Planning Perfection

Sometimes finding the perfect place is not a matter of location, but a matter of the mind.

I used to think there was such thing as a dream home – a perfect place to call mine. That’s like saying there is a perfect job, a perfect mate, a perfect marriage. You get the idea.

Nothing’s perfect.

I thought I had found the perfect house when I moved to Virginia Beach. It was just the right size, the right layout, the perfect look and on a corner lot. What I chose to overlook was the not-so-perfect price, the less-than-desirable back yard and the steep homeowner association dues.

Perfection came crashing to a halt when my husband and I couldn’t make the payments after we lost our jobs. Perfection turned into collection notices and heartache.

Letting go of my perfect house took about a year. Restructuring the way I think and feel about what is perfect soon followed.

The house we live in now is in stark contrast to my dream home. It’s only one story. It’s all brick in an older neighborhood. It needs a lot of repairs and it isn’t laid out like I would like it. Yet, it’s perfect.

It’s not about the house. It’s about my frame of mind.

Recently, to help strengthen my mental resolve, I joined the Eastern Academy of Mixed Martial Arts (EAMMA) where I take Filipino Martial Arts. I’m horrible at it. I can’t even punch properly. But, I digress, this isn’t about my lack of form, it’s about mental toughness.

Wahsei Miran, the owner of the school, started in a 600-square-foot location that was more like a garage than a training center. That was in 1999.

Today, he operates his school out of a 5,200-square foot studio complete with a fighting ring, workout area, multiple punching bags and a separate area for smaller classes. The school even has a work out area where weights and cardio machines line the walls.

Is it perfect? Does it really matter?

It’s not about what you see or don’t see. It is more about the vision in Miran’s mind and what he wants his school to be and where he wants to take it in the future. Look how far he has already come in his journey of building his business.

I might not be able to bob and weave like a fighter, but I can take that same mental resolve and apply it to my business and personal real estate endeavors. I have to start somewhere – a 600 square foot garage, the corner of my bedroom working off a dying computer, but at least it’s a start.

It’s my real estate. It is my dream and Zillow, Truila, real estate agents or the idea of finding perfection should not be a roadblock to finding what works.

That seems perfect to me.

Staci Dennis lives in Norfolk, VA, is married to Eric, who is awesome, and has a fat cat and two cute Puggles. She has been published in various newspapers and magazines across the nation, and worked as a reporter for 12 years. She is a contributor for Nexxt, educationjobsiteblogs.com and armedservicesjobsblog.com.