Almost six years ago, I moved with my husband and two little girls from sunny Southern California to rainy Western Washington. When we relocated, I figured that the rental house we moved into would be temporary, but almost six years later we still live in that “temporary” home. Life doesn\u2019t always go as planned.<\/p>\n
My husband and I have lived in three homes during our 12 years of marriage. We owned the first one and rented the other two. I know what it\u2019s like to feel like your home isn\u2019t ideal and that you\u2019re stuck with it.<\/p>\n
Over the years, I\u2019ve come to embrace the here and now and learned to love my imperfect home. There are things you can change. Sometimes it is the actual physical things in the home that need a bit of altering, but other times it\u2019s your focus and perspective.<\/p>\n
You too can learn to love your imperfect home. Here are some tips to get you started.<\/p>\n
How to love your imperfect home:<\/strong><\/p>\n Look for what you like.<\/strong> In any home that you live in, there is always something you can find that\u2019s likeable. It may be something small or lots of somethings. When you focus on what you like the things that you don\u2019t feel smaller.<\/p>\n Do you like your neighborhood? How about your living room? Did you finally get the fireplace you\u2019d been wanting? Maybe there are trees or flowers you enjoy. There are good things you can find in every home if you look for them.<\/p>\n Often our minds shift to what annoys us about our space. We can get stuck obsessing over the things we don\u2019t like which then overshadows everything we do like. Choose to look for the good and focus on it. It will help you enjoy your home more.<\/p>\n Change what you can.<\/strong>\u00a0If you own your imperfect home, think about what you could change that would help you to like it more. A fresh coat of paint can work wonders. If you are renting and don\u2019t want to have to repaint again before you leave, focus on other simple changes you can make.<\/p>\n We live in a white walled rental. There is pretty much zero character in the home itself. I worked with what we have by adding curtains, sewing toss pillow covers, buying a few rugs, and hanging things I love on the walls.<\/p>\n There are simple changes you can make to make your house feel more cozy<\/a> and more like home. A few changes with color, texture, and ambiance can go a long way.<\/p>\n Let your favorites shine. <\/strong>Everyone has favorite things in their home. It could be a piece of art, a piece of furniture, or a statement piece of some kind. Let your favorite things shine in your home by letting go of the excess that detracts from them.<\/p>\n Clutter steals your joy<\/a>. It prevents you from loving your home and using it the way you want to. As you learn to let go of the stuff that is holding you back you learn to love your home more. You\u2019ll feel more at peace and like your home is a haven when your favorite things are highlighted and the excess is donated.<\/p>\n Decide to be grateful.<\/strong>\u00a0Gratitude is a choice and what you focus on grows. As you choose to be thankful for what you have, you\u2019ll enjoy it more. Don\u2019t compare your home to anyone else\u2019s or to the ones you see on television.<\/p>\n Keep in mind that home isn\u2019t just the four walls you are surrounded with. Yes, it provides shelter from the outside, but home is about the life that is being lived there.<\/p>\n Your kids will remember the interactions you had and the memories you made. They won\u2019t focus on the fact that the yard was small or that they shared a room. In fact, sharing a room brings about some great memories on its own.<\/p>\n As you embrace the here and now, you learn to love your imperfect home. Any home can be your dream home. It\u2019s a matter of perspective.<\/p>\n (This is an abbreviated version of the post how to love your home when it\u2019s not your dream<\/a>.)<\/em><\/p>\n Julianna Poplin is a writer and professional declutterer. She created The Simplicity Habit<\/a> to help encourage busy moms who want to create margin so that they can say yes to the great. You can find her on Facebook<\/a> and at The Simplicity Habit<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":416,"featured_media":9679,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"How do you love your home when it's not your dream home? 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