Project managers & the waiting game: update on my Montenegro refurbishment

So, despite the confidence I had in this particular project manager, I have had to come to terms with the fact that he may not deliver this quote. Ever.

So, back to the drawing board. I have now emailed 3 more project managers, that a kind friend has recommended.

One of the emails bounced back straightway. He is not on Viber or Whatsapp so I will need to ring him direct. (Let’s hope his English is good). There has been no response from the other. I’ve resent my initial enquiry again, this time using his direct email address rather than the website contact form. I’ve also contacted the design company, who do renovations as part of a design and furniture service. I will need furniture so it would be worth giving them them a try too.

So, I am being proactive in my attempts to find a project manager. But the wait still continues.

Frustrations with my Montenegro refurbishment

It’s a frustrating business.

Frustrating trying to find someone who is interested in taking my money in return for some fairly straightforward renovation works. Who would have thought that it would be so hard? It’s a stressful part of property renovation, not helped by the fact that the property in question is 1600 miles away in Montenegro.

The thing I have started to realise is that this property renovation is more than about the actual finished goal.

But I feel these recent months have been a lesson in learning to deal with uncertainty. Learning how to handle it calmly when things – that really should not be that difficult – become very hard and complicated. Like walking through treacle.

At the end of the day difficulties with the renovation of a tiny apartment in Montenegro is not a crisis. No one is ill or has died. I realise that.

But it is one of those common situations in life. We do our best and go about things in a reasonable, efficient and organised way – we do all the right things – yet other people scupper our plans and we end up in a stressful situation through no fault of our own.

What happened to my simple life?

​I’ll be honest. This process of property renovation does not feel like it is helping me live a simple life right now. The project in fact sits very uncomfortably with me as someone who wants to simplify their life.

I say I want simplicity but I am embarking on a property refurbishment. Why bother? Why not keep things simple and just live with it as it is? After all it’s not currently my main home.

The thing I have started to realise is, that this property renovation is more than about the actual finished goal. Ie. a nice comfortable apartment in Montenegro that functions properly. (And where a lethal cupboard doesn’t take my eye out every time I wash up).

​​It is really about the experience that I am looking forward to afterwards. It is about the dream that it is facilitating.

For this little bricks and mortar part of Montenegro is part of my dream for spending more and more of my time out there.

Long hot summers on the beach. Relaxed spring breaks with my family pottering in the perfect May warmth. Off season escapes on my own to write. My little haven in the sun where I can step away from the timetable and the rush of life .

And my dream of one day moving there full time. Waving goodbye to the to do lists as long as my arm, mortgage payments and scheduling restrictions. And the rat race.

Project managers, refurbishment & my Montenegro dream

Chasing our dreams isn’t always easy and straightforward. Making any sort of big change or doing any sort of project will have its difficulties and may not feel simple.

So, I have decided to learn some resilience in all the frustration. I am putting it in perspective in order to settle my mind and get my peace back. I am reminding myself that despite the obstacles it is still possible to achieve it and there will be a way through.

​It may be a slightly different path to the one I had planned. But I have decided to keep my faith in it all. I’m learning to let go of the worry and exasperation to make room for more calm.  Not to do nothing and be passive. But to simplify the thoughts and activity in my head, while I continue to press on.

And so can you too, if you are going through something similar.

The life around us – all those things that are happening beyond our control – may seem far from simple.  But we can decide to unclutter our heads instead.

We can decide to let go of the aggressive belief that it all has to go the way we planned it to. To develop a trust that we can get through it with our sanity and peace intact. To keep hold of our belief that the dream is still possible.

Even if we have to adjust a little along the way. And even if we need to find a slightly different way to get there.