On Facebook I was reading a post by a creative mom who said, “Now that the kids are in school I would like to pick up some cleaning gigs.”
It’s good to declare your goals because you’re more than twice as likely to achieve them.
But here’s the kicker, not 5 hours later she posted, “I feel like all I ever do is clean and never get anywhere!” Most of us know that feeling! Cleaning the kitchen only to have to clean it again 3 hours later is a great metaphor for the futility of doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
I’m willing to bet that if she meets her goal of “getting some cleaning gigs,” she’ll REALLY feel the pain of “all I ever do is clean and never get anywhere” because it won’t just be about her own house, it will be about her life.
Home stagers earn 5 to 10 times more per hour than a house cleaner does. So while the kids are at school she could make $50 scrubbing other peoples’ toilets and changing their sheets, or $500+ giving decorating and home staging advice, shopping for accessories, picking paint colors, etc.
Our own limiting beliefs hold us back from living our best life more than lack of time, lack of money, lack of support from friends and family, or anything else you can think of. There was a study done with people in old age homes about what they regretted in life. The number one life regret was “paths not taken,” rather than “trying something and failing.”
I’m certain there are mothers out there preparing to send their 4-year-olds off to preschool or kindergarten who are sick about it. Many moms will be returning to an empty, quiet house for the first time since having children and will start to wonder what their purpose is now that their children are in school.
If you’re having feelings like this, I urge you to be proactive in finding something else to define yourself besides solely being a “mom.” I believe being a mother is the most important job you’ll ever have, but you need something else in your life that brings you joy and a sense of fulfillment. And these days, most of us also need to earn some extra cash! With only limited time to make money, you need to do something that will pay you more than minimum wage.
Many students of the Staging Diva Program are mothers whose children have returned to school, giving them the time and freedom to follow their own dreams. You can read their stories in my FREE report, “Ask Staging Diva: Can a regular person like me become a successful home stager?”
A career in home staging gives people with natural decorating talent a positive focus in their lives. It’s fulfilling work because we help people going through the often difficult transition of selling their home, but we also have full control over our schedules to be there for our family when they need us.
If you put off your dream of a career in home staging or decorating when you stepped into the role of “mom”, I hope you’ll consider moving forward and finally pursuing that goal. You deserve it.
Staging Diva Graduate Lori Fischer of Rethink Interiors, expressed so well what I want for you when she said, “I had my first staging job. Not only were the homeowners thrilled, they said that working with me was transformational. I couldn’t have received a higher compliment. Each morning I wake up and am energized by what I am doing and what the future is going to bring.”
Please don’t let your fear of trying something you really want to do force you to settle for something less than what you’re capable of. Life is not a dress rehearsal.
If you’ve read this far, I’d really appreciate it if you think back to a time when you realized you were trapped by your own limiting beliefs. How did you get out of your own way and move forward? Share your comments below, I know you’ll help inspire others!
Debra Gould, The Staging Diva®
President, Six Elements Inc. Home Staging
Debra Gould knows how to make money as a home stager and she developed the Staging Diva Training Program to teach others how to earn a living doing something they love.
