Oh, how I hate it when my plans are thwarted! I recognize the importance of adapting to unanticipated circumstances, but it can be difficult to maintain focus and drive after a sudden delay. It’s challenging to find my motivation again after my plans get disrupted.

Whether it’s unexpected events, changes in circumstances, or unforeseen obstacles, disruptions to my plans can leave me feeling demotivated and unsure of how to proceed. For example, we recently began the process of buying a new home. This involved a long line of delays. After one hurdle was passed another one came along to take its place. From repeated inspections, things to be repaired, and trouble on the seller’s side because it was an estate sale, the delays just kept coming.

A lot of the delays were due to the fact that we were taking advantage of my husband’s VA loan benefit. VA loans are notorious for nit-picking every little thing and this was no different. It was an as-is sale so any repairs had to be done by us. Before the transaction was even be completed! This was more than a little stressful as we could have lost significant money out of our pockets if the deal went belly-up. We had to repair carpenter bee damage on a ramp on the front deck, a ramp that we knew we would be tearing out anyway. We also had to completely replace the unsafe back deck ourselves, also something that we would be later changing, before the VA would approve the loan. Thankfully we knew the sellers and felt that they were trustworthy so we went forward in good faith.

Now that we have the property it seems to be delay after delay. The new roof installation got pushed back. Our contractor who will be helping with the inside is covered up with other jobs. It’s going to be much longer than I thought before we will have it ready to move into. We have gutted the inside right down to the studs and the enormity of this project is a bit overwhelming. So I’ve had to do some soul searching and give myself a good kick in the pants a few times.

I’m learning to view these delays as opportunities for growth and adaptation, rather than setbacks. It’s been against my will, but by taking a step back, reassessing my goals, and developing new strategies, I’m becoming able to regain my motivation to continue moving forward. While the feelings of disappointment and frustration are real, I’m learning to remain focused on the bigger picture which is a practically new house with the features that I want and designed to my exact style. Big picture, Melissa, big picture…

Written for: Weekly Prompts Wednesday Challenge – Delays

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