This Post Has Nothing To Do With Real Estate

by Sean Purcell

Real Estate Renaissance Man

Author website

Not long ago I listened to an inspirational speaker discuss ways to make our lives less stressful and more enjoyable.  At one point he told this story:

In the wild, a big lion sprints toward an antelope who’s quietly feeding.  After a short chase – if the antelope hasn’t been caught – the lion slows down and eventually stops to rest.  Interestingly enough, the antelope often stops only a short distance away and begins to feed again.  The lion doesn’t bore his friends with excuses or puff his chest out and tell the antelope to “wait till next time;”  nor does the antelope, flush with righteous indignation, cry out: “What’s your problem, you (censored)!”  They both live in the present and by doing so find great peace.

I get the “message” in the story and maybe it’s just me; but I’ve never felt all that comfortable with animal metaphors.  Here’s another story; this one’s about stress and enjoyment too, but without the potential of being eaten:

Last Saturday I attended two Little League play-off games on the same day: one for each of my sons.  During the first game, I watched my older son’s team from the stands.  The other team was employing a delaying tactic and one of the fathers from our side made a condescending remark.  A coach from the other team heard the remark and replied in a less than congenial way.  The dad followed that up with an unmistakable insult to the opposing coach and before long we had ‘tough guy’ looks going back and forth.  (I swear, you can’t make this stuff up!)  The dad in our stands (mis)spent the next two hours of the game talking about what he was going to say next and what he should have said already and telling anyone who would listen what he thought of this coach.  He simply could not let go.

Later that same day I’m coaching my younger son’s team.  When you’re in the dugout with the boys you get a chance to listen in on their conversations and they can be quite mean.  It’s not uncommon to hear a group of seven and eight year olds arguing, calling each other names and pointing out each others’ most sensitive weaknesses.  Stuff like: “You’re a terrible player – we wish you weren’t even on this team.”  “Oh no, here comes our third out.”  “I’d give you all my sunflower seeds if you could just get one hit this game.”  Some pretty rough stuff.  Anyway, when it gets too loud one of us coaches will turn and yell: “Knock it off!  Sit down on the bench,”  which they do… right next to each other.  Without a hint of animosity.  They simply let go of whatever they were arguing about and go back to the game in front of them.

In the title I said this post had nothing to do with real estate and technically, it doesn’t.  But after my experiences Saturday, I spent quite a bit of time Sunday thinking about the people around me: my customers, my colleagues, my family and my friends.  Were they more like the people I encountered in the first game or the second?  I’ve got a customer right now that won’t let go of the past; constantly telling me how they’ve gotten plenty of loans and never once been inconvenienced by such trivial matters as tax returns.   I have a colleague that complains nonstop about where the market is heading and how he can’t get a deal done.  Can you make a list of people like that?  If you can, I have some advice: FIRE THEM!  Do not pass GO, do not collect $200 – just get rid of them now.  Might lose a deal?  Might lose a friend?  Might lose a family member?  Good.

As a real estate business owner, the most important item you stock on your shelf (and quite possibly the only item) is your time.  With whom are you sharing this precious, one-of-a-kind asset?  The clients, colleagues and even “friends” who always complain about the past and worry about the future?  Or the people who know how to  “Knock it off!  Sit down on the bench,” and enjoy the splendorous game going on, in the present, all around us? Your peace and your happiness depend a lot on the environment you choose.  You don’t have to hang out with lions and antelopes, but for goodness’ sake avoid the asses.

You know, maybe this does have a little something to do with real estate after all…