When Family Matters Most

I suspect most people have heard the saying "No one on their deathbed ever said ‘I should have spent more time at the office'" I think most people would agree with that statement. We spend our busy lives working to build a career, put our kids through school, and hope for at least some form of comfortable retirement. Nothing in life is guaranteed. The last couple of years with the current economic conditions and a family member's health have added a whole new perspective to my life and reason for living.

I used to make a lot of money in the corporate world. I was making much more than most real estate agents, especially if you count the hours worked and provided benefits. That also includes my current income as a real estate agent. I enjoy real estate but it is unlikely that I will achieve the income level I had before unless I work a 100 hours a week and establish a huge team. My perspective has changed. I need only that income that is required to lead a comfortable life.

Last fall, my father came to visit our family. He was frail, but in overall good health for his age. By January he was having medical problems that turned out to be lung cancer. He has never smoked. He did work in the space program before there was an EPA and thinks he probably got his illness from the years of breathing asbestos and other chemicals that are now banned as unsafe.

What does this have to do with real estate sales?  Because of the need to be near my Father in Florida (I am in the D.C. area), I am traveling back and forth every two weeks or so. My brother is filling in the gap, and my father has hospice care for his day to day living. I am not hustling like I usually am for new leads, but I am accepting referrals. Lately, I have just been managing the leads and inquiries I already have and responding to calls and emails on sales and rentals in progress. This doesn't mean I am unable to take on new business. It just means that I am balancing my quest for new business with what I already have and my personal responsibility to be with my father as much as I can in the short time he has left. My point here is that there comes a time when we realize that the most important thing in life is family. Sometimes, it takes a disaster for us to realize what is most important in our lives.