Perfection Doesn't Come Easy

After 20 years of marriage, Kay Lee and I finally secured our first home together. And it comes with the beautiful lake view above.

Like most major decisions, this one came with its share of disagreements.

Beautiful Didn't Come Easy

From the outside looking in, it probably seems like this choice should have been a no-brainer.

It’s a third-floor, end-unit condo at the tip of the cove.

No noisy neighbors above us. Only one neighbor to the side. Extra windows. No buildings blocking either side of us. Big windows in the living room and primary bedroom to maximize the lake view.

Oh, and a nice balcony where I can sit with my coffee on Monday mornings and write this week’s newsletter while looking out over the water.

Yes, that’s exactly what I’m doing right now.

Seems like an easy choice, right? Not exactly.

The Search For Perfection

We had our share of back-and-forth.

Would there be enough cabinet space? Are the kitchen countertops too dated? Why is there carpet instead of wood in the two spare rooms? Would the afternoon sun be too harsh?

We got so caught up disagreeing over the small details that we lost focus of the bigger picture and the larger things we both agreed were most important.

We had to remind ourselves of two things:

1) We won’t find the perfect place.

2) And this isn’t our forever home.

Is Good Enough, Enough?

Our original plan was to rent for at least a year so we could get to know the area, see if we enjoy life on the lake, and give ourselves time to find the right home.

So we didn’t need to find perfect. We just needed to find good enough.

Instead of staying stuck on the small things we didn’t like, we started focusing on the major things we did.

It has an open floor plan. One of the larger kitchens we’ve seen. A separate laundry room, which isn’t common in many condos. Extra storage outside the unit. All the other niceties I already mentioned.

And of course, the 180-degree lake view.

Perfection Keeps You Stuck

The bottom-line question we finally asked ourselves was this:

“Would we be happy here?”

The answer for both of us was a resounding yes. Again, when you’re not in the middle of the decision-making process, it seems like a relatively easy choice.

But can you relate?

It’s easy to get stuck in the details. Easy to keep searching for perfect. Easy to turn a good decision into a much harder one than it needs to be. Especially when you’re making decisions together.

How To Get Unstuck

Next time you find yourselves stuck, try asking:

1. What do we agree on?
2. What is good enough?
3. Would we be happy with this choice?

Perfection is overrated. Mostly because it doesn’t exist.

And chasing it can create unnecessary conflict, keep you stuck, and prevent you from moving forward together.

Stay focused on the big picture so you can keep thriving in tandem.

Here's to your success,

Robert Fukui

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