The Beach House Remodel

Creating a writer's oasis on Substack.

Starting the day in peace.

It isn’t hard to explain, sitting at the edge of the bay, the ideas flow in and spill out like the changing tide.

The slosh of the water against the dock and the skies wake, teeming with life, as the seagulls seduce me into my day.

There is no better place to start my day, creating from the wildlife that offers a constant source of ideas and the movement of the water brings all my emotions to the surface.

My beach house is a place of solitude and the mornings are when I establish my inner peace, which is what I need to take on each day.

I am preparing for not just a rough day, but a rough week that will most likely extend into a rough few months. Of paramount importance is that I start each day with a peaceful foundation.

The upheaval and change in my life is a partial house remodel. I, the designer, and my husband, the job foreman have our work cut out. We need to work as a team, which requires extra patience.

I need to implement the tools I have learned through my recovery program for the remodel project. These same tools can be used as I restructure and built a community on Substack. I will explain my approach to growing; not just as a person, a writer, and/or a marketer, but through the upheaval in my life.

The Project—Growing My Community

Welcome to my remodel.

The next few months I will not only be busy building a self-help community on Substack, but remodeling a beach house. A kitchen designer turned writer, I will chronical my journey as the project progresses and strive to grow my community along the way.

Sharing how my remodel will impact my growth on Substack.

The job entails a new kitchen, fireplace surround and Master Bedroom remodel. As I introduce different elements of design I will share how I apply them to my writing and personal growth.

The last thirty years I expressed my creativity through design. A career in design and raising my daughter’s gave me purpose. When my daughter’s moved on and I hung up my t-square my life imploded. The last three years I have embarked on a journey of change, writing my way through the healing process.

My goal is to attract like-minded friends and build a community of friends who like to help others as much as they like to help themselves.

The Featured Attraction—My Kitchen

My husband and I just settled into our mid-Atlantic home for the Spring/Summer season. We live in Florida the cool weather seasons. My husband ripped out the cabinets last Fall and I designed and ordered cabinets during the Winter months. The base cabinets are scheduled to be installed later this week.

I am in a season of change, not only due to the remodel, but my writing audience. I am reaching out to others in the self-help community for help. I dove into Substack without a plan and am struggling with my growth. I am overwhelmed.

My kitchen remodel is a great place to start!

My—Plan

This week I plan on cleaning house. I need to declutter and purge what no longer serves me. This applies not only to my home, but my Substack. Clutter adds chaos to my life—steals my peace.

I need to start with a clean slate.

Clean Slate

When I first joined Substack I subscribed to all suggested sites and anyone who showed the slightest interest. To start, I will not unfollow everyone who has chosen to follow me, but I will unsubscribe and weed through the people who do not align with my interest. I will intentionally look at each person’s Substack and decide if I will benefit from them at the moment.

Delete for now and add later is my new approach. Then I will seek out others to follow. With the goal of filling up my feed with post that interest me or offer growth.

Another goal is to meet friends, not only who I can learn from, but enjoy my writing style and will benefit through my writing. My book, Swallow Your Pride, needs professional marketing advise to attract an agent and/or publisher. Substack is full of industry professionals and I need to find the person who will best suit my needs.

Organization

A remodel project takes organization. And, as a writer, I need to build a foundation and add structure to grow. Clutter adds chaos to my life, where order offers peace.

A little organization will go a long way. We will encounter problems with the remodel and there will be obstacles to overcome on my writing journey. Adding organization and order I can be proactive.

A Zen-like Environment

Up to the age of fifty I lived my life in chaos without proper coping skills to deal with my daily struggles. Peace was available to me, but I chose alcohol to ease my anxieties in lieu of tapping into my inner peace. My focus is not recovery from alcohol abuse, but revealing my character defects and embrace my flawed self. Accepting that I, not the alcohol, is the roots of my daily struggles.

Each day offers a new beginning.

At one time my thoughts trailed into the darkness, but today through my relationship with Christ I look into the beautiful evening sky and relish His creations.

The setting sun cast beauty, enhancing each word of my story. A story that continues to unfold and I will be sharing to my community on Substack.

For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

Philippians 4:13 NLT