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My LIFE! By DESIGN - The Life I've Designed

By
Real Estate Agent with RE/MAX Destiny Real Estate Cambridge, MA

Beautiful cat on a couch in front of a bookcaseTom Ferry's new book Life! By Design has a variety of exercises that make you think, that cause you to examine where you are in your life.  One of the questions asked you to think of your earliest childhood memories.

When I think of my earliest childhood memories a few themes emerge. The more I thought about them I realized that these were threads that wove throughout my life and have played an important role in my life to this day.

Books were a huge part of my childhood and many of my earliest memories are about reading. I was an avid reader before kindergarten and by 11 had read through the books in the children's library and moved upstairs to the main library. At school I was librarian's pet more than teacher's pet. Books were fantasy, books were my window to the adult world, books were never ending entertainment.  The chapters of my life are revealed on my bookshelves.

When I wasn't reading I was collecting - stamps, rocks, bottles- you name it - but most of all, antiques. I simply loved old things and the stories they told. My grandmother passed along family heirlooms that I treasure to this day - the brass bed I sleep in, the gold beads passed down through generations to the oldest "Ann", my middle name. For months my great-grandmother wrote me letters with a series of clues - the answer - and the prize - was a vintage sterling silver thimble nestled in a small rose-covered box. In third grade I cleared out my bank account to make my first major purchase - an antique wool spinning wheel that sits in my hall today.

I'm not sure how I came to be enthralled by old houses but enthralled I was from a very young age. I wanted to collect them too - fantasizing that I would have one of each style - from 1700s Colonial to Victorian to Bungalow with several variations in between. I had my favorite houses all over town and on the drive we regularly took through three towns to my grandmother's I had my favorites all along the route. So many of my childhood memories are about houses and houses are what I remember about where I've been.

I can't forget the pets that played a part in my childhood. My family's only stint with a dog, Heidi, was really too early for me to remember. It was cats that became part of our family - from our first Meowa, who unexpectedly had kittens in my antique commode when I was six, to the generations that followed. We became a cat family and each of us has cats today.

It was a long time coming but I've designed a life that's filled with the things I've always loved. 

For years I wanted a house - having given up on the idea of collecting a number of them after dramatic real estate price increases made the goal of having just one seem unattainable. I had taken a winding road career-wise and couldn't find a way to buy a house even though it was all I wanted. Finally I bought my first old house when I was well into my 30s. 

The first house was key but the realization of everything I wanted didn't come about until I got into real estate. It was truly a matter of finding my bliss and has been the means to finally affording my own old house in Massachusetts. Just where I want to be.

Now I live in a very old house, filled with books and antiques - and one very fabulous cat. I've truly designed the life I dreamed of from my earliest days.

 


Tom Ferry: LIFE! By DESIGNThis post is to help promote Tom Ferry's upcoming book, LIFE! By DESIGN. The contents of my post are the result of some self reflection the preview chapter of the book asks us to do about ourselves.

You can Pre-Order the book now by visiting TomFerryBook.com. You can also participate in the promotion being done by ActiveRain for a chance to win some great prizes and 2500 points by visiting the promotional post here.

Everyone that orders a copy of the book between now and April 23rd, 2010 will also receive one ticket to attend Tom's Success Summit, August 24-26th and the MP3 audio role play program: Objection Handling for Buyers, Sellers and Short Sales.

In exchange for writing this post, I could win an iPad or other cool prizes, and this is to let you know so the FTC doesn't fine me.

 

Comments (18)

Jennifer Arbach
EXIT Realty Front and Center - Binghamton, NY
Office Administrator

Elizabeth, you and I have a lot in common-books, cats, antiques and old houses! Victorian House with turret, surrounded by lilacsHere's my house in Upstate NY! Sounds like you have designed a wonderful life.....in my book!

Apr 23, 2010 03:36 PM
Elizabeth Bolton
RE/MAX Destiny Real Estate Cambridge, MA - Cambridge, MA
Cambridge MA Realtor

Hi Jennifer ~ What a beautiful house! I'm so glad you included the picture. There's a whole lot to like about books-cats-antiques-and old houses isn't there? It's my recipe for happiness that's for sure.

Liz

Apr 23, 2010 03:43 PM
Lottie Kendall
Compass - San Francisco, CA
Helping make your real estate dreams a reality

Hi Liz -- what great memories. And how marvelous that you knew what you wanted and found a way to realize that dream. That, indeed ia a life by design!

PS--I used to collect stamps, too!

Apr 23, 2010 04:37 PM
Elizabeth Bolton
RE/MAX Destiny Real Estate Cambridge, MA - Cambridge, MA
Cambridge MA Realtor

Hi Lottie ~ It was a long and winding path but I finally pulled it all together! There was a long stretch of apartments and storage units before I got there. Glad to know you're a fellow stamp collector! My list of collections is actually a lot longer than I wrote here but those were some of the first collections.

Liz

Apr 23, 2010 04:47 PM
Faith Benedix
Homer, AK

Hi Liz,

Add in a garden and you have my version of heaven on earth.  Food for the eyes, food for the soul. food for the spirit, you are smart to know your heart.

