As I was heading out the door today to clean one of our Airbnb’s, I realized the keys were missing. Ugh.. Then I remembered that I had the guest key in the lockbox. Whew!
What I forgot when I got inside the Airbnb was that we recently put in a cabinet for our cleaning supplies, that had a lock on it. Even though it was clearly marked for staff only, guests were helping themselves to the previous cabinet’s contents, so we needed a new one. Double ugh.. I was back to square one, I needed the cleaning supplies to clean the house. I called The Husband and sure enough the keys were with him, it would be at least an hour before I would have them in-hand.
I was frustrated.
There were no guests coming in this evening so technically speaking I could come back later… but I knew if I went back home I would find a million things to do and the Airbnb cleaning would be put off, again.
I made a decision to do what I could till he got there.
I have a very specific order to my cleaning routine. It’s very efficient and I don’t like to change it up, it throws me off and takes longer.
But I had a choice to make, get upset about the keys not being where they were supposed to be or do what I could till the cabinet could be opened.
This got me thinking…
Isn’t this often the way it is with the work we want to do on our homes? We know what we want to do but frustration settles in as we are hit with roadblock after roadblock.
We can’t do this until we get that done and we can’t get that done because… X, Y and Z.
It’s one thing to be on hold because of fear of making the wrong choices but it’s another thing altogether to be stopped before we even get started because of someone or something beyond our control.
And so we don’t do anything.
Here are a few tips that got me through my mini setback today.
- Get creative
My tried and true routine was out the window. I like order but sometimes there is none to be found. It didn’t take a lot of effort but I made myself look at the situation differently and work on the things that I could.
If you’re not able to start where you want to, find something else that you CAN do with what you have right now.
Sometimes that may be planning, prep work or work on another project altogether.
Basically, if we’re looking for excuses for not getting started, we will find them and if we’re looking for opportunities to get started, we will find them. - Get busy
I’m the first to admit that it’s so dang easy to sit and complain (and do nothing) when we’re not able to do things the “way we’ve always done them” or the “way they’re supposed to be done.” Making a decision early on that you WILL start and that you WILL do something on your project regardless, will help you get moving. And movement is all you need to get the ball rolling, whether we’re talking about a bathroom renovation or a closet organization.
- Chose joy
I wish I could say I always win at this but I don’t.
Joy is a choice. Happiness is a choice.
I firmly believe we are in control of our own emotions. So when we hit a setback, large or small, we have a choice how we’re going to respond. And that choice has the power to make or break our day. I had no control over the keys not being where they were supposed to be, but I had absolute control over how I was going to respond.
I confess.. I basically wrote this post for myself. lol
I can get caught in the gripe zone and sometimes it’s hard to find my way out. As my kitchen renovation slows to a crawl, I must make a conscious decision to do what I can on other projects etc. until we are able to tackle it again. This isn’t a path I would’ve chosen but this is where I find myself. What I CAN choose, is joy, even in the midst of a partially renovated kitchen.
How do you deal with roadblocks and setbacks? What are your coping skills for when things don’t go as planned?
Blessings,
Catrina
