Rant (and advice?) on being stuck. And a pretty house.

5/14/2014 03:51:00 AM

Photos in this post are here for eye candy purposes but in no way related to what I'm about to write. I'll just share some thoughts in here which will be incredibly boring without any prettiness breaking it up. Oh whom am I kidding, you'll probably just skip right over the texts and drool over the pictures. I don't care. I'll write anyway.

So here's whats on my mind lately.. I'm stuck, for a long long while. I have a lot of things I'd like to do but I always say.. "pag may bahay na..." (I'll just do it when I have my own house). Generally, I think we all do this, it just so happen I'm obsessed with having a house so naturally, that would be my excuse. 


Case in point:

1. Nice comfy room. But I don't wanna spend any more time, effort and money into my existing one, so it's been years of going home to a lousy one.

2. Functional workspace. But right now that said workspace is in the lousy room which of course means lousy workspace that is so not conducive to any creativity and totally not inspiring.

3. Assistant. I've been thinking of getting an assistant for a while now which would totally make my life so much easier juggling multiple projects. But hey, where would she work? No way it will work on our current house, so it's me and my lonesome for a while now work-wise.

4. Organization. I have so much junk, and I'm itching to purge and pare down. But then again, I'd do that when I move to my imaginary house.

5. Eat healthy / cook. This sounds stupid but let me explain. Our kitchen is quite a problematic space as well, and I share that with a million other people. No place to put my imaginary healthy ingredients. And cockroach. Lots of them. Need I say more? The point is, not inspiring at all.

6. Travel. I'd love to travel but we're saving up for a house so it's quite a predicament. 

I know I know, you say first-world problem, but hey, I live in the third-world so you can't pin that on me. Haha.. I know that I can do most of that now, but that's my point. I feel stuck. It's been years, so no house, no nice room, no nice office, no assistant, chaos, fats, and no culture.


If I'd be giving advice to myself, I'd say live your life NOW. If you want to prettify your room, do it. You don't need to spend a lot, just give yourself a nice place to rest. Organize for heaven's sake! You don't need a new house to do it. You'll benefit from it now. Do all those things and make it work for your current situation, and when you get the new house, you can have all that and a lot more. Don't waste years of your life stuck and waiting. I'm not saying don't go for your goal, do it still. Just enjoy the present while reaching for the stars. 

That would be my advise to my stubborn self, which we all know is easier said than done.


So instead of following my very rational advice, I obsessed about getting the house, and finally giving myself a deadline. This year I say. Whatever it takes. But of course that's not a small task, it's a freaking house so we'll see if this time next year, I'll be writing an update on a functional office, in our not so imaginary house. 


I wanna keep being positive about this, I know we're getting it. But there's so much bump along the way, some small, some so shockingly unexpected, that I can't help but still feel stuck. But I know it's in the cards for us as I am not stopping before I get it! I'm spoiled like that. Haha.. Spoiled in a good kind that is, I always go for what I want  WITHIN MY MEANS. I know we won't be getting a mansion (which I don't like anyway), we'll have a very small house, but it will be ours. So maybe this year, I get to do all those on the list above. Which is looking so much like a New Year's Resolution, maybe I can call it a New House Resolution?


So if you're feeling stuck like myself, not necessarily waiting on a house, anything really that keeps you from moving forward, stop. Be free and live life NOW. If I can't follow my own advice, maybe you can? :)

P.S. Isn't these photos awesome??? So pretty and colorful and comfy and all things nice. If I get that house, I'll be making healthy meals in there, work in an inspiring home office WITH an assistant, keep it super organized, and probably travel the world?

(Photos of the beautiful house of photographer Jenny Brandt. Source here)

5 comments

  1. I totally, complete feel you Elle. We are almost in the same line of work, and seeing these fab spaces everyday makes me want to have my own house to decorate. BUT easier said than done. You have actually put into words, exactly what I have been going through for a while now. I also agree with your advice, but again., EASIER said...lol. I've been pinning like crazy for my Home Improvement/design/craft pegs, and finally, I've been making small changes in our room. A room only since we do not have our own house yet (working on it). BUT I wanted to at least satisfy my nesting instinct (LOL) for a bit so I dont get frustrated. Like adding a photo wall of our wedding, re-arranging the bed, putting new curtains, and the like. So I guess, maybe lets at least give ourselves a little piece of heaven =)


    PS: : I've been a silent reader of your blog for years and let me just say you are awesome! =)

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  2. Hi Mary Ann, thank goodness I'm not alone. I sometimes feel like an idiot for having this line of work yet living in a not so nice space, and allowing it to happen. Haha.. But hopefully this is the end of it. Best of luck making your room feel like home, and thank you for following along :)

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  3. "3. Assistant. I've been thinking of getting an assistant for a while now..." I VOLUNTEER! (Hunger Games style. hahaha.. ) If ever you will be needing an assistant Ate Elle I am willing to be one. Take me!

    I have been following your blog for quite some time, even before the website redesign. I'm sure that whatever goal you've set you will surely reach and maybe more. Good luck Ate Elle! Stay strong! :)

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  4. I’ve been there, and I’m sure we all have, for a shorter or longer period of time. We all get stuck and obsessed about things we don’t have, and we forget to enjoy what we do have. And we don’t have patience. And when we finally do get the things we obsessed about, we start wanting other things, more and more things. It’s in the human nature.
    What I’ve learned is that you can get unstuck by making small steps. You don’t want to invest into updating your room - fair enough - but why not give it a quick budget makeover? You want to eat healthy - why not set one night a week when you will prepare something healthy for yourself. Organization - get the junk out of sight, because it definitely makes you feel stuck and does not allow the energies to flow. Etc. etc.
    Small steps feel like small victories. Yes, you said it, “live your life now”. You said it, so now start doing it. :-)

    Mirela

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  5. @Lea aww that's sweet. though parang pressure to have a blog reader assistant. Haha.. thank you so much for following the blog.. The redesign was 3 years ago pa! :) thanks.

    @55 Design street Thank you!! I need that badly :) You are so right, might obsessed about other things when we get the one we've obsessed about before and it will be a very vicious cycle. Let's just all enjoy "right now" while going for the goal. Going to clean all the junk right about now. Haha

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Thanks for dropping by. I'd love to hear what you think! :)

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