The Thief of Joy

“Comparison is the thief of joy.” Such a beautiful sentiment. So hard to put into practice. Bear with me as I attempt to put to words the thoughts that have been swirling around in my brain for the past several months. I have this tendency to look at myself and see all of the ways that I could improve (enneagram 3, anyone?). I see the lack, the withouts, the “if I just had (fill in the blank),” THEN this image I have for my life could come to fruition. If I had “X” amount of money, if I could lose “X” amount of lbs., if I had “X” amount of time, etc. etc. yada, yada, yada. You get the idea. You know the feelings. 

Here’s the kicker: This focus on what I lack often distracts me from the growth and opportunities that are right in front of me. As a homeowner and designer, it’s easy to fall under the pressure of perfection in my home. We see the curated spaces, the organized pantries, and the polished after-images. It’s at our fingertips, and yet still so far away. We have the vision and the passion, but the execution is not in sight.

But what if we change the narrative on all of these “withouts”? Yes, with a healthy budget and keen knowledge of materials, you can create something beautiful. Easy! But what if our limits of time, energy, money, (fill in the blank) are the fuel for greater creativity and imagination? What if these “withouts” are lenses to seeing the beauty that ALREADY exists?

We may just make something beautiful.