And the Sweat Equity Portion of the Project Begins
In addition to building modern, sustainable homes, the LiveModern crew all seem to share in the philosophy of sweat equity. For some, it’s driven out of necessity, while others receive personal satisfaction from putting their own time and talent into their home. For me, it’s both. My drive and goals will always exceed my income and my belief in being responsible for achieving your own dreams could never be matched by simply just paying someone else to do it for you.
This evening while I was putting a second coat of waterproofing on the sitting wall planter, a neighbor came by and introduced herself. She appeared hesitant to say anything to me at first, but finally said “you must be the new neighbor”. I sat the roller down, walked over to shake her hand and exchange pleasantries.
She asked me if I was painting and I kindly mentioned that I was waterproofing the planter. Almost in shock, she replied “why are you doing that?“. The abrupt response and feelings associated with the comment seemed to suggest that I was *less than* for doing the work myself. In fact that’s why you have a builder, right?
The truth is, the work makes me feel *more than* as I create a connection with the house and see the fruit of my labor, be that sweat, salary or barter. I find inspiration from other do-it-yourself bloggers sharing their experience through LiveModern and I look forward to being responsible for making my dream become a reality.
