It isn’t still rain, silent rain, calm or pouring rain. It isn’t a spectators sport. The name is Active Rain. I have no idea how they chose the name, why they chose it or the vision at inception. What I do know is that is has changed my career, my path, and in many ways my life.
Almost seven years ago I suffered a most painful back injury that required a stillness I had never before been able to endure. Accustomed to constant activity, juggling sports, a fulltime career, and an unquenchable thirst for the outdoors the sudden confinement was nothing short of devastating. Wallowing in self-pity and boredom, I stumbled upon a site that at first click seemed nothing more than just another real estate forum.
Perusing Facebook, Amazon and sites cloaked in back pain sorrow had become less than entertaining therefore dabbling in real estate talk seemed a bit more attractive. Thankfully, several bloggers caught my attention right away. Leesa Finley and several others wrote with such vibrant charisma that I couldn’t resist. After several hours of laughing out loud, learning and relating to the posts written by Realtors from all over the country I began a blog that would without a doubt change my career.
It wasn’t brain surgery. I wrote and I wrote and I wrote. Just as Forest Gump ran, I typed until I couldn’t type anymore. It was honest. I told stories of clients, transactions, difficult situations even stories of my beloved four legged friend. For once, since my injury, I felt alive. Each morning I opened my laptop to a world of kindred spirits. Although I was unable to continue my day to day business as I had for so long, at least I was able to stay connected. I had a purpose.
Soon the injury corrected and the days spent blogging, learning, and connecting became a corner stone of a most successful career. Buyers, Sellers, Builders and developers found me, the real me, on Active Rain. They read my thoughts, my philosophy, my business approach and my personality. They knew me.
At a point in my life, where being active was not an option, Active Rain gave me an opportunity to turn boredom in to business, pity in to production and a somewhat successful real estate career into an incredibly successful career in which I can be most proud. My business is tremendously healthy and my silly posts are now featured in our local newspaper.
Since joining AR, I have had doors open that would have otherwise remained closed. I am not sure why they chose the name they did, but I do know that being active in the rain instead of complaining about the dark clouds can and will change courses of action. I am thankful for the stillness that required me to look for an outlet. I am thankful I found Active Rain.
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