That title is an attention getter isn’t it? Too bad it’s not accurate… but hey, if I had said “The Secret to Tripling or even Quadrupling Your Real Estate Business” you probably would have written it off as so much hype, right? So I dumbed it down… hope you don’t mind.
This started as a comment to a recent post here about the MLS, the mafia and NAR goons… a provocative subject matter, yes? Maybe too provocative for some, and more’s the pity because what lies behind it is nothing less than a beacon – a lighthouse in a stormy sea – that you probably don’t even know you need. I know I didn’t… But if you really want to double (or triple or quadruple) your business in 2012, you won’t get there sailing the same old boat around the safety of the same old harbor (the definition of insanity and all that). You’ll have to get out there in the great unknown: you’ll have to get a little lost; and you’ll have to be willing to trust that far away beam of light from that far away lighthouse that you never noticed on the horizon before.
This lighthouse has a little plaque over the door. It reads: BLOODHOUND UNCHAINED. It should probably read: Omnes relinquite spes, o vos intrantes. For those unfamiliar with Dante and/or Latin, this will make sense by the end of the article. (Much like the title, that’s a teaser that I hope will keep you reading… the career you save might be your own.)
In the post linked above, the author said: “The leap is the risk of losing your religion.”
That statement is more powerful than most can imagine. I was fortunate enough to be at Unchained in Orlando, and again in Phoenix. I came in with pre-conceived ideas about what I would learn, and maybe what I could share. I left with a new left arm… not literally, of course, but for how dramatic the change (and the challenge) can be, it might as well have been.
The problem, of course, is that this isn’t a chance to learn in a “classroom” sort of way (though you will most definitely leave with ready-to-implement techniques), it’s a chance to grow… to become… to BE. And that’s a pretty damn difficult thing to accept. Oh, I know, we all talk a good game about growing and learning and being open to change; but the truth is change – real, core change – requires letting go of the rock we desperately cling to for fear of being swept away by a current we can’t control. And if you’re honest with yourself, you’ll admit that you cling to a lot of rocks in this business. “It’s always been done this way” is a rock. “That’s how I was taught” is another. Then there are the less obvious, but much bigger rocks we cling to:
“If I do that, someone might reject me.”
“If I make a mistake, others will realize I’m a fake.”
“I better just do what everyone else is doing, otherwise I might fail.”
“I can’t…”
Letting go of these rocks, these beliefs, takes all the courage you can muster. Whether it be a belief in how the NAR operates, or how one can/should practice real estate, or what it means to be successful, or just who we really are – as evidenced by our actions, not our self-serving rationalizations – it’s a terrific leap. Are you willing to take that leap? Are you willing to work without a net? In other words: are you willing to take the responsibility of being you? Because here’s the big secret: that current you’re so afraid of is your career and your happiness and your success and your life; and clinging to these silly rocks only means you’ll miss most of it… just like the people before you who showed you these rocks; and just like the people around you who remind you it’s always been done this way.
If you’re willing to let go… if you’re willing to set your sights beyond just becoming a better real estate agent… if there’s something inside you – some little voice – telling you there’s more… then click that button below. I can’t wait to meet you in Anaheim come November 11th. I’ll be the guy sitting next to you, pointing out the sign over the door that says: Omnes relinquite spes, o vos intrantes – “All hope abandon, ye who enter in.” Because Hope is not a plan, it’s a safe harbor in which to hide. Why settle for safe, when you can have splendor.
BloodhoundBlog Unchained in Anaheim
Friday, November 11, 2011
12 Noon to 10 pm
Cortona Inn & Suites Anaheim Resort
2029 South Harbor Boulevard
Anaheim, CA 92802
714-971-5000
Make the Scene: $99
Al Lorenz says:
Almost no matter what you say, you’ll be under selling this. Of course, that is all the better for the people who go.
October 20, 2011 — 8:50 am
Tim Riggins says:
Thanks for the article you provided some useful tips I could use in my practice.
October 20, 2011 — 11:00 am
Don Reedy says:
Sean…..mighty with the pen…as always. See ya soon.
October 21, 2011 — 8:16 am
Jessica says:
Yes, the title really got my attention. But I must say your post is worth a read.. Keep it coming!
October 21, 2011 — 8:27 am
Teyona says:
Compelling title with very nice content. Good job for the good read.
October 24, 2011 — 9:58 pm
Paul Caparas says:
What a great post. I really needed this. It’s all about challenging yourself.
November 1, 2011 — 10:53 pm