I love immigrants.
You know why I love immigrants? I love immigrants because when they talk about America they get a certain gleam in their eyes. You can see the pride swell up in their chests. The Red, the White and Blue just shines like a spotlight.
I love immigrants because when they talk about the Constitution...it means something to them. It isn't just a bunch of words written by a bunch of people that are now dead and gone. The words are alive. The words are powerful. The words have purpose.
The words mean something.
They especially mean something if they have come from a place that doesn't share the same values for human life, personal freedom and free enterprise. They mean a whole lot when you helped your family escape political or religious persecution, famine and violence, to be here and to be able to say them.
My husbands grandmother came to America at the age of 18. A tiny 4ft 11inch woman with her newborn child. She worked her tail off to get her citizenship. She studied. She studied. And she studied some more. She studied at night after a hard days work. She studied on weekends when all she really wanted to do was rest. She studied because she wanted to be an American.
When I hear her recite the words of the Constitution or pledge allegiance to the flag...she has conviction. She says it with meaning. She says it with purpose. She says it with reverence. She says it with love.
They mean something to her because she earned the right to say them. She bought into every word that the document was saying. She bought into being an American.
Now, the question that I have is this: Do you buy into being a Realtor®?
Do the words mean anything to you? Or, are they just words?
Do you ever even read them?
Do you study them?
Do you even know where they are?
Do you even care?
Do you know that being a Realtor® is a privilege and not just a birthright?
Do you know that being a Realtor® is a responsibility and not just about a paycheck?
Do you know what it means to put your clients best interest ABOVE yours? All the time. Every time.
Do you know that it means sometimes walking away from business?
Do you know that sometimes it means you don't get to be on both sides?
Do you know that it means full disclosure? ALWAYS! ALWAYS! ALWAYS!
Do you know it means avoiding even the appearance of impropriety in your business practice?
Do you know that there aren't any shortcuts? There aren't any fast bucks to be made?
Do you know that anything worth doing..is worth doing right? The first time?
I'm just going to say this and I am going to make myself very clear: BEING A REALTOR® IS THE GREATEST JOB IN THE WORLD...but much responsibility comes with it. It is a burden that few should want to carry. Not an exciting and glamorous job that everybody wants to have.
Maybe many didn't have to study enough. Maybe many didn't come from a very bad job where you couldn't make ends meet to feed your family. Maybe many haven't worked their ass off to make it in this world.
I have. And I will not tolerate the few that want to take the easy way out and disrespect my hard work and the hard work of others that actually give a damn about this industry and the clients that they serve.
Can you appreciate that? I hope so...because that is how it is going to be as long as I am calling the shots.
Or, are you only interested in yourself? Are you only interested in lip service? Are you only interested in window dressing that makes it look all pretty?
I suggest you go read those words and have a come to Jesus meeting with yourself about what exactly they mean.
They mean a lot. At least they do to me.
Do they mean anything to you? They should.
If you can't say them with conviction, purpose and love...you are in the wrong profession.
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Amen!! Glad to see you back Jessica.
Hey you moved???/? Hope everything is fine.