Our Corner Toilet – A Story of Waiting
Back in January, Chad and I selected a word for the year. Our 2024 word? Invest. We knew there were things we had been saving for, desiring or needing for quite some time. This year, we declared it was our take action year. You'll notice that some of our invest categories require money, while others require only time and attention [Exhibit A: Our Very Sophisticated 2024 Vision Board].
2024 Vision Board
There have been two things in our home that we've dealt with ever since moving in a few years ago. Knowing that there was a sizable financial, time, and attention investment required to fix them - we kept them. Not every year is an invest year, after all.
So, our corner toilet and wrench-operated shower stayed for a while. A long while.
Before I show you the big reveal, I just want to encourage you that it's okay to wait on things. It can be hard when media, peers, friends or family don't wait on things or are impacted by you waiting on things. You might even find that your clients don't wait on things - that's okay. You can wait on things and they'll still love working with you. It wasn't really fun to explain to every house guest that the toilet really is relic of the past, but not to be alarmed. It's probably still not fun for people to ride in ole Betsy (our 275,000 mile van).
Our toilet, as comical as it is, does not define what our wealth, status or joy is. Which is why we didn't rush out to fix it by either overextending our budget or redirecting money away from the things we value more. We opted to keep the toilet in exchange for things like more flexible working hours for me and extra family vacations.
We all get to decide what our corner toilets are.
When we wait on things, they become even sweeter to enjoy when we finally get them. Our master bathroom renovation is complete and I am so grateful (partly because I know how challenging it was to turn on a shower using needle nose pliers and partly because I just love the design).
Not every season will be an invest one. Some years you'll do it up big, while others you'll settle in. Some seasons will be for rebuilding and others will be for dismantling.
In business, like life, it can be easy to feel the pressure to constantly improve, innovate and grow. It's great to determine your appetite for these things each quarter - knowing if it's an invest quarter or a settle in quarter. It makes saying yes or no much easier.
So, this year is our year of invest. Until next time, I'll be turning on my shower with the handle and trying to sell my corner toilet on Marketplace. Will ship for the right buyer ;).