October 2022

Many people I meet now would never expect to hear this.

I used to be painfully, painfully shy. Growing up when my family would go out to dinner, my little sister ordered for me because I was so shy I didn’t want to speak to the server. 

Running from my ‘shyness’ through the beautiful fall colors

Fast forward 30+ years - that shy guy still lives inside. Now I tend to ignore his voice more than ever. That guy is the voice we all have inside of us that tells us you can’t, you're not good enough, no one wants to hear from you, and what will THEY think of me??

Being in Real Estate carries plenty of challenges including wearing many different hats all at once. For me, the hardest one is to continually put myself out there. It’s a vulnerable place to constantly offer ideas, thoughts and advice to an audience who may or may not engage with me. 

Because it's the hardest part for me, it’s also the part of the job that has allowed me to personally grow the most. After all, I am the leader of my business and I can’t afford to hire my sister to speak for me (although she still speaks more eloquently than I ever will). I have to speak up so that I can serve YOU. It really is my calling and my desire. I know I can help families like your own navigate the rocky and rigorous road that can be home ownership. And I know that if I don’t speak then I won’t be able to help. As shy as I am at my core, I love to help people like you more.

Why do I share this with you? It's so you can better understand me and that this job is all about what I can do to help YOU accomplish YOUR goals, not mine. I will also add that many of you harbor goals or aspirations, oftentimes secretly, because it’s scary to put you and your ideas out there. So if I, in any way, can challenge or encourage you to start putting IT, the thing, the idea, YOURSELF, out there then I will happily do so.

I remember the first person (other than my wife) who I told I was going to go into Real Estate. I felt gross, slimy, and uncomfortable sharing it, like I was asking them to write me a check for work not yet done. Honestly, it made me a little sick to my stomach. Yet, I've come to realize that if I want to help people I have to actually TELL them… weird how that works! I also knew that no matter what happened with my Real Estate career I wanted to be able to look back on my life and say without a doubt I TRIED. I went for it. For those surfers out there, I SENT IT.

I never want to think what if I went all in and put myself out there - what could I have accomplished and who could I have helped? 

One of the amazing things about the human spirit is that we’re all rooting for people who are vulnerable and putting themselves out there. Trust me, I’ve had more people randomly reach out and tell me they love the content or get a laugh out of something I have shared. We're all each other's biggest cheerleaders and advocates when it really comes down to it.

Without a doubt one of the best parts of this job is getting to know people and hearing your stories, your challenges and helping you find solutions. HOW COOL! This is the best ‘job’ I’ve ever had. Every once in a while when that shy guy inside rears his head, I just remind him... we only get to do this life once. Better make it count.