Perspective - Variation on Glass Half Full

Over the weekend, My Magnificent Other and I were revisiting the topic of housing here in San Diego, specifically our own personal housing. Though we've each lived in apartments (including right now together) we both come from places in the country and in our lives where we lived in and owned houses. Housing in San Diego is very costly, among the highest in the United States, and takes some creativity for many people to be homeowners, us included. We'd like to live in a house again -- me primarily so I can do vegetable gardening and take down walls as desired, and him primarily so he can have a workshop for doing woodworking.

However, we also really love living two miles from some wonderful beaches in a climate where 80 degrees feels hot and 60 degrees feels cold, year round, and where snow is kept where it belongs -- in the mountains. Our apartment is about 1,000 square feet and is really quite comfortable. Are their drawbacks? Sure. On balance, it's quite fine.

Where is all this leading, you may ask? Perspective, that's where. I mentioned to Bob (My Magnificent Other) that if our apartment was, instead, a recreational vehicle, we'd think it was a huge amount of space. From the look on his face, I knew I'd reframed this in a way he had never considered in my fleeting moment of brilliance.

At different times, we each relocated to California during some very great individual personal challenges. At those times, it seemed like a huge accomplishment. Now that we've had lots of adjustment time, we want more. It became easy to lose perspective on what we've got.

Alert: Prepare for an abrupt yet meaningful transition here.

Books - many people who come to me have yet to write a full-length book, think they want to, don't get it started, and hold it as the only worthwhile writing goal to have. They come to me to write a booklet as a second choice, for whatever reason, very rarely with the most remote notion they can make a difference in other people's lives or their own checking accounts with a booklet. The booklet is nothing to apologize for, any more than our living in an apartment two miles from the beach in moderate year-round climate is anything to apologize for. Selling over a million copies of my own booklet, worldwide, without spending a penny on advertising or ever getting an ISBN number for it is nothing to sneeze at.

It's not the biggest, best, first, most unique publication out there. And so what? Our home is not the biggest, best, most incredible, or any other superlative either. However, we live in San Diego, and most people reading this don't and want to!

If our 1000 square foot apartment was a recreational vehicle, it would be huge. If the same 1000 square feet was a house, it would be small. Could I still have a thriving business regardless? You can be sure of that. Is a 16 page booklet the conduit for a thriving business, without ever writing a complete book? Well, it has been so far, for the past 14 years.

'Hope this gets you thinking about how a shift in perspective could be useful to you.

Until next time,
Paulette
http://www.tipsbooklets.com