Here is the best (okay- one of the best) parts of my job: I have the opportunity to take a part in other people's lives and learn from their habits;
In this post I put together some of the most important lessons I've learned from working with my clients:
- A long and tedious decision making process does not necessary lead to better decisions, on the contrary! It causes frustration, anxiety and difficulty. Takes all the fun out of the process and leaves us deflated of energy. If you can make your choice now- why push it off? Leave your time and energy available for the real important decisions.
- Sticking to your budget is important but so annoying, especially when it comes to all those small expenses ('so I'll buy those doorknobs for 5.99$ a piece instead of the 3$ I allocated'). But those small costs play an important part in finishing the project within a sane budget. So, sure, be flexible but only when you feel this is the thing that will make a significant change in that trip / event / home you are planning or really make you happy. And then, of course, cut down on something else.
- From my elder clients I've learned many things- you gain a new perspective looking on life from that point. The most important things I've observed are related to our children. You reap what you sow. Our attitude towards our kids is going to build their attitude towards us when we reach our old age. Think about that next time you shout: "come on, walk faster" or "why did you spill that juice again, clumsy". But also when you take a moment to put down that phone or shut the computer in order to really listen to what happened today in school or just to say "I love you, you're great!"
- Here's one I adopted from a very dear client: "it is what it is", or in other words, come to terms with those things which you cannot change or are not worth the time / energy / money / aggrevation it will take to fix them. Not everything needs to work the way we planned for it. I'll dare say that most times, when we let go of the vision we had in mind and look at what we have, we discover new advantages we did not even imagine.
- I decided early on to never say something is impossible, even if all the known facts really lead to that conclusion. Experience has tought me that some of the most bizzare ideas turn out to be completely feasible (and even rather good!) if you just assume they are.
I will not mention names here, but the credit for all these tips belong to my clients!
I'd love to get more- do you have what to add?
Derorit
Creating spaces people want to live in
