Tomorrow is an anniversary for me. On January 12, 1995 I purchased the real estate firm that I'd gone to work as the secretary to the broker for in 1992. I have grown my business, downsized my business, built a new brick and mortor office and basically worked through any change in this business you can think of if stop and consider how much things have changed in that time.
But this year my goals are less about business and more about my self. 
- Take at least one day off work weekly. I have been a broker since 1997 and I pride myself on "being there" for my agents. When I say "being there" I mean in the office as well as available. I am sure there have been times that I was the factor that pushed a client to list or buy with one of my agents. I've lived in this community my entire life and am well known and I bring a lot of knowledge and experience to the table that clients can see benefit them as well as my agents when they hire any agent at Lane Realty. But I'm tired. And I've decided I need to back off and give me a little me time. Ideally I plan to make two of those days each month days my husband is also off so we can have some US time and two of them days when he is working so I can read and relax and maybe even write that book that is brewing around inside my head. I plan to "just do it" to accomplish this.
- My next goal for this year is involves family. I plan to go to my cousin's football games, visit with my aunts and uncles often, make sure my husband gets to California to visit his mom, seeing my parents a couple of times a week and not just one time. I also plan to visit friends I haven't seen in a while and reconnect with some I've lost touch with. There is even a few that the 2016 election left a wedge down the middle and I plan to pry that wedge out. Friends are more important than politics. I'm going to schedule this into my calendar, I'm going to pick the phone a lot more often and once a week I'm going to take someone in my circle to lunch without fail. Again I'm just going to do it.
- Community and giving is my third personal goal for 2018. I love my community and I've always been involved in local politics, civic groups and events but I have more to give and plan to do so. I sat down and made a list and I'm picking at least 12 things off the list to do this year that I have not done before... my list of choices include reading to children at day care at my church, reading to children at the public library at a summer program, speaking to high school students about buying a home or choosing a career in real estate (last year I had fabulous high school senior intern at my office), working at the soup kitchen, taking a homeless person shopping and paying for a few nights in a local hotel for them to be warm and clean up, visiting older neighbors and bringing them flowers and food, cooking a meal for the fire department at least three times to cover each shift at least once, and other similar thing. This goal is not about getting notice or being recogonized for anything I do. I will quietly during the year accomplish these things without any fanfare. My motivation is just to share the blessings I have... I have friends, a warm house, good food, books and so much love in my life and I simply want to go out and give back to others who might have less or who serve the community and spend so much time away from their own families.
I'll still be working a lot. I'll still be helping my agents and helping clients. I'll still be marketing, blogging, trying to stay on top of the SEO moving target. But for so many years I've given so much of myself to work that this year I want to connect with more than work this year. Maybe next year I'll set some lofty work goals, but this year is about more than work.
