The Focus is on Adventure

As I write this, my focus is on a major life change — moving from Ontario to Nova Scotia.

Our home went on the market this past Friday and it’s been “crazy busy” here ever since. I find myself bouncing between sadness (at leaving my home and familiar places) and excitement (the adventure and beauty of Nova Scotia).

I’m also learning a LOT about focus and getting stuff done I’d like to share with you.

Minimize

Our agent encouraged us to put away as much stuff as possible so that people looking at our home could picture themselves in it. That meant I packed away most of my art supplies. To me it looks like treasure but to others? Not so much.

What I discovered is how little I actually need to be creative. Paring down the stash makes choosing a lot easier. Sitting down to paint is a joy because I have so much clear space to play in! (I may not even load those boxes on the truck when it comes time to move.)

Many of you feel overwhelmed by all you have to do or the options available to you. I know this is true because I hear it all the time from clients and friends. Information Overload is very real.

Maybe it’s time to clear some of that clutter (mental or physical) so you can focus on what’s really important to you?

Choose

Make no mistake. We love our current home. We remodelled it over the years to be exactly what we wanted to retire to. But as many of you know, life happens and we made the decision to sell, confident it’s the right one.

Not easy but right. That’s why I have to be careful about where I spend my time in my head.

When we first decided to sell we investigated familiar areas for our new home. Frankly, when you’ve lived lakeside for almost 20 years, some of those places felt like a step backwards.

Then someone said “How about Nova Scotia?” We shifted our focus, saw new possibilities and everything changed. Adventure came calling.

When I think about what we are leaving behind I fall into a funk. While I don’t pretend I don’t feel that sadness, I very consciously make the decision (over and over) to focus on what we’re going towards. I immediately feel my emotions lift.

But — and here’s where many of us miss the obvious — we have to give ourselves something positive to focus on. Nature abhors a vacuum. So does our imagination.

If the choice isn’t obvious, look for one. Create one. Make it something you can get excited about. Don’t settle until you do.

Small Steps

When I tried to look at the whole move it became overwhelming and I didn’t want to do anything. My To Do list got longer and longer the more I thought about it. Ready the house…Sell the house..Find a new home…Pack the house…

You get the picture.

In reality those things won’t happen all at once. So I set milestones and chose to focus only on where I am right now in the process. My stress levels reduced by 1000%.

Got a big vision? Break it down into manageable chunks. Small steps every day. Once you know what has to be done, keep your focus on what’s next. The rest will be patiently waiting when you get there.

A Little Help From Your Friends

I rely on experts (my agent) for advice and guidance. Family and friends provide encouragement and distraction when I need a lift.

Let your tribe know what you’re up to. There’s nothing like outside accountability to keep you on track. It’s a lot easier to let something slide when you’re the only one who knows about it.

Discover The Power of Focus

Want more help clearing out some of that mental clutter? I believe this topic is so important to creative folks like us that I regularly host a free, information-packed webinar to share the process and tools I use.

Real stuff. No fluff.

To get on the list for the next webinar simply share your email address and you’ll be among the first to know when the next one is scheduled.

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