Apr 23, 2010 05:07 PM
Elizabeth Bolton
RE/MAX Destiny Real Estate Cambridge, MA - Cambridge, MA
Cambridge MA Realtor

Hi Faith ~ Another excellent ingredient! I don't have a green thumb but am a garden appreciator for sure.

Liz

Apr 23, 2010 05:13 PM
Karen Anne Stone
New Home Hunters of Fort Worth and Tarrant County - Fort Worth, TX
Fort Worth Real Estate

Liz:  From what you have shared... you have so far lived a wonderful life.  Champ seems way cool... perched up there on the couch.  Thirty-three bookcases... all filled with your stories.  How wonderful.  Sounds like a library I would love to visit.  Take care...

Apr 23, 2010 05:17 PM
Andrea Swiedler
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices New England Properties - New Milford, CT
Realtor, Southern Litchfield County CT

Liz, wonderful! How blessed are you that you have found a way to put all together that you are passionate about. Thank you for sharing this story, I love it!

My grandmother, Anne, instilled a love of books and old things to me also, funny thing! :D

Apr 23, 2010 11:46 PM
Elizabeth Bolton
RE/MAX Destiny Real Estate Cambridge, MA - Cambridge, MA
Cambridge MA Realtor

Hi Karen Anne ~ And 33 bookcases aren't enough! I do take great joy in building a library actually - my retirement dreams mainly consist of lying about reading my books.  Champ is awesome - "this close" to being human.

Hi Andrea ~ I wanted a house for so long - and then the next milestone was finally getting one big enough for all my stuff - celebrating 4+ years of being storage-unit free - now that's a milestone!

Liz

Apr 24, 2010 02:05 AM
Lee & Pamela St. Peter
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices YSU Realty: (919) 645-2522 - Raleigh, NC
Making Connections to Success in Real Estate

Liz, if you ever make your way down to Raleigh I'd love to introduce you to one of my colleagues - Peter Rumsey.  He's the KING of old homes and knows them inside and out around here!  Thanks for sharing

Apr 24, 2010 02:08 AM
Michael Bergin
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage - ABR - SRES - Alexandria, VA
Northern Virginia Real Estate

Liz -

I've always known I had plenty of reasons to like you but add in the books, antiques and Champ and it all comes together.  Your "life story" is lovely and such a wonderful reflection of your passions. 

So glad you shared it with us -

Michael

Apr 24, 2010 11:34 AM
Jeff Dowler, CRS
eXp Realty of California, Inc. - Carlsbad, CA
The Southern California Relocation Dude

Liz - what fun to read your personal story and learn more about your passions. Sounds like your life is right where you like it. How wonderful is that?!

Jeff

Apr 24, 2010 03:40 PM
Claudette Millette
The Buyers' Counsel - Ashland, MA
Buyer, Broker - Metrowest Mass

Liz:

What a lovely post and photograph of your precious books and cat. I am sure your Massachusetts home is a gem. Congratulations on finding it.

 

Apr 25, 2010 01:01 AM
Jeanean Gendron
The Address Realty - Redding, CA
Specializing in Selling Unique Properties

Elizabeth, this challenge that Bob has given to the members seems to be very inspiration and life changing. I'm signing up for the pre-sale of the book. I did not have the time to accept the challenge right now...but definitely wish I could have. Enjoyed the post very much!

Apr 25, 2010 03:56 AM
Elizabeth Bolton
RE/MAX Destiny Real Estate Cambridge, MA - Cambridge, MA
Cambridge MA Realtor

Hi Lee and Pamela ~ Sounds like a plan! I bet you have some wonderful old houses in your neck of the woods.

Hi Michael ~ Thanks so much! I had a feeling we were birds of a feather.

Hi Jeff ~ That's the truth! It wasn't a straight shot to get here - I chuckled when I realized (pre-editing!!) that I had used the phrase "long time coming" three times in the post and comments. Ha!

Hi Claudette ~ Thanks! Falling for houses is definitely one of the dangers / benefits of this line of work. I wasn't looking for a house when I bought this one - but it found me.

Hi Jeanean ~ It's great fun - challenges like these mean you get to learn quite a bit more about people through their posts.  I had thought the deadline was a day earlier until some more posts popped up and I got in under the wire.

Liz

Apr 25, 2010 04:29 AM
Chris Minion
O'Brien Realty - Lexington Park, MD

Hello Elizabeth,

Glad to hear that you have a life that you dreamed of when you were young.  Thanks for sharing your personal story with us.  How wonderful! 

Apr 26, 2010 05:04 PM
Denise Hamlin, Broker/Owner
Cardinal Realty ~ 319-400-0268 - Iowa City, IA
Helping Happy Clients Make Smart Choices

Hi Liz ~ Life by Design. What a concept. Wish I could say I can relate, but I can't. We've definitely led very different lives.

I love to read your stories, they sound so normal, where mine are so out there.... We do have many things in common though, one of them being books. I spent most of my youth buried in a book too!

Denise

Apr 27, 2010 01:33 PM
Denise Hamlin, Broker/Owner
Cardinal Realty ~ 319-400-0268 - Iowa City, IA
Helping Happy Clients Make Smart Choices

Oh, I forgot to compliment the truly fabulous cat. Wonderful photo and oh so many books...:-)

Apr 27, 2010 01:35 PM