What is success? I think the look, the feel, the smell, the taste and the drive for “success” changes over the course of ones life.
High school/ College… very few people ever think about life beyond tomorrow. Most people of my generation (I am 35) went to college because their parents told them to and honestly I think we are seeing/living through a shift in that mindset right now (but that’s another story)… The thoughts/ideas of “success” did not go much further than “I just want to make a lot of money…”
After college (or in your mid 20’s because I am aware not everyone went to college) I think we are still soul searching. What do we want to do? Did we just waste 4 years of our lives in college studying something we will never utilize? What did we really learn in college that prepared us for the real world?? I remember two things from college that my professors taught me that carried over with me… TWO THINGS. Private college tuition upwards of $35,000/year… Do the math and see if you think it was worth it? I did some growing up in college so I am not saying NOT going to college is the answer. A lot of people choose to work, a lot of my friends went to the military (that I have the ultimate respect for)… But the early to mid 20’s is soul searching.
Hopefully by your mid 20’s you have some sense of direction… at 25 I found my passion. Real Estate!!! I fell in love with everything about it… Investing, flipping, creating wealth through acquiring, market cycles, loans, etc… I also liked the money (loved the money). Fast forward, 27 years old, married (no kids) landed at a company and found my mentor… I was a punk ass kid ready to learn, ready to put in the hours and ready to GRIND. I literally was just willing to outwork people. It led to great opportunities and now the money was flowing in… I could do whatever I wanted when I wanted (or could I?) I worked and worked and worked and worked. I literally took no time off but I secretly loved it. My wife was supportive because she saw the fruits of the labor. Cars got more expensive, I started buying rental houses, I was in meetings with multi-millionaires that I had no business being in (truthfully) and I was in LOVE with the process.
I hit 30 and BOOM… My princess is born. Shit changes but not really because I tell myself that she is a baby and won’t know if daddy is home or not but by the time she is 2 I will be… so, I keep grinding. The money is getting bigger and bigger and bigger BUT so are the stresses and the time and the responsibilities. Life is still good because I am still a baby in the business and the “success” still tastes good. My mentor and I have a team, I am now somewhat managing people and truth be told, I was not ready for that. I did not know how to show appreciation or guide people. We all worked… and worked. We closed loans and I did not even know our clients/agents and I started feeling calloused. I did not like that…
33 years old and I open my own office closer to my house (same company just my own office). I tell myself if I work closer it will eliminate drive time and therefore I have more family time when really what it did is put my office closer so I could work more… Now i have two kids and I basically work 7 days a week because I love it… Balance has not become a “thing” to me yet and my wife is holding down the fort at home. I grind… but now I am observing. I am looking at top producing agents, lenders, title reps, and people in other businesses… anyone who is at the top of their game and they are ALL miserable. The facade that everyone puts on is amazing. Like literally AMAZING… fancy cars, nice watches, nice houses, great spouses, money in the bank and yet LIFE was totally unbalanced. I leave that company and going to a different, more well oiled machine and a light goes off… A fog is lifted… Clarity starts coming into play. WOW… clarity!!!
We live in a social media world where everyone is always trying to keep up with the Jones’s… I think it is important to define YOUR success. Is it money? If it is, what are you willing to sacrifice for it? Is it family time? Being a stay at home mom? Getting that next promotion? Driving nice cars? Having the best watches? Being the top person at your company? Building the biggest team? Going on the most vacations? Whatever your success is, there is no right or wrong at all just know that there is a “WHY” that needs to be clearly defined. If your answer to these questions is “Because” that is not good enough… It is not good enough for you, for your family, your friends, or anyone that works with you or around you. I am defining my why… I encourage you to start now rather than later.
That is my rant… I like I always say i never look back and spell check/grammar check any of this so for you grammar peeps out there… Kick rocks LOL!!!!
Pey-It-Forward 