The word Perfect is absolute; no room for error and no room for excuses. ‘I want the perfect house, and I want a perfect world.’ An important question to ask; “if I don’t get all of what I want, does it interfere with my happiness?“
I suspect there never is anything ‘perfect.’ Generally speaking, a goal is a moving target and seldom is it 100% obtainable. So, what percentage of perfect is acceptable to you? Is it 90%, 80%, or 70%? When looking for a home, what features do you absolutely need, and what is flexible? When selling a home, is 95% of asking price acceptable; if not, what is?
Looking at a bigger picture, what in your life makes you happy? Do you live in the gap between perfect and what you have? Do you have a tendency to focus on the 10% that you don’t get, rather than the 90% you have?
One has to wonder if this focus on ‘what we don’t have’ is internalized, or is it the crazy world of media we live in? It seems like people complain about everything, and the rhetoric is getting higher. When we continue to hear negative words and comments, we eventually begin to think it may be real, even when it is or isn’t. It sours our mood.
The truth is, we have talked for hundreds of years about things that don’t work or could be better. Improving our lives with comfort and finding opportunities for more happiness is only natural. Forgetting about all that is good, to only focus on the 10% that could use improvement, is foolish.
The facts are clear, economic numbers today compared to numbers over many decades, and perhaps a century, indicate we are living in the best America we have seen in a very long time. The financial world of Real Estate is driven by economics and even more by consumer confidence. When we focus on things that don’t work, or what needs improvement, we forget or ignore what’s most important to us.
One has to wonder if we have lost our gratitude? When we appreciate all that we have, and are involved with community is when we feel the human element of connection. That is when we learn the importance of real things in our lives, and studies show, a higher level of happiness.
On that note, the house you live in should be about your lifestyle and comfort; it is also about your neighbors and neighborhood. Matching home features with your lifestyle, living in the right location, and its affordability, are vital in maximizing your joy of daily living.
The average person moves seven times in their adult life; purchasing five times. The reason we move is because our desires and needs change as we walk through the stages of our lives. The Ratchford Group has a proven process to help make that path smoother and help maximize your opportunities and find greater joy with your home
Tony Ratchford. Broker, CRS, SRES, ABR, CLHMS, co-owner Keller Williams Realty Sioux Falls
