Hiring a design or home staging consultant is kind of a big deal. Our homes are our sacred spaces, and it’s natural to feel resistance speaking with a stranger about all the things we hold tender.

I was very young when I took my first design job. Many people I met who were buying the furniture and furnishings I worked with had kids around my age, even older. “What’s the most challenging space you’ve ever worked on?” was a common early question.

In the beginning, I’d describe a tricky recent project logically: relevant and reassuring details like scope of the work, the architectural style of the house, approximate size, or general location of the house.

A little time passed. Then one day a different response just popped in my head, and it’s still my answer today: “Between the ears.”  I realized figuring out a space was the easy part. The process of developing a collaborative relationship, working with, and working through

riend and colleague Professional Organizer Jocelyn Kenner wrote on why she hired a professional organizer recently. It resonated to my toes.

Sir/Dr.- William Osler, one of the four founding members of Johns Hopkins Hospital is considered one of the best diagnosticians ever. He said, and did many wise things. Paraphrasing one of his succinct observations (as general policy TRH refrains from the use of “fool” :)) treating yourself is neither wise or effective.

Personal service providers do more, are more than the noun that is used to describe you, or a generic task. I’ve been in the people-spaces-pretty stuff business my entire career. I know in my cells that delivering happiness is an absolutely heroic task. Having others first let you get close to what’s keeping them from it must come first. Good personal service professionals will tell you they regard this trust as sacred.

Do you consider yourself to be a smart, able, and accomplished person, yet can’t get out of the weeds on what you yourself know and do best?  Know you’re not alone. Just start a conversation with someone else who does what you do. And if you’re in the people-stuff-space business, I hope it’ll be with TRH!