Think Again – In Your Housing Decisions and In Your Life

Where do you want to live, and more importantly, how do you want to live? Do you have a path to get from where you are to where you want to be? And, what do you do when the path you are on doesn’t lead you to your envisioned future?

According to Adam Grant, author of “Think Again,” when we dedicate ourselves to a plan and it isn’t going as we hoped, our first instinct isn’t usually to rethink it. Instead, we tend to double down and sink more resources into the plan. This pattern is called escalation of commitment.

As explained by Adam Grant, “Escalation of commitment is a major factor in preventable failures.” In other words, when we dig our heels in and persist with failing strategies instead of pivoting, we can fail. Often, escalation of commitment happens because we are constantly searching for self-justification for our prior beliefs as a way to validate our past decisions. So, what are you committed to? And, is it time for you to “think again?”

Perhaps our persistence and grit when it comes to staying the course isn’t always a good thing? Maybe we need to “foreclose” on some of our plans?

When it comes to your housing decisions, is it time for you to foreclose on some of your plans? Maybe it is and maybe it isn’t, but the point is that you need to constantly be rethinking. You need a checkup. Checkups aren’t just for our physical bodies. They’re important for all kinds of decisions. Even our housing decisions.

Here’s my advice. Schedule a checkup on your house and your housing plans. Put a reminder in your calendar every year to ask yourself some key questions:

• What has changed since you bought your home?
• What aspirations are you pursuing?
• How do you see your life evolving?
• What is working for you in your home? More importantly, what isn’t?
• Is it time to consider a change?

You may not need to sell, modify, or remodel your home. You might be perfectly content right where you are. That’s great! But, in general, learning to rethink is a good practice. Letting go of things that no longer serve us well and valuing flexibility over our sometimes foolish consistency makes sense. It’s good to question our assumptions  and to embrace new ideas. We can all fall into the trap of tunnel vision, so take some time to identify images of your home (and life) that may no longer be relevant. Be open to rethinking some of your plans. Be willing to doubt some of your preconceived ideas about your living environment and your lifestyle. It’s ok to doubt. In fact, great thinkers doubt because they know that we are all partially blind.

When was the last time you really looked at your home and surrounding environment? Are you blind to some of the areas that need improving? Changing? Is it time to evaluate what’s working and what may no longer work in the years ahead? Are there some things that you need to re-think?

If you want to improve your living situation and your life, remain curious and humble. Recognize that you don’t know everything. And, re-think things. Again and again.