My clients often teach me just as much as I teach them when we work together. This is a lesson from a few clients I've been working with lately: take the leap. Make a change, even when you're not exactly sure what to do, even when you're uncertain. Knowing that what you are living with just isn't right, that's enough reason to just begin. Go ahead, add some happiness to your home!

Change is hard, isn’t it? Even when we sort of know we could change things in our life, even if we know just what to do to make things better, we just... don’t. I think it’s that we all crave comfort and that can mean staying the same place long after something stops serving us, stops making us feel our best. Thinking outside the box, making a leap, making a statement to the universe that you are willing to do something new is a powerful thing for your psyche. Often, making a small change in our lives or our home becomes that first drop that causes that ripple effect, don’t you find? If we can just have the courage to make one bold change, it feels so good and we have no problem finding that momentum to continue finding things to fine tune.

Comfort, predictability, stability – these are all things we love when you think about it, but they can be a huge source of unhappiness for a lot of people. How is it that the need to feel comfortable can keep a person tied to things in their life that are sources of discomfort? If you are living with something in your home that’s not uplifting you, it might be time to just take the plunge and make a change.

I see this often in my work, where a client has lived with something they hate in their home and they know they want a change, they often have a great plan for just what to do, but they need some reassurance that what they want to change is going to be great. Basically, they need someone to push them out of the plane! Ideally, before doing that, this person can also help hash out a solid plan for going forward and be able to work through every question and doubt, providing examples and information, until they feel certain and excited about the plan!

In all reality, fighting change is a losing battle. Happiness is found in flexibility. Yes, it can be uncomfortable to change, but it is worth it. This is the natural course of life, to put something to rest to make room for something new. Yes, it’s unknown and can feel like maybe it will be chaotic or not work at all, or maybe be worse than before, but it doesn’t have to be that way. The reward is worth the risk. I think being able to think out a good plan and take action on it is often something that just has to be tackled without putting much weight on your feelings about the changes. It’s going to be great! Focus on the framework of what you want to change, the ‘why’s and put some time and thought into your plan. That is the structure of what you need to do.

Add some happiness to your home. Happiness is anything that you love, that makes you smile, that makes you feel good when you pass by it or exist with it. Organizing your Tupperware drawer, rearranging your bedroom furniture, printing and framing some beautiful photos from a great vacation you took, even just streamlining your mudroom. All of these bring joy to your life and like ripples in water, that spreads. Trust me, being happy in your home matters.

There are bigger things, yes. Paint a wall or a room. Paint your front door. Buy a new chair. Your home is worth these things. Start to think of your home from the perspective of upping your happiness. Choose things that make you smile.

Ready for even bigger? Tackle that kitchen renovation. Revamp the exterior of your home. Finally put in that patio in the backyard. Go for it. Your dreams and enthusiasm and ideas are valuable.

A lot of people do things like this, they feel the need to make a change, they plan it out and they go for it – why not you?