Day Fifteen | 31 Days of Thanksgiving

At the half-way point of our “31 Days of Thanksgiving,” I’d like to thank the people that consistently challenge me and point out new things to learn.  Real estate, let alone life, is a complicated thing.  With no clear direction, it is easy to become sidetracked or complacent.  These folks, knowingly or not, have consistently caused me a good kind of discomfort.  The discomfort that comes with learning and being challenged.

There’s a very descriptive quote about how some people believe life should look at its final accounting:

Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, martini in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming, “WOO HOO what a ride!”

Life is about change and how we adjust/react to that change.  For me, I seek out the challenge.  It’s a big part of what motivates me to continue learning, understanding and asking questions.  If I did not have a thirst or quest for knowledge and understanding, I would be “arriving safely in an attractive (meh…) and well preserved body.”  The constant striving for understanding brings with it a responsibility for that knowledge.  Knowledge, without action or course of action, is not knowledge.  It’s trivia.

Real Estate & Life

Thank you to Marc Davison (@1000WattMarc) and 1000WattConsulting for consistently causing my brain to work overtime.  New ideas, concepts and questions about old ideas and habits are what Marc and his partners Brian Boero (@1000WattBrian) and Joel Burslem (@JBurslem) excel at posing.  I find myself consistently chewing on their blog posts and mulling over questions and lines of thought that come from them across various social networks.

Apparently I like to be challenged…

Dan Rose consistently pushes me to see life from a different perspective.  Moving outside a personal comfort zone is not an easy thing to do.  Yet, if life is to be enjoyed and appreciated, getting out of that comfort zone is the place to learn, expand and live.  Meeting with “Pastor Dan” at the Plymouth Coffee Bean, I’m sure, has raised the eyebrows of fellow patrons, as our discussions range from the lamentable state of the University of Michigan football team to the leadership and direction of our church, Grace Chapel.  “Doing life together,” is one of Dan’s favorite sayings, and it is a delight to “do life” with him and his family.

Stefan Swanepoel is the guy that feeds my need to consider trends, data and other important aspects of the real estate industry as a whole.  Being able to follow him and contemplate the things that are of interest to him, on a national level, has allowed me to reflect on and plan for the real estate market here in Southeast Michigan.  The fact that Stefan is a motivational and inspirational speaker, on top of his firm grasp of trends in real estate, only makes interacting with him that much more meaningful.

If you have not been pushed or challenged in 2010, but are looking to expand or move on from your current position or station in life, find some leaders around you that can challenge you.  Accountability is not a bad word.  In fact, I would challenge you to look for accountability with intentionality.