As many of you know the building and housing industry is going crazy right now. And by crazy I don’t just mean super busy. It is crazy on so many levels. There is lack of product, extremely high prices for basic product like lumber, long wait times to get product, 22 weeks for impact windows, and houses that aren’t on the market for more than a minute. New construction is sold before the footers are even dug and the price to build the house will now double before completion if we keep at the same rate. So what does all of this mean to the design industry? It means having to be constantly thinking on your feet. Having difficult conversations and needing really good connections in the industry. It also means that you have to pace yourself or you will get burnt out, fast! If you are a new designer and haven’t lived through this kind of growth and insanity you are probably eating it up and thinking this is the way it is always going to be. I remember when I first got into design and we were in this type of market. It was great to ride the ride. Although when it came to implementing things not just putting the design together reality set in. That lack of product and long wait times made for unhappy clients. Finding labor to do the job at the price bid became next to impossible and stress became a daily event. It was in those times that I realized how important it was to have really good vendors and contractors. That building those relationships would be key to being successful in the industry. It also taught me that I needed to take care of my mindset and to continuously find way to be inspired.

I have always been a sunrise person. I love watching the sun come up and bring a new day. I think it goes back to growing up on the water and loving to see it send shimmers. As a child I would sit on the dock with my feet in the water and just listen to all of the sounds of nature. As I got older I would take trips with my aunt and uncle hiking in the mountains. The trip I will always remember was to Arcadia and the mornings watching the sunrise from the mountain over the ocean. For me these morning sunrises have always been my reset. Whether it has been stress for work, family, children, divorce, or just finding myself the sunrise has been the perfect morning meditation time. I wish that I could say that I find the time everyday to watch the sunrise and have my morning coffee and meditate but that would not be life. What is life is finding time to go away, reset and take breaks from the daily grind. This week I have taken off to Destin. This has been a great trip for the kids to be kids. Swimming, fishing and just exploring new things. But it has also allowed me to have my morning time walking the beach, watching the sunrise and putting life into perspective. Taking time to set goals for where I want to be in all aspects of my life.

Each morning I enjoy the sunrise with a cup of coffee and then walk the beautiful beach. Some days my mind is going a million miles and I find myself walking super fast others my mind is clear and it is a slow introspective walk. Other days it is stopping along the way to talk to the other early risers who are walking the beach or fishing. It is finding new shells and seeing the colors bounce off the water. It is saying hello to the birds and being greeted back.

It is watching the power of the surf and realizing how small we are in comparison. The beautiful rocks that jut out into the ocean with no agenda just to be and stand firm. The rocks that are worn away over time by the surf and yet come out even more magnificent with each wave that hits them.

So when life is crazy and everything seems stressful it might really mean taking a step back and refocusing. Remembering what you love and what inspires you. For me, I see new color combinations in each and every sunrise. I see building designs in the sand and rocks. I see new paintings ready to be created from the shell and wave designs. I see new directions that I want to take my business and life. I see goals forming and creating. I see inspiration in each and every sunrise.

Where will you find your inspiration? How do you find your calm? Share with my your morning or evening rituals to bring you focus and direction.