On July 21st, my 26 year old daughter completed her first Ironman 70.3 Racine Triathlon. It’s an intense 1.2 mile swim in Lake Michigan, a 56 mile bike race, and a 13.1 mile run. She had been training for two years. Her bucket list started with Tough Mudder, so she went to boot camp and hired a professional trainer. She was successful and wore her black and blue bruises with pride. Then she got into running and trained with a professional trainer and completed several half marathons. Running became her passion but a 15 mile run to “relax” is something I’ll never understand.
Biking was her next challenge and she hired a professional trainer. Now when she goes on 30+ mile bike rides to “clear her head”, it’s still something I’ll never understand. With her running and biking success, someone suggested she just needed swimming and she could do the Ironman. Here’s where trouble began. She was overwhelmed and scared of water because she didn’t know how to swim and didn’t like putting her face in water. Her solution again was to hire a professional coach. She was determined to be successful at swimming and the professional got her through.
On July 21st, she put it all together and completed the 70.3 miles in just under eight hours. She was 50 minutes beyond her target time. Lake Michigan was very choppy and it took her an extra 30 minutes to finish her swim. She gained back time on her bike race but goofed off on her run. She took time to encourage others and crack jokes along the 13.1 miles. When she finished, her emotion was overwhelming. She cried, laughed, smiled and screamed. She showed off her blistered and bloodied feet with pride! Her victory celebration dinner was Red Velvet Cheesecake!!!
As I watched the Racine triathlon, it made me appreciate my daughter’s determination, faithfulness, and maturity. She’s got more spunk and endurance than I’ll ever have!! She had a goal, hired professionals to teach her, help her and support her and nothing was going to get in her way. She was successful. So it goes in the home improvement industry.
A home improvement project is like a triathlon. You identify the “bucket list” of things you want to accomplish. The goal could be simple like replacing that old, non-functioning patio door or window or the goal could be ironman style – replacing all the windows, doors and siding at one time. After identifying the goal, you go through “boot camp” for some intense learning and studying. Interviewing contractors to do the project can leave you feeling a little “black and blue.”
Home improvement projects can be “overwhelming and scary” just like the water was for my daughter. Fear of the unknown held her back until she found the right person to trust. Just like the swim coach, as a professional home improvement coach, it’s my job to get you through it all. Hiring the professional who will best meet your needs by teaching you, helping you and supporting you will make your project a success.
I’ve accomplished many small, medium and large projects through the years. I’ve been a professional home improvement coach for customer’s small goals and ironman goals. Like my daughter’s two years of training, I’ve seen homeowners who took two, three or five years to save up the money to do their project. Just like my daughters disappointment in Lake Michigan’s unexpected choppy waters, I’ve seen homeowners who hired the wrong contractors and didn’t get the results they expected. And like my daughter, I’ve seen my customers encourage other possible customers when it was needed. I’ve seen homeowners with lots of emotion – crying, laughing, smiling and screaming. Many have showed off their new bay windows, doors or siding with pride and “Red Velvet Cheesecake” celebrations.
At the end of the triathlon yesterday my heart swelled with “momma pride” and my daughter took another piece of my heart. When she hugged me and thanked me for being there, for encouraging her, and for being the best mom ever I cried. So it goes in the home improvement industry. My heart swells with “momma pride” and a customer takes another piece of my heart with each project. When they say thank you for making it happen successfully, it makes me cry.
