Visions for a Lifetime
As a young girl what was your dream for when you grew up? A school girl may have visions of being a mommy, ballerina or a princess. A teenager might see herself on a hit television show or a lead singer for a hot band while a more matured college student may start to see herself as a business person or in a successful relationship or marriage. How young are we before we start to formulate our plans for the future?
How do we do it? How do we decide what we want to do with our lives and career? Are we dictated by our education, finances, family, or friends? After graduating from UGA with a degree in Interior Design, I was not exactly sure what I wanted to do next. I considered graduate school for lighting design but quickly realized that I needed to enter the work force and begin to make money and live like an adult. I worked in various aspects of interior design though-out my single years. I learned a lot and met some great people. After I met my husband and had my first baby, I took time off from my career to be a mom until my second daughter was three. When she was ready for preschool I got the itch to be creative and work again. I went back to work for other boutiques and design firms until I felt a calling to be my own boss.
As a designer, I had always been uneasy with the notion of pushing my design style onto others so I wanted to find a way to help clients have their homes look their best but with their own style and their own things. I did some research and came across a concept called Redesign. I took some classes and became a Redesign specialist. The concepts are simple. Take everything out of the room to be redesigned and bring everything back in with a new eye-maybe with the help of your best friend. Move the sofa’s orientation! Change the grouping of pictures. Bring in some accessories from the guest room. Voila a new room. Celebrate it with a glass of wine. Admire the new surroundings that still feel like your home because they are your furnishings and accessories.
Perhaps we women could use the same redesign principles in designing our own lives. Consider the process. Invite over a few friends with the idea to discuss your thoughts and dreams. First step: Lay out your dreams. Take into account every possibility. Maybe even use a vision board to give your dreams life. Second step: Remove all of the obstacles. What would you do if the sky was the limit? Finances were no issue? Childcare was magically taken care of? Third step: Once you have cataloged your dreams, make them you new goals. Start to bring these goals back into your real life. Make room for them. See how you can incorporate what you really want out of life into your current life. Make plans on how to achieve them.
At this point it is important to remember that not every goal needs to be life changing. It can be as simple as incorporating a new routine like exercising, eating healthier or being more social. The point is to dream it and then take steps to live it. Stand back and admire it like you would admire your newly designed room that still feels like you because it includes all of your own things.
My dream since I worked for a small design/home décor boutique in Atlanta fourteen years ago was to own my own store. I never thought it was possible until a series of events presented themselves and I was able to achieve what I thought was impossible. It is not always easy-especially in today’s economy, but everyday I get to live out my dream. If we all allowed ourselves to live out our dreams, consider the possibilities.
Karen Hendrix
Karen Hendrix is the owner and buyer for AccentsMarketplace and AccentsMarketplace.com on St Simons Island, GA. She also does interior redesign and traditional design out of her store.
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