We all have a choice. We all have a say. We are spectators in life or we get in and play. Whichever we choose, how we handle life's game, the choices are ours no one else is to blame.
-Tom Krause
This post is 1,328 words, about a 6 min read
I turned one of the spare bedrooms in my house into an Airbnb to make some extra money. At first, I was a bit worried about letting strangers enter my sanctum, my sanctuary, my safe space, my sanctuary, my kingdom, my home.
But I decided to go for it and it has been pretty great so far. I have not had any bad situations but rather learned a few things from my guests. One of those learnings prompted this post.
As you would be when a stranger is in your home, I am more attentive to the things that are happening in and around the house. At least the major things, especially things that are happening in the room that I am using as the Airbnb. Mostly, it is to see ways that I can improve the stay of my guests. It is also to ensure I take notice of anything that the guest may try to cover up when they leave the room. I have a short window of time to report damages and get reimbursed. Luckily, I have had none so far. I hope to keep it that way by the Grace of God.
However, the biggest thing I have noticed is No One Locks the Door to The Private Room. Now it has only been about 3 months since I became an Airbnb host. Which I have had about 15 guests with a mix of extended and one-night stays. So my sample size is very small. But it intrigues me to notice this. Of course, you are wondering why this is so earth-shattering and how I know this to be true. Well wonder no more:
When I first got the idea to Airbnb out the room, I spoke with a friend of mine who was already doing the same thing with the spare room in her house. She gave me great advice on things to think about for the room. (Life Lesson: When you want to start anything, it is okay to jump in. But it is also a great idea to learn a thing or two from others who are currently doing the thing. Use the access so you do not have to make the same mistakes they made). One of the biggest things I learned from her was to ensure the room felt secure and private for the guest meaning:
Having a KEYED LOCK on the door
Minimal foot traffic around the room
I know guests don't lock the room door because my office is directly across from that room. I spend a good amount of my free time in my office. Every time I walk up and down the stairs to and out of my office, I look to see if the key has been removed from the lock or left on the lock. From my observations, I have had only 2 guests remove the key from the lock.
Now you might be thinking
Well, isn't it a bit perplexing?
If I did not have a keyed lock on the door, I would probably not get as many guests and I may get a few negative reviews as well. However, I have a lock on the door and most guests don't use it. I find it very interesting because it points to something deeper and more important. Or maybe I am making mountains out of molehills (good thing it’s my Substack).
I believe what my guests and to extrapolate, everyone, truly want is the choice to either lock the door or not lock the door. They want the FREEDOM OF CHOICE to do what they feel like doing. When options are removed from their hands that causes frustration, fear, and to some degree anger.
Think of the last time someone took the choice out of your hand. It could be with food where the restaurant decided on your behalf to add some special choice to your burger when you never asked for it. Even if you enjoyed the burger, you will still be frustrated and have some negative feelings towards the restaurant.
We all, above everything else, want FREEDOM OF CHOICE. We want the ability to choose for ourselves and not be forced to accept whatever is given to us. This also goes for a lot of the things we have a desire for. From shoes to clothes to cars to devices to travel to fill in the blank thing we have been talking to our friends about buying for ourselves. I believe it is not necessarily the thing itself that we want but rather the ability to say Yes or No when it is offered.
This is why I love this quote from Morgan Housel so much on the importance of saving. He changes the lens through which we should view saving.
Saving is a hedge against life's inevitable ability to surprise the hell out of you at the worst possible moment. Savings without a spending goal gives you options and flexibility, the ability to wait and the opportunity to pounce. It gives you time to think. It lets you change course on your own terms.
-Morgan Housel
It is not just about stacking up money in a bank for the sake of having money in the bank. It is to give you the ability to have choices.
On a small level, this looks like having a small emergency fund.
This gives you the ability to choose the best course of action when emergencies show up like replacing a tire.
On a much larger scale, it is having a fully funded emergency fund.
This allows you to choose what path you want to take when you lose a job.
On another level, it is the ability to walk away from anyone and anything that does not meet your standards.
Literally looking at what others might say is a very promising choice and say NO your headaches are not worth it. I will rather make less
On a supreme level, it is the ability to be so comfortable with yourself that you do not meet the approval of society.
It is the ability to look at society and the pressures of society and balk at it. It is the ability to be comfortable in your skin and have no desire to peacock to anyone
However, we believe we need to have a certain level of wealth to be able to make some of these choices. In reality, for the most important things in life, we can begin making these choices today.
We can begin choosing what we want for our lives and how we want our lives to go.
We can choose the things we want to integrate into our lives and what we do not want to integrate.
We can choose what and who we watch, read, and listen to.
We can choose what we willingly are influenced by.
We can choose how we react to our emotions and to situations that we may have no control over.
We can choose the places we spend our time, and with whom we spend our time.
We can choose to learn and grow.
In truth, we are making choices every day regardless if we notice them or not. Unfortunately, we mostly make default choices based on what society or friends or parents, or whoever tells us. We never take the time to choose for ourselves.
So my question is this,
Would you rather live life by DESIGN or by Default?
Remember Generosity>greed
✌🏾
Recommended Reads
Morgan House, The Spectrum of Financial Dependence & Independence. Where do you fall on the spectrum? There are 16 Levels going from completely dependent on others to completely independent. I am between Level 8 and 9