3 Hated Lessons That Helped Reclaim My Dreams.

Don’t wing it choose a proven change model to help you change your life.

The Purpose

When we returned to our first-floor waterfront condominium after the storm surge, the parking lot was filled with dead cars. The storm surge was at least three feet. I could see the lines on the cars where the saltwater had finished its devastation.

People were walking around in a dazed state, trying to figure out if their car was dead and what other damage had occurred overnight.

My wife is a real estate savant. She has bought and sold multiple beachfront properties very successfully. We purchased this renovated gem for her vacation rental business. It was gorgeous. She was ecstatic.

Felt like a dreamy vacation

In the weeks heading into the back-to-back hurricane landfalls, when I would stay the night, I would awaken and get up to slowly slide the drapes aside and look at the water and marina across the channel.

One 50-foot boat is at the end of the pier, and other smaller boats are at the marina.

A red light on the right and a green light on the left of the small dock. There is a mantra about boats coming back to their slips through channels at night.

“Red right returning”, I said out loud.

It felt like I was back on my boat on the water in the marina.

Ridin’ the storm out

It had been 100+ years since hurricanes of this magnitude, let alone 2, made landfall on this side of Florida. I never dreamed that hurricanes would hit the Tampa Bay area two weeks in a row.

But they did.

Diligence. We watched the news, and it was not a typical night. Our nerves were on high alert.

I watched the front and back of the house because we are in the highest flood zone.

In a nearby park on Tampa Bay, there is a sign 15’ in the air that says:

Beware of storm surge. It can reach the top of this sign.

That is a crushing wall of water. And it was headed for our community.

Helene made landfall between St. Pete Beach and Clearwater Beach, Florida. This is a 20-mile collection of barrier islands strung together with concrete roads. It is covered in condominiums, homes, restaurants, and retail stores.

It was a war zone. Sand was piled 20 feet high, cars were washed out, and appliances were moved to the street to be thrown away.

Breaking the news

My wife and I drove down to St. Pete Beach to check on our condo the next morning. As I peeked in, the floor was wet with seawater, but the water line on the wall was only 1 inch high.

I reached under the couch to see if the fabric was wet. It was not. The 20+ sandbags I had leaned against the sliding doors on the waterfront and 10+ bags against the front door had done their job.

Mostly.

I turned and told my wife what I saw, with relief on my face.

I had spent the week before Helene landed hanging hurricane shutters, moving outside furniture inside, and making sandbags to prevent any storm surge from damaging our home or condominium.

The week after, I took it all down.

Then, Hurricane Milton was announced. Back up, they went.

Exhausting.

Once Milton blew through, we returned to our home and saw a demolished roof and pool screen. Both homes had severe damage.

I thought: There is a message here that is yet to be revealed.

In the months since these acts of Mother Nature, we have evaluated our next steps.

And, we have made some purpose-driven decisions that will end up changing our lives.

We believe for the better.

Lessons learned

1. Make fact-based decisions— One must use their intellect, not one’s heart, in these critical situations. You must stay conscious to make the best decisions.

2. Patience — After six months, our insurance company still has not settled on what they will pay for the roof replacement. The roof will only be tarped, not fixed, as we head into the next hurricane season. Regardless of how angry you get at the insurance company or your roof contractor, it will be replaced when they decide to replace it.

3. Resiliency — Planning how to take the first step to recovery is critical. Follow the Beckhard-Harris Change Model.

Dissatisfaction X Vision of the Future > Resistance to change

You must put the past, which you cannot control, behind you.

I felt fear for the first time in 20 years. I was near tears every day for months. But, with the help of my family and friends, I got through it and see it as an experience that will bring positive change.

The path we are on, following our vision and making fact-based decisions to change, will deliver the life we want.