Reclaiming my "rookie" enthusiasm....
Jason Crouch
I first posted this just over 13 months ago, which was about 3 months after I started blogging here on ActiveRain. I thought it was timely, so I decided to re-post it tonight, as we are fast approaching 2009. I think the message is still a good one.
I have been working from home most days lately, which is a real blessing in my opinion. I could go to the office, but many days my work involves catching up on emails and perhaps a few phone calls (and blogging, too, of course). As a result, I often get my writing inspriration by watching or playing with my children or from some conversation with my wife.
Tonight, I noticed that my six-year old daughter was in the upstairs bathroom playing in the sink area, since I can see that room from the place where I typically blog. She was kind of quiet, so I went to see what she was doing. As I approached, she was energetically smearing lathered up soap all over the counter. She looked like a master artist, perhaps Pollock?
I asked her if she was planning to clean it up, and she said that she would. I then asked her about how her very first piano lesson went, since it was today. I have not seen a child that excited in awhile. She began energetically jumping up and down, and she yelled, "It was great, great, great! I loved it!"
My daughter's enthusiasm for the simple joy of soap suds and the absolute joy that she shared with me over the piano lesson inspired me to write this post. 
I have been in real estate almost eleven years now, which seems hard to believe sometimes. At any rate, I realized that when I started, I used to get listings just from being hungry and excited about selling homes. I don't know when that stopped being the case, but I don't feel that fire in my belly nearly as often. Maybe this comes simply from being a veteran of this industry, but something tells me that I could do better.
I am not leaving it at that. This is just a starting point for me.
If you follow my blog, you know that I have a lot on my plate right now. Even with that in mind, I am planning to take a fresh look and a fresh approach to my business and my career starting today:
- I am going to treat EVERY lead with care, even the ones that are not thrilling.
- I am going to stop procrastinating when it comes to follow up with past clients.
- I am going to seek that energy that I had in 1997, when I was geared up everyday and anxious to sell something to somebody.
- Clients will sense this in me and they will look forward to working with me, and ONLY me.
- I am planning to treat every day as important - I don't ever get one back. Once it is gone, it's gone.
Every day that we are here is important, and every day should be treated as such. I have a friend who is very sick right now, and if he can bear it out and make his life count, then I have nothing to complain about, and I should be squeezing the most from every single minute of this life.
I have my health, a beautiful wife, awesome kids, enough money to keep my head above water, my own business, freedom to choose how I spend my day, and the list goes on and on. I need to be jumping up and down! I am going to make it....playful.
This business is unique in so many ways, and I truly feel that this is where God wants me right now. I can look back and see jobs and experiences that I had as a younger man that ultimately all served to prepare me for this moment in time. I feel like my skills and my personality are perfect for real estate, and I am uniquely talented as a salesperson and as a broker, teacher, and manager. I am not bragging here - just evaluating. My real point is: I can do better with the gifts I have been given.
This may sound odd to you, but since I started blogging (about three months ago), I have been better able to express myself to my friends and clients. I was already okay in that department with my family, but writing is a kind of catharsis that allows me to organize my thoughts sometimes. Consequently, I have seen a benefit when dealing with issues of everyday life. I feel more centered, and I feel accepted. This may be a bit melodramatic, but I assure you that it's genuine. I plan to use this newfound gift of communication.
Where am I going with this? Check back with me sometime in the upcoming months. You might just find that I have become a new man.
Copyright 2007 Austin TX Real Estate Jason Crouch All rights reserved
