Kim’s Angels

Interior design is my escape. I move into the world in my head and it’s a beautiful place filled with possibilities and beauty. In this place, cost is never an issue, and everyone is nice. When I see the world this way, I am able to really be free to create something special and unique.

My reality is that there is always a ceiling to the design budget, and I wish everyone would be nice. What a wonderful world that would be. No arguing for quality. No arguing to get things done on time. No arguing for price. A world where everyone is honest and straightforward. There are days when dealing with this behaviour becomes so depleting, I want to just retreat into my happy place and stay there.

Move through it

Most days I spend only 20% of my time doing what I love. The rest is about managing a business and the people that affect it. Clients do not always understand that design is a process and execution cannot happen in a week. I wish it were so. We are booked out weeks in advance. Suppliers who run into trouble. Stock that doesn’t arrive. Administration up to your ears. Tax. Oh, tax.

I love being able to do this every day, but one should not think that this is a glamorous industry. I recently have had a string of interns come through my business. Young talented people that have the same dream – to make the world more beautiful, to touch people’s lives – but do not understand the tough world out there. Learning to work in the trenches is a fact. It is not a great part of life, but an important part of it. Pushing to be better and to get ahead are characteristics that are fundamental to being successful in any career. Being willing to complete any task for the greater good of the team. Getting it done and doing it better than anyone else.

Be an angel

Along the way you meet people who you think will be in your life forever. Always fighting alongside you. I wish this was realistic, but life comes with ebb and flow. We contribute and we take away. We learn and we grow. We stay and we leave. Each move brings new opportunity and possibility. What I have learnt is that in every interaction and engagement, give unconditionally and try to make a difference that enables people around you. Never be a pushover but have empathy and give direction. Wish people well, you never know when your paths will cross again.

Leave a mark

It is with some sadness that I write this blog today. An incredibly special talented person in my team whom I knew would not be with me for very long and that I would be a steppingstone on her path, has found great prospects. This beautiful young lady has worked tirelessly to help bring my vision to life. On every front she has given of herself. She has supported me and also given me feedback when she needed to. She has tried to give me space so that I could grow this business by not only doing her job but also helping run my life. I am so grateful for the beauty she has brought to us and the momentum she has created in my marketing team. She will leave a mark on us all and on this business and will always be in my heart.

Keep flying higher

It is always hard to move forward when something has been good as there is no other reason to part other than to grow. Growing is fundamental to our continuous happiness and without growth we lose focus on our purpose. Without purpose we are lost. It takes time to really understand what your purpose is, but if you keep growing it comes.

My son too is heading to the end of his last school year and is off on a new adventure next year to study, moving into the field of his dreams. He is my only child and the light of my life. He is so ready to fly, and I am so proud – but wow all this letting go is not so easy. He, of course, is so excited for what lies ahead. He has worked so hard for this moment, and it will be quite a moment when he flies the nest.

Cherish your angels

So, time moves on. I looked in the mirror this morning, and whilst my partner lovingly complimented me, I saw the laugh lines around my eyes, the strands of grey peeping through, showing that I need to get my roots done. Standing in front of my wardrobe just figuring out what I wanted to wear because I am having a bad hair day, wrestling with the fact that I need to make new plans, so I can also move forward.

It was at this moment, I realised once again how important it is to take time to appreciate the people around you in the moment and in time, because life changes in an instant. We need to do it more. So, this blog is dedicated to all the amazing people in my life. Those that are still in my life and those that have touched my life. My team, now and in the future. My family. My followers and subscribers who take the time to read my blogs and support me. My clients; past and present. Without you I would not be who I am today. I would not be able to do what I do every day. Thank you for being part of my journey.

Check your flight plan

We all have a destination, our own dreams, and a role to play in this wonderful world. It is part of our responsibility to keep a check that we are staying on track and focusing on ourselves. When we do this, we do right by others too. Make sure you are flying on your flight plan and not someone else’s. This way we will meet at the right stops in life, fly together when the time is right, laugh together hopefully a lot, cry together when we need each other, see each other again because we stay connected, never see each other again because it’s time to move on. Whatever the flight plan has checked, let’s make these moments count.

Love,