How to Stay the Course When Things Feel Hopeless

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This week my wife Melissa and I saw the culmination of all the work we’ve done to make one of our BHAGs a reality. (That’s Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal in case you’re wondering). We hosted our first guests in our very first short-term rental (STR) property!

This has been on Melissa’s vision board for years. She has taken courses on running a successful STR, been active in an online community of fellow investors, and scoured real estate listings for what feels like forever looking for the right one.

She and I had gone to see several properties which, for one reason or another, weren’t a fit and at times, Melissa got pretty discouraged and wondered if it was ever going to happen.

But she didn’t give up. She kept focusing on the very next step even when it felt like it was pointless because she knew by doing so she was at least fanning the flames of the dream.

Melissa continued to scour those listings, stayed in touch with our real estate agent, and kept an open mind to the options that were out there.

The relationship she built with our Realtor led to him recommending we look at a motel-conversion condo that would have never been on our radar.

We made an appointment, went to see it, and decided in 20 minutes that it was the one.

Fast forward just three months and we now have 32 bookings for the spring and summer! (You can check it out here: airbnb.com/h/saltwaterserenity)

While Melissa has taken the lead on this, it’s an integral part of my life’s vision, too. I love to create beautiful spaces for people to enjoy and help make their vacations memorable. I also like how this fits into our ideas for retirement sometime in the future.

Now that is an extremely condensed version of the journey of this dream’s fulfillment. Over the last three or so years, there have been lots of twists and turns and one thing we learned for sure is that the road to your BHAG is anything but straight.

As I guide a group of trailblazers through my Design Your Dream Life course right now, I remind them often of the crookedness of the road because it can be so tempting to throw in the towel at the first block or curve. But every unexpected stop is a learning opportunity; a chance to revisit your direction; a chance to pivot.

Every offer of ours that was outbid or property we saw that looked MUCH worse than the photos online was not a sign to give up. We saw it as an invitation to check in, be sure the whole idea still qualifies as a BHAG, and stay the course.

And I’m so glad we did because we’re having a blast!

Whatever you’re going after *|FNAME|* don’t give up. Even if what you’re going after right now is figuring out what to go after!

And speaking of which, I have a little something for you. Each month of 2023 I am releasing a new mini-workshop for the members of my online community Clutter Clear Your Life. January’s topic was “What the Heck Do I Want?”

As my gift to you, I’m making this workshop available to any non-members for a brief time. If you’d like to do some quick exercises to explore what some of your BHAGs might be, check it out!

You can get immediate access to it by clicking here:
https://mailchi.mp/kerririchardson/janminiworkshop

I hope you enjoy it!

I wish you space and clarity,

P.S. Are you a member yet of ClutterClearYourLife.com? If not, come on in! When you do you’ll not only have access all of these monthly workshops but also:

• my live weekly planning and Pomodoro co-working sessions,
• a full recording of my Radical Decluttering video course,
• monthly AMA and coaching sessions,
• a full library of recorded webinars,
• and so much more.

All designed to help you make the physical, mental, and emotional space in your life to go after your big dreams.

You’ll find it here: ClutterClearYourLife.com.

P.P.S. Join me TODAY at 1 PM ET/10 AM PT when I’ll be LIVE on Hay House’s Facebook page talking about the hidden messages in your clutter. You’ll find me here: https://www.facebook.com/hayhouse

P.P.P.S. If you are constantly battling procrastination, check out the 90-minute virtual workshop I’m teaching for Alternatives London on Monday, April 10, 2023 at 1 PM ET: Breaking the Procrastination Cycle. You can read about it and get your tickets here: https://www.alternatives.org.uk/event/breaking-procrastination-cycle