Building A House Can Be Scary, But It Doesn’t Have to Be

Get Excited About Building Your Dream and Enjoy the Thrill

With Halloween season there is a lot of ‘scare in the air’. This includes haunted houses, spook walks, movies, TV shows and a whole assortment of scary costumes. People deal with being scared differently. Some love it while others hate it.


Most Halloween scares aren’t real. The same thing is true when it comes to building a new house, a remodeling project or even simple repairs. The unknown associated with something big like a building project can be scary. Or maybe you’ve had a bad building project experience and are afraid to do another project for fear it will happen again.

Too often customer’s expectations aren’t met. I believe there are a couple of reasons for this. First is the builder’s lack of guiding the customer and clearly communicating the process. Second is the customers lack of knowledge and/or experience with the complicated building process. Both things can be remedied with improved communication and information.

 


There is an adrenaline rush that comes with being scared. According to Merriam-Webster, there are “…physiological symptoms (such as increased heart rate and respiration) that occur as part of the body’s fight-or-flight response to stress, as when someone is in a dangerous, frightening, or highly competitive situation, as well as the feelings of heightened energy, excitement, strength, and alertness associated with those symptoms.”

Look at some of the words used in this definition; heightened energy, excitement, strength, and alertness. Being scared sounds like a pretty good thing.

According to this article on WebMD, thrill seekers thrive on the scary. There is something that as humans we naturally seek from getting scared. There’s something rewarding when we go through the process and come out on the other side braver and stronger than when we started.

When researching thrill seeking the internet redirected my search to the word adventure. I think viewing a building project as an adventure is great way to look at it. Adventures can be scary but take us to exciting new places.


Whatever scary situation you find yourself in, you have the internal ability to use that scare in your own productive “fight or flight” way. Lissa Rankin, MD tells how fear makes you sick, but it doesn’t have to. The mind is a powerful tool. It is up to us to decide if we are going to work through the situation or run from it.

 

Happy Halloween

Trick or Treat…Is Halloween a Holiday or a Life Experience?

 

Halloween is a holiday that many people either really like or really don’t. For some it is an adrenaline filled experience of haunted houses and heart pounding excitement. For others it’s pull the blankets up over the head and hide until it’s over. Then there’s the whole fantasy filled dress up and pretend to be someone else for a little while. Oh and don’t forget all of the sweet, fun treats that can be had by going up to a door, knocking and asking.

As Halloween approaches it occurs to me that there are a lot of similarities between this holiday and everyday life, especially for those of us who are self-employed.

coxkoachpicture2Just like going into a haunted house, we know there are going to be things that are going to jump out and scare us. It makes our heart pound and our palms sweaty. Then it comes down to the decision of going ahead or not. Just like life choices that we consider, like starting a new business, entering into a relationship or which college to go to. These things can be scary, but think of the exciting possibilities.

We could however just cover up our heads and close our eyes to the world around us. Sure life can234215709_84d878750b_o be scary, but really, is that blanket going to protect us if something is really out there? There is so much life to be experienced if we are just willing to uncover our head and join in. This doesn’t mean that bad things can’t happen. I just think rather than hiding by ourselves in the corner, it’s better to get out there and live.

Dressing up in a costume and pretending to be someone or something else can be fun too. It is an opportunity to step out of reality for a little while, to get out of the daily grind of everyday responsibilities. It is okay to role play, to step out of your comfort zone or to expand your boundaries. You just want to be careful to be honest and true to who you really are. It can get really hot in that costume if you leave it on too long.

8143286420_a708665b1f_oThat brings us to the treats part, my favorite part (I do have a bit of a sweet tooth). How cool is it that all you have to do, to get candy and other goodies is to just go up to someone’s door, ring the bell and they will give them to you? This is how most people are… they are willing to share some of what they have with you. If we need some help, we just have to ask. Sure there are going to be some whose porch lights are off, but way more are on than off. In Matthew 7:7 in the Bible it says “Ask, and you will receive. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you.” God’s porch light is always on and He has some great treats.

Life is a little like Halloween, but don’t be so afraid that you miss out on the exciting fun.