Clean carpets!

Yesterday we had our carpets cleaned.  What an amazing experience to (a) tee this up prior to leaving, and then, (b) come home and see the transformation.

Moving one of our chairs in the family room, and seeing the dust, dirt, and random chip, broken cashew, and a lego piece – wow!  I guess it’s not just where you can see – the carpets over 9 months get well worn.

I came home and the coffee stain, was gone.  The stairs looked fairly uniformly clean, verses a clear track up the middle.  It just felt like Marni and I did a good thing – spending the money to get the carpets cleaned.

In our case, the truth of the matter, is that these carpets are pretty worked-in and worn down.  This cleaning will hold off the inevitable – and, we “feel” like we have new carpets!  (At least for a week.)

Here is what I want to capture this morning . . . the transformation is worth it!  Today, I am so pleased with the decision we made and the hassle it caused.  We are not only back to “normal” but we are CLEANED-UP.

Three steps to clean carpets:

1. Acknowledge and admit they are in need of cleaning.
2. Make the appointment and embrace cost.
3. Prep – move furniture, clear clutter, highlight special areas.

I would be remiss if I did not share with you that this can be a spiritual exercise, a leadership exercise, or even a relational exercise as well.

You can make the connection yourself, I will just add some comments to each point.

Admit the need:  This can be a variety of things.  You have to take a good honest look around and see where the wear and tear is in your life.  Maybe even move a few things and see what shape it’s in underneath.  One example might be the Covenant Weekend I am attending in over a week.  I have survey’s being filled out to look for, among other things, areas in my life of wear and tear and dirt build-up.

Embrace the cost:  Good things tend to cost.  Yes, dates nights are 2x as expensive as you have the date and the childcare.  IT’S WORTH IT.  Marni and my mother’s birthday trip in the end was not cheap – but it was a memory!  The cost can also be effort – case in point, mulch for the yard.  It is so worth it!  What could this be for you?  It’s the next right thing . . . a seminar, a trip, an appointment.

Do the pre-work.  Sometimes just “rolling in” does not give you the best value.  Yesterday the carpet guy commented on a previous day customer – I cannot repeat what he called him, but the point was the guy was not “ready.”  I am doing the pre-work now for the Covenant Weekend and it will make it so much better by coming in prepared.  As you think about your own life, remember, what could the “special areas” that you want to focus on for 2013?   Maybe it’s a relationship, maybe a health focus, maybe it’s an investment, or a skill you want to gain.

Here’s to clean carpets!  Here’s to also seeing a personal change in our own lives!

Eric