Change - How You Handle It Is Key To Your Future!

If you follow my blog, which has been a bit lagging lately, you are aware that I recently made a change in employers.  What you may or may not know, depending on how much financial news you watch, is that the change created a situation that I have never been in before, the shortest employment in my mortgage career in the past 24 years.  I started with Colonial Bank on July 13th, 2009 and by August 14th, 2009 I am now an employee of BB&T.

The past 45 days has been like being on a boat in the middle of a small tempest but now the seas are starting to calm; the sun is starting to shine and there are only a few swells in the horizon.  Change is hard and when you add that to the volatile market we are in, it's scary.

I received an e-mail from my manager, Sally Harmon, today sharing an e-mail sent the Kelly King our CEO at BB&T.  Christopher Heeley resently read this story and sent it to Mr. King.  The story reminded him of Mr. King and his philosphy.  Mr. King shared this e-mail with his managers with the added note:  "FYI - Our best days are ahead and this is the most important day - Have Fun! Kelly".  We all need to keep a positive attitude in this ever changing market in order to survive and thrive. 

I'd like to thank Mr. King and Christopher Heeley for sharing this story with us all.  Here's the story shared.  The author is unknown & hope he or she will be happy that this story is spreading and inspiring others.

      An elderly carpenter was ready to retire.  He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the housing business and live a more leisurely life with his wife, enjoying his extended family.  He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire.  They were not wealthy, but they could get by.

The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor.  The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work.  He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials.  It was an unfortunate way to end his career.                                                                                   

When the carpenter finished his work and the builder came to inspect the house, the contractor handed the front-door keys to the carpenter.  This is your house, he said, my gift to you for your many years as a faithful employee.

What a shock!  What a shame!  If he had only known he was building his own house he would have done it all so differently.  Now he had to live in a home he had built none too well.

So it is with us.  We often build our lives in a distracted way, reacting rather than acting, willing to accept less than the best.  At important points, we don't give the job our best effort.  Then with a shock, we look at the situation we have created and find that we are now living in a house we have built none to well.  If we had only realized, we could and would have done it so differently.

  Think of yourself as a carpenter.  Think of life as a house.  Each day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall.  Build wisely.  It is the only life you will ever build.  Even if you live it for only one more day, that day deserves to be lived graciously and with dignity.  Without doubt, life is a do-it-yourself project.

Who could say it more clearly?  Your life today is the results of the attitudes you formed and choices you made in the past.  Your life tomorrow will be the results of the attitude you form and the choices you make today.

Choose wisely, build carefully, and live a great life!