Happy Friday good friend :)
The other day I was GUD wrenching on a ceiling fan while rocking out to a podcast. There are some tasks that I can just zone out and listen to whereas when I'm knobing a cabinet or putting handles on a cabinet - man! no distractions please! Ceiling fans... eh.. slam dunk! So I was pretty engrossed with the podcast just humming away.
About an hour into my podcast journey the host made a statement that literally threw a wrench in my flow of the day. So much so that I unconsciously pulled over, replayed what he had said, then replayed it again. He was talking about his Navy Seal career profession and how he learned what it was like to be a true professional from an older wiser Vietnam Seal. It changed his philosophy and served him well throughout his career.
(Small side note)
... When I got into real estate I quickly felt wildly unconventional both in industry perspective and work ethic. To keep a positive attitude up I had to change my perspective on things... It was my goal to embody the disciplined work ethic and ability to embrace the suck with a smile on your face like the way Navy Seals did. I also greatly! appreciated their selfless acts of valor in their leadership, how they'd leave no man behind and act as a tight-nitch brotherhood of the elite. They were unconventional soldiers who defined what it was to be part of a team..That change of perspective kept me going.
Now! Picture all that gruff and tough exterior of what a Navy Seal probably looks/acts like....
wait for it...
But lead with the heart of Ellen Digenerous AND the charisma Will Smith has...
MAN! What the hell does that look like?
So I'm sure you can see... out of the 40,000 Phoenix realtors I felt really odd and out of place.
(end side note) :)
I tell you that small tid-bit to understand how I value the Navy Seal's culture and how their perspective on things affects me.
...So when the host was talking about what he learned from someone wiser than he... I was ALL ears!
He said that the older guy was a legend of sorts in the Seal community, yet you'd never know meeting him in person. In the years before the fanfare of the Seals and special forces the man wore a hat with the Navy Seal Trident on it and that was all. On the inside of the hat it said "the silent option" Then the host used this combination of words that really hit me..
From that point on, he chose to be
"The quiet professional with the silent option"
This moved me to my core.. There are a ton of reasons to walk around like a badass telling your wartorn hero battle stories.. sure.. we know that's what your experience... but there's no need for it. As he talked about his experiences for examples of notoriety but chose the silent option for no fame or glory it really hit home for me... it made me look at our industry as real estate professionals...
One of the hardest things for me when I got into real estate was dealing with an assumed identity that didn't fit well with me; yet I chose to go into this biz and was plagued with a noise I can't turn off. Money, money, success, sales, let's make a deal, buy this, lead generate that, don't take my commissions, all about my money, money, sales, entitlement, me, me, look at my stuff, look at how great I am..
damn dude!
There's been a lot of real estate industry shit that's reared its head to me in the last couple months... These real estate things are on the backend of transactions that one would only see if they were involved in the biz. His words hit a tender spot of festered feelings that suddenly had words to an indescribable feeling which created a breach where everything floods out where unclear thoughts are now super clear.
I was suddenly lost in rampant thoughts that I've experienced...
Just because you're in real estate does not give you the right to show houses your first-time-home-buyer-clients, while they tail behind you in their tired minivan and pull up to houses where your two door coupe (cause you're too important to let someone ride with you) costs 1/3 to 1/2 of the sales price of the home you're showing... this is so wrong!...
Nor does it entitle you to hold up your paycheck standing next to your overpriced car and have your picture taken... come on man!
Just because you're in real estate does not give you a pass to post, share, show off, every house trophy that you've paid for... with your clients money.?! so sad!
Just because you're in real estate does not allow you to start off a phone call conversation apologizing cause you were in the Caribbean and are just getting back...
Just because you're in real estate does not make it ok to say sorry I don't have the best reception out here cause I'm driving to my out of state condo..
Just because you're in real estate, working in an industry many of your clients have no clue about does not allow you to over charge someone to sell their home, or charge and take the lion's share because your client's have no clue what's going on... really sad!
Forgive the rant.. :) The quiet professional with the silent option is a hard one to forget for me. That humble combination of words brought a level of piece and just needed to slight vent without being carried away. :)
With time under my belt along with a stronger identity now, I think this is a better combination of creatures melded into one that merge the oddness of what I wanted to lead my real estate business with :)
As always, thank you for being a space to hear my thoughts and vents. If you need someone to vent to or share thoughts with, Chas and I are always here fer'yas.
Have a grateful weekend! <3