I grew up a competitive swimmer here in Austin, logging endless laps at the Joe Jamail Swim Center on UT Campus. The hard work paid off when it came time for college, earning scholarship offers around the country and eventually landing at Clemson University in SC. Like most athletes, swimmers can be picked out from a crowd...chlorine bleached hair, broad shoulders, a bit hunched over from sitting on the side of a pool, and a little too comfortable walking around without a shirt.
We are a tight community of extremely motivated and often competitive individuals. When a blog surfaced in January talking about why you should hire swimmers it spread like fire through Facebook and social media. It made me think, maybe this a data point I should be sharing more with prospective clients?
The article was syndicated on SwimSwam.com (click here to read), and points out 5 reason you should hire a swimmer and what makes them special assets to your work environment. In short:
1) Swimming requires zero natural ability or hand-eye coordination ~ This spawned a lot of discussion, but the author's main point was "sheer will and determination outweigh skill". Hire a swimmer and you'll get 100% every time in the pursuit of perfection.
2) Swimmers understand what it takes to win ~ Swimmers are constantly measured and held accountable for the end result. We understand success or failure rests firmly on our shoulders, and not by lucky line calls, judges, or special equipment. Sometimes it means training harder, but it can also mean training smarter.
3) Swimmers have goals based on their own efforts ~ When I was 14 my goals were written down, in detailed splits, next to my bed. It was the first thing I saw in the morning and last thing before the lights turned out. I visualized the perfect race time and time again in my head. These mental rehearsals are probably why I don't remember some of my best performances. I was on autopilot with a clear vision.
4) Swimmers are a little crazy ~ We wake early, test our bodies on a daily basis and spend ample time with our own thoughts face down in a pool going back and forth. All that hard work certainly isn't done for fame and glory!
5) Swimmers know how to party ~ Don't visit my open house expecting kegs of beer, but swimmers are engaging, fun and know how to deal with a variety of personalities.
Hard work and the pride in a job well done can be difficult to quantify in real estate when not everyone sees what happens behind the scenes. My swimming career opened a lot of doors later in life, and the same is true for my fellow teammates. Hiring managers, future clients and business associates all seem to remember a crazy swimmer from their past, who liked to party, but often sacrified social events since workout started at 5:30am to do mindless laps in a cold pool. Oh, and they ate everything within arms reach!
Is your Realtor a swimmer?
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