How Your Home Can Help You Reach Your Goals

“Home is the most popular, and will be the most enduring, of all earthly establishments.” -Channing Pollock

Few people would disagree that the place that we call “home” has a big impact on how we feel about ourselves, our lives, and the way we greet each day - and that was driven home in spades during the last two years of the coronavirus pandemic when our homes became safe havens to keep ourselves and our loved ones as healthy as possible.?

Ideally, a home is a welcome respite from the world, and a place where we can simply unwind, be surrounded by loved ones, and pursue hobbies that we enjoy. The importance of home to our well-being has been on the increase in recent years; social scientists and market researchers say that people have been spending more time “nesting” in their homes in the last decade, and less time venturing outdoors to play or exercise. With the Internet and the rise in social networking and e-gaming, we can learn, socialize, work, and play indoors, as well, which can be useful or unhelpful, depending on how much we moderate our use of these potentially isolating options.

People who set goals around changing their home typically want to move, spruce up, or unclutter the environment in which they live. They might also have conflicts with a roommate or family member, which can make the house feel unwelcome. Overcrowding also can create problems, including stress, unhappiness, and even serious social problems, such as delinquency and domestic abuse. Regardless of the type of challenge that arises, people always want resolution to these dilemmas because satisfaction with where one lives can influence our contentment with life in other areas, such as how we feel about play or our relationships with others.

Happy families usually have homes described as “comfortable” and “warm,” with ample space for family members to have privacy, if desired. Happy families also have houses described as “peaceful,” with few, if any, raised voices.

Many people have money goals that overlap with home goals. For example, I’ve heard about goals such as “Save money for my first house” paired with “Pay off credit card debt.” Sometimes the goals connect learning, play, or creativity goals with home goals, as did one of my clients who decided to set a goal of creating a perennial garden on her front lawn that would beautify her home, put her into a state of flow, help her learn new things, and give her an opportunity to design a colorful, ever-changing creative mix of flowers and grasses.

Takeaways:

• Your home contributes mightily to your happiness and outlook on life, and how you feel when you are there is an indicator on whether or not you need to set goals around changing it.
• Simple changes like a coat of paint, a garden project, decluttering, and fixing the air conditioner might be the inexpensive fixes one needs to feel happier about their home.?
• While a home can be a safe haven to avoid contagious viruses and restore your vitality, it’s also important to have a vibrant life outside of your home so that it doesn’t become a place to hide from new experiences.

Excerpt from Creating Your Best Life by Caroline Adams Miller