“All Journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.” Martin Buber
Turns out that renovation has much in common with renewal and they are in there own way a type of journey. According to dictionary.com the second definition of renovate is “to reinvigorate; refresh; revive.” Moving from burnout to well-being is a sort of renovation. Along the way, there is upheaval.
My husband and I are doing some renovation at our home. As part of the preparation, we’ve had to move everything from our sons’ bedroom into our daughter’s room and this is what it looks like; it’s so filled with furniture and two extra beds, you can’t even walk into the room. 
The plan is to have all the work finished by Thursday and the boys’ room all set up again. Friday, we leave for the American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting in Vancouver. I’ll be presenting Vital Signs of Well-Being and Oasis in the Overwhelm in the wellness area at the conference. Within 48 hours of return we’ll be hosting 16 people for seder with 5 people (including me and my husband) staying at the house and the next night possibly another 13 for seder with 7 people staying here overnight.
Turns out it’s unlikely the floor will get done in time, and the room will not be fully ready when our family arrives. There have been some additional surprises along the way too. The washing machine and dryer were not available for over a week. I bet you’ve experienced renovations or anticipated how a project will go and then Eek! things don’t go according to plan. Initially, I did lose some sleep do to anxiety about how it would all be ready.
After about a day of telling myself that this is the new situation and “be present,” I came to accept this is how it is. Acknowledging the new situation allowed me to ask myself, ‘what is the best outcome I would like to achieve?’ I’ve come up with several goals.
- Acceptance of reality graciously
- Invoke a sense of Humor about the situation
- Develop an alternative plan – the beds could be put in place on the bare floor and the old linens could still be used. The warm welcome with places to sleep is more important than the updated room.
What do you do when your plans go awry? Leave a comment.
My house renovation journey turned out to have an unanticipated internal destination, the reminder to not be too attached to a specific plan and need for flexibility. While I know flexibility is called for in life, I was unaware of the need for it at the outset. I wonder if there is more that I am unaware of on this journey.
To reinvigorate your life and journey to well-being, contact me. What secret destinations will emerge for you?
Revitalize Your Life,
Dina, 203.744.YOU3 (9683), Well-Being Coach
Improving well-being for professionals through coaching.
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