Well, not much, unless he wants to hire me to design one of his homes :-)
If you‘re an entrepreneur yourself, you most likely know who Gary Vaynerchuk aka Gary Vee is. If not, you can literally start typing in a Google search Gary V and tons of results will pop up, including his famous quotes. He often uses very "colorful" language, so be prepared for that.
One of those quotes had me thinking today. Well, actually two that are very similar had me thinking:
“We only get to play this game one time…one life.” – Gary Vaynerchuk
“Time – the one asset none of us are ever gonna get more of.” – Gary Vaynerchuk
These quotes are great reminders that we have one life to live, and what we do with the time between when we entered this world and when we leave this world matters. Not to sound morbid, but I find that many people I come across don't live the life that they truly want to live. The pressures of life can become a burden to the point where people don't believe that they deserve a great life, or even deserve to enjoy life in general.
Because I am an interior designer, I often think about life from the perspective of home. I know that because we spend most of our time at home, that environment should nurture us and make us want to be our best selves. I know you typically would not go hang out in an area of town that is hazardous to your health, right? Yet many people go home to environments that almost feel like the wrong side of town. Home does not have to be a palatial estate, or even one that you own. Home, and creating the environment that nurtures you start with where you lay your head at night. It starts wherever you are.
Many of us did not grow up in a home where our parents could afford to hire an interior designer, yet many of us will have fond memories of our parents creating a wonderful cozy and safe home for us. They created that environment because they wanted the best life for us. I grew up in Jamaica where interior design was a foreign concept. I never aspired to be an interior designer simply because I did not know what that was. But I can clearly remember the home my siblings and I grew up in (at least 7 out of 11 of us). Very humble to say the least, but those were some of the best times of my life.
I still remember our Christmases. No tree nor presents to speak of, yet we have great traditions that I still do with my kids to this day, and great memories of time spent together with family and our extended church family.
Your home has a lot to do with how you spend your time and how you feel day to day. Gary Vee does have a lot to do with interior design after all if you think about his quotes. These quotes are all about using your time wisely and enjoying the one life you have to live. Nothing does that better than family and home - even if it's not yet your dream home.
I lost a dear friend within the past few months. Nichole was a wife, mother, friend, and fellow interior designer. She was also one of my mentees. I can recall conversations with her about her dreams for her business and how she hopes they will impact her life and the life of her children. I loved her spirit, her heart and desire to create that great life through her business, and by touching the life of her clients in a positive way. She has left a great mark on the world with the work she did, and she left this life way too soon. I know how much she enjoyed life with her family, and I can only say that although her life was very short, she lived a great life.
I want to encourage anyone reading this, to look at how you spend your time at home. Does your home make you feel stressed and anxious? Is it just a roof over your head or a place that invites you in everyday? If it is not inviting or a place you enjoy being in, make that change right away. That's not to say that you need to go out and hire a designer and start ripping out walls, but it is to say to start wherever you are. It could be simple things like decluttering that junk draw in the kitchen so you're not searching for the car keys every morning. It could be a better mattress so you can rest well and wake up early enough to beat the morning traffic. It could be creating a little reading nook by the window to curl up with a good book on the weekend. It could be inviting friends over and having a place for them to sit comfortably and just visit. Or it could be a place carved out near the kitchen to help kids with homework as you prepare dinner. Whatever that looks like for you, do it. Do it now and don't let another minute of anxiety or stress take a hold in your life.
That's why interior design exists. It is so much more than just about buying stuff for your home. It is human-centric and a lot about your well-being. Interior design impacts the human experience.
If you are in the market for a great design firm with flexible design services that are geared to meeting you wherever you are in life at the moment, please feel free to reach out. Our services range from a two hour consultation for DIY-ers, to full scale remodeling and project management for a lavish estate. You can get started HERE
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