Have You Ever Felt Blown Off Course? Thanks

 Isn’t it amazing how your paradigms can change with a new experience?
For most of my life I have tried to model my actions towards any goal or vision as described in the verse “But Jesus told him, "Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God." As an old farm kid, I knew clearly what this meant by experience. When you start to plow a field you “walk off” or measure it on both sides make a mark and drive straight to the mark. If you are tempted to look back you will forever see that swerve from the mark that entire year. So, to me, on any quest it meant you doggedly push towards the goal, fighting through any obstacles that may try to get in your way. When things don’t work you don’t change the goal but go back to the drawing board and go again. 
 Today I was reading in Stephen Covey’s book, "The 8th Habit" and he said, "The truth is we're all off track most of the time, all of us- every individual, family, organization or international flight to Rome. Just realizing this is a significant step. But, for many of us, the feeling of being off track brings with it discouragement and despair. It needn't and shouldn't be so depressing. Knowing we're off track is really an invitation to realign ourselves with true north principles and recommit ourselves to our destination.
 Remember, our journey as an individual, team or organization is like the flight of an airplane. Before the plane takes off, the pilots file a flight plan. They know exactly where they are going. But during the course of the flight, wind, rain, turbulence, air traffic, human error and other factors act upon the plane. They move that plane slightly in different directions so that most of the time to it is not even on the prescribed flight path. But barring anything too major, the plane will still arrive at it's destination. 
 Now how does that happen? During the flight, the pilots receive constant feedback. They receive information from instruments that read the environment, control towers, other airpanes, even sometimes the stars. And based on feedback, they make adjustments so that time and time again, they return to the original plan."
 Personally, I had a new experience last Sunday that made this message pound home. I was piloting a boat across Lake Michigan. It was the first time I drove something where there was nothing in view to point towards. That the destination was only visible to me by looking at gauges and by a compass. With the choppy waves of that great lake hitting my hull the bow seemed to constantly be pointing in a different direction. I was rarely directly on course, it was a state of nonstop corrections. But ultimately the destination was on target. What struck me even more so, was one of my compatriots who had driven before me, complimented me on how smooth I was, and how he found it so difficult. I had felt the exact opposite, that he was so smooth and I was all over the place. In both instances our perceptions changed dramatically when we saw how we were constantly fighting to stay on course as opposed to enjoying the smooth ride. 
 Isn't this how it feels in all our lives as we set our course and then face the never ending shifts we must to reach our own shores? Don't get weary in well doing, set your course and then understand it's going to ebb and flow by your corrections as you go. 

Build A Life Not Just A Living!

 As I sit here at a wrestling tournament that my son is coaching it made me think of a critical message I want to share. It is why I do what I do. It had driven decisions throughout my life. Too often I got it wrong, but thankfully got it right on some big ones. Don't get so busy making a living that you miss out on your life. In real estate that is an easy thing to do.

 Too often we become poptart agents who pop up every time a potential client pops up. We don't live our lives or businesses with intention but spontaneously, we are reactionary instead of proactive. As such we risk looking back and realizing we missed the most important things. A couple nights ago my son and I were talking about the tournament series, he mentioned a memory from his senior year at the "Medal Round" to go to State. He was down 8-1 going into the final period and looking up in the stands he saw me holding my face in my hands. He recalled thinking "Not again" he had lost an advancement round match the year before on a bad call. He came back to win and go the State Championship. I don't recall my head in my hands but not surprised if I did. The important thing was I was there. A few years earlier I took a huge pay cut and went into management to free up my weekends from my job in New home sales for a builder. Because that job requirement was working weekends. As REALTORS, you have the choice to run a business or a job.

 What gets me up in the morning now is helping agents take control of their businesses and their lives. When I hear one of our agents who is committed to learning and putting into practice the Complete agent business and systems training tell me that he best month in her more than a decade long successful career was in October with 12 pendings and that same month she realized for the first time in her career she had time to go to all her grandkid's games. I couldn't be more proud of her taking the risk to make changes and putting in the effort to take mastery of them to change her and her family's lives!

 I recall an old AT&T commercial where a mom was getting ready for work and her daughter came in asking to go to the beach. She told her daughter "I can't go to the beach, I've got an appointment with an important client. At that the daughter asked, "When do I get to be an important client?"

 It is those clients of yours I most enjoy working for with you and your business!

Please excuse typos etc I wrote this on my phone between matches the kids my son coaches, I'll edit later.