A year and a half ago, I moved in my new house. Moving is often an exhausting experience and this was no exception. When choosing my new house, I channeled my inner designer and set my eyes on a space that I could transform.

After an extensive search and stepping through many doorways, I walked through the house I knew would be my future home. I could sense it’s complementive personality and it just felt right. On paper, it read “move in ready” but there was much change in store for this house to make it mine.

For the heavy lifting, I would need to hire contractors to do the work, but I scoped the house for the projects I knew I wanted all for myself. I embraced the blank slate, knowing my inner passion and expertise would be freed and put to good use.

To avoid the overwhelming sensation of redoing a whole house, I started with something simple: a list. I jotted down everything I knew I wanted to change. At the very top of the list was the fireplace. It needed a facelift.

The original design was a dark and rustic stone and fit a much different style than my own. I admit, I had some hestencies diving into my first major change, but knew it was necessary to begin the transformation to make this house my home.

I had read, clicked, saved and shared many helpful blogs and posts around “how to facelift your fireplace” digging for instructions. Cheers to the bloggers who gave me the courage and empowered me. Encouragement from others has always been my greatest personal motivator (especially when paired with wine). I made the decision to take the plunge.

I went to Lowe’s and bought the suggested supplies, turned on my favorite playlist and started the process. I applied one coat of white primer specializing in covering stone and rock and was pleasantly surprised how well it did its job. After allowing it to dry overnight, I applied 2 coats of white paint resulting in exactly what I had envisioned (again, pleasantly surprised). This process only took 48 hours and about $50.00. As one of my first fireplaces, I was blown away at how simple this update had been and yet how it completely shifted the entire feel of the room for the better.

Why do we allow change to feel so overwhelming? Typically we know the change will make us better yet it makes us freeze vs move forward. Taking a step out of our comfort zone can be such a hard thing to do. Facing the unknown can be terrifying, but often equally just as liberating. Freedom comes from taking a leap of faith and great things typically never come from standing still in your comfort zone.

In order to live life to the fullest or enjoy your home as much as you should, change and adaptation must often occur. You must choose to take risks, dream of new ideas that will make you or your home better, choose joy in the boring and ordinary, and keep your eyes set to life’s next adventure or desire. Remembering every step of the way, a little change is often a very good thing. So, instead of waiting for one day, make this day one and celebrate this choice to embrace ‘a little change’.

Until next time, Choose Joy.