Soaring to Success the Low-Tech Way

by Sean Purcell

Real Estate Renaissance Man

Author website

Have you even had an afternoon off (yeah right!), looked forward to some quiet reading time and been overwhelmed by the shelves full of thick novels, success books and hi-tech, how-to manuals? All you wanted was a light read and a glass of wine.  BloodhoundBlog is sometimes a bit like that shelf.  So much hi-tech content and cutting edge theory designed to help you improve, yet – and I can not speak for anyone else – sometimes a little low-tech advice is just what the doctor ordered.

The Little Voice 
By the end of a long week in this business of ours, you can be pretty tired. This week ended on a particularly poor note for me as one of my fellow tri club members was fatally attacked by a Great White Shark during a morning group swim.  The real estate market is especially volatile and change is afoot.  At times like this it can be helpful to reflect on your goals and your expectations.  Pay particular attention, as you fine-tune those objectives and create your strategies, to that little voice in your head. You know the one: the voice that pops up and tells you some of your goals may be a little too lofty. That slight feeling of negativity that creeps up and quietly suggests you should perhaps… think about… maybe considering… possibly… revising that weight loss target – or the number of closed transactions for the year. It is the voice of doubt that tells you more deals would be a better goal for next year; after all, this year is going to be a tough year. As a matter of fact, this voice inside suggests, just getting through the rest of the year without weight gain will be accomplishment enough. Spend more time with family? Start that blog? Lose weight? “Why don’t we save the truly aggressive goals for next year, when we are more prepared” is the very logical compromise often proffered by the little ‘helper’ inside us all.

Learning to Fly 
The thing to remember as you review your plan is this: the little voice is not real and the only limitation you have is the limitation you put on yourself. Not that long ago the imaginary nature of limitation was laid bare for me by my 4 year old son. I was taking him to school on a fine, crisp morning and it was too beautiful to drive. As we walked along, holding hands, we watched a large, black bird make lazy circles in the sky. My son looked up at me and asked: “Wouldn’t it be fun to fly Daddy?” I told him that I thought it would be great fun to soar high above the houses and all the people. Then he asked me if we could fly. Here it is I thought to myself: the beginning of the end of childhood. With a twinge of melancholy I looked once more at his innocent face, let go his hand and set in to explain that we can not always do the things we would most like in this life. I struggled to put into words the limitations that we all face as individuals and how we should endeavor to accept them while not losing sight of our goals. I looked down to gauge his reaction and was surprised to discover I had been talking to myself. You see, he was already half way down the street; arms stretched to their limit as mighty wings, legs turning over at breakneck speed, wind hitting him in the face and the wonderful giggling sounds of a four year old trailing behind him.

He was flying.

And as I began to sprint after him, arms stretched wide, the wind in my face and laughter erupting from somewhere deep inside, I realized how wrong I had been. We can fly… we can do anything we put our minds and our imaginations to if only we mix in a little belief and a lot of persistence.

When times are tough and you find yourself tired;  as you review your goals and take tentative steps toward their achievement, remember that you can indeed fly. You can achieve more than you think possible if only you heed the wisdom of these great words from Jonathon Livingston Seagull: “They can, because they think they can.”

I wish everyone happiness and prosperity, but most of all I wish for you to soar.