, we then scroll endlessly at images of well-styled homes, only adding to the disappointment and lack we find in our own. Now, we have officially lost sight of what we initially fell in love with.
Bring it Back!
So, how do we bring back that excited feeling we had when our offer on the house was accepted? Or, better yet, the feeling we had on the day the keys were handed over to us? First, we need to understand that our quest for finding the perfect home has already been delivered by the Universe at the right moment in time.
Try to take yourself back to that moment. What do you remember? Unlocking the front door with an excited smile? Wrapping your arms around your partner with such joy and appreciation? Talking about what color and which room you would paint first?
Be grateful!
Finally, ask yourself, ‘what does my home provide me with that I haven’t thought about before?’ Obviously, it provides you with shelter, but what else? What memories are you are missing out on? Could you pay more attention to the conversation and laughter at the dinner table? Do you listen for the sound of your children’s’ feet stomping across the hardwood floors? Or, do you recognize the smell of fall’s first pot of soup on the stove? Engage your senses to find the appreciation in all that your home offers.
In short, you must find a way to fall back in love with your home, instead of finding it’s shortcomings. Also, remember that social media imagery is not perfection or reality.
By giving our attention to the positive aspects in our homes, it’s only natural that it will provide us with what we need for it to feel perfect for us.
You don’t need a new or bigger home, you just need a new perspective. Focus on the feeling you want to create in your home, and from there you’ll find the home you’ve always dreamed of.
Originally published at www.jadescottdesign.com