I’ve Had Enough
I don’t know about you, but I’m overloaded with bad news. I’ve had enough. I’m ready for this mess to be over. AIG executives spent $400,000 on a spa trip? WTF? I need a spa trip.
We can’t bury our heads in the sand; we’re supposed to know what’s going on so we can explain it to our clients who are totally freaking out – some of them drowning in quicksand. Hell, many of us are drowning in quicksand.
So what do we do? We follow the ones who came before us. These amazing minds were at the forefront of their fields. Three of them were trailblazers in the midst of World War. Marie Curie was a woman in a man’s world.
I turn to them daily to remind myself: Today I’m okay. Today I’m healthy. Today the weather is beautiful. Today I am enough. Today I have enough. Today is all I have.
George S. Patton served in World War I as a senior commander of the new tank corps; and again in World War II as a leading US General.
Anna Freud and her family fled Austria because of Nazi harassment. She used the war to study the effects of deprivation of parental care on children and made major contributions to psychoanalysis.
Churchill was the leader of the United Kingdom during World War II. He served as Prime Minister of the UK, was noted statesman, an officer in the British Army, a historian, a Nobel Prize-winning writer.
In 1903 Marie Curie was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and the first person to have ever won two Nobel Prizes.
Remember, clouds in the sky come and go but they never stay.
Ray Carman
October 9, 2008 at 12:48 pm
Very nicely said and put! Today is all we are promised,, and we have enough for today! (our definition of enough is what must change!)
Good word and good luck! I sense you will do just fine in these times!
rocky
October 9, 2008 at 1:07 pm
INHO, I would have rather seen the bail out money used as tax breaks. It would be better spent! But what do I know, I am just a real estate agent!
Good post.
Kim Wood
October 9, 2008 at 1:22 pm
Vickie –
It is so hard to watch the news lately. What else can happen? What will today’s news bring? I agree with you – we have to keep abreast to be able to be that comfort and to understand and communicate with our clients, however to dwell on it is not going to help anyone.
My favorite quote above, “If you are going through hell, keep going” Winston Churchill. It reminds me that at times we walk through the valley.
Kim Wood
October 9, 2008 at 1:24 pm
(Sorry Vicki without an “e”. I hit submit without checking 🙁 )
Jason Farris
October 9, 2008 at 2:16 pm
well put… I love quick reality checks that inspire you to be more
Lisa Sanderson
October 9, 2008 at 2:56 pm
Excellent reminder! I love the quote from Anna Freud. We each have everything we need to weather any storm inside of us already. It is softly speaking to us and encouraging us. Find THAT voice and listen closely to it above all others.
Vicki Moore
October 9, 2008 at 3:24 pm
I get sucked up into the bad news and feel myself going down the toilet. It just takes a minute to either continue to slide or to change my state of mind. And that’s all life is: state of mind. You can love it or hate it – you choose.
These people overcame enormous difficulties to contribute and to make a positive difference under incredible circumstances. Situations and conditions I hope I never see if my life. It’s important to keep everything in perspective.
Thank you for responding and shining the light on those around you.
Jeremy Hart
October 10, 2008 at 5:38 am
Thanks for this, Vicki … I’ve been wondering (as many of us have, I’m sure) exactly what I need to be doing to prepare both my agents and my clients for what’s to come. As someone who’s not seen a bad market (yet), the only thing I have to lean on is my understanding – which is inquisitive but limited – of what’s going on, prepare myself for the inevitable questions to come, and follow the example of agents with more experience. I’m having a hard time thinking that rash action is the right course, and the Churchill quote will be put up in my office as a reminder.
Vicki Moore
October 10, 2008 at 8:18 am
Jeremy – I’ve never seen this type of market either. I remember some things that happened in the last market downturn but I wasn’t a realtor and certainly didn’t understand or feel the impact.
I’m soaking up as much information as I can, not only for my clients but for myself, which I think might be why it’s so overwhelming. I never watch the news this much. But I think it’s important to have a detailed understanding so I can be conscious of what’s happening now and be prepared the next time it comes around – there will be a next time.
I keep telling myself “this too will pass” and the response I keep getting is: YEAH?! WHEN?!
Jeremy Hart
October 10, 2008 at 8:39 am
Beyond even being ready for a “next time”, you are making yourself that much of a better professional for your clients by absorbing as much as you can. The next strong market we see might be completely different than the last, so understanding where we’ve been and how we’ve gotten to the next phase is only going to help you and your clients. Kudos for staying on top of it. I’m disappointed by the “woe is me” attitude I’m seeing from some of our colleagues – get out there, fight for the business and make yourself a better agent!
Stepping down from soapbox now …
Vicki Moore
October 11, 2008 at 11:06 am
Sorry Jeremy – I responded to your last comment. Must be operator error – don’t know what happened to it.
Your position on the soapbox is empowering so stay there.
Totally agree: We’ve got to learn from past mistakes; we can’t learn from them if we don’t know what they were.
I’ve actually moved offices – within the same company – to get away from the doom and gloom conversations. Do what you have to to avoid those people/conversations.