How Our Lakehouse Vision Became a Reality

A vision isn’t always clear to us in the beginning.

Sometimes, when you pause and look back on a series of events, you see that you were moving towards your vision all along.

I have a personal story to share with you about my vision.

Before we were married, my husband and I would drive out to the Texas Hill Country and look for “for sale” signs. Long before smartphones and Zillow, we were happy to meander through neighborhoods and dream about someday.

We talked about how someday, we’d retire to a lakefront property and it would be a place where our family and friends would love to come visit.

It was a fun dream: it connected us, allowed us to get to know each other better and it was motivating, even if we never thought it might actually happen.

We were in Austin during the dot-com frenzy, and while we never “hit big,” we both worked at a couple of start-ups that did okay. Instead of spending, we chose to save.

A few years later, after we were married and combining our finances, our advisor suggested we have a savings account that could be used at any time (i.e. no big tax penalties) but was aggressive enough for long-term savings. He asked what we wanted to call it.

I was thinking let’s name it “savings account #2” and without missing a beat, my husband said, “let’s call it ‘Lakehouse.’”

That savings account was meant to grow until any future children were out of college and we were “ready” to buy our dream home. Or pay for college. Or whatever else we might want to do thirty years in the future.

Fast forward a few more years and when my husband asked what I wanted for my 35th birthday, I told him I wanted to have a realtor show us some lake properties for a day – just for fun. With two kids under three years old, we laughed it off as an odd way to get out of the house for a day.

And wouldn’t you know – we stumbled onto our dream Lakehouse.

While it was far from perfect, it was exactly as we imagined:  a home that would grow with us, on a perfectly quiet cove. We could picture our family and friends there, hosting holidays there and creating memories with our two boys right there.

Instead of waiting another 30 years to say yes to this vision, we were ready.

To everyone else, it might have sounded crazy. After all, two mortgages, two small kids and one income isn’t exactly following the path of least resistance.

This wasn’t a whim. This wasn’t an uncalculated risk. This was our vision of our future….it just arrived a little earlier than planned. With a little hand-wringing and a lot of listening (to each other and the signs that we were on the right path), we saw our vision come to life.

When we signed the papers, I gave my husband a keychain with these words engraved:  Dreams come true. Today.  It is a little worn out, but that sentiment still rings true.

And as we were moving in and unpacking, my mom brought in a box of dishes that said “Lakehouse” on the side. When I asked her about it, she said, “We were always hoping that someday we would have a lakehouse – so when we bought new dishes, we decided to save our old dishes, just in case.” She wrote “Lakehouse” on a box more than 20 years ago.

I have no memory of ever talking about this vision of my parents, but I have no doubt that their vision contributed to us making it happen.

Fast forward 5½  years and the Lakehouse is not a financial strain that it could have been. I have a successful business I love as I help others get clear on what they want, blast through obstacles and go after their dreams. I pinch myself regularly. Yes, it’s real.  

And now, we are dreaming about what else is possible. We aren’t afraid to dream.  And I’m so happy to continue to live my vision for my life.

So you can see, I take this business of vision quite personally. I believe that everyone has their own “lakehouse” vision or dream.

And when you make your vision happen, it feels like magic. You might still pinch yourself, but rest assured:  it can be real.

And if you don’t have a vision, that motivates, inspires and propels you forward, why not? Why not tune in to your heart’s desire and see what magic you might create?

Are you ready to get clear on your own vision?

I have just 3 spots left for the 2018 Visioning Experience this weekend.

The Visioning Experience is an amazingly powerful tool to bring clarity to your desires.

And when you bring clarity to what you want, you begin the process of aligning your life to fulfill that vision.

Join me here.

“I look at my Vision Board every day. It inspires me so much.”  – Elizabeth

I can’t wait to see you there!

– Jenny