Eagle or Chicken....which one are you?
Ok it may seem extremely obvious. “uuuh….I pick Eagle!”. Right answer there buddy. “Thanks….hey everybody, I got it right!!”… Wait to go Einstein.
The subtleties are not so obvious. There are patterns that a lot of us adopt that keep us in the pen with the Chickens….We all say, we want to be Eagles but we act like Chickens sometimes.
Lets talk about this. Chickens and Eagles are both Birds. They both have wings. But that is basically it for similarities. First of all, Eagles are trim and light. Their wings are powerful. Chickens are chubby and they have wings but cannot fly because they are too heavy and they really aren’t meant to fly. Eagles lay their eggs where they are safe up on the top of high trees away from predators. Chickens have nice nest, that we have made for them. Or they are in cages or barns, in a structure of some sort that is safe and warm. The diet for the Eagle. Think about that. The food that the Eagle eats moves around. The food that a chicken eats is whatever is at their feet or eventually they can be trained to go to certain areas to eat. I was raised on a Chicken farm. I had to pick eggs every day before school. (I actually gathered eggs. My Mom said that you "gather" eggs, and you "pick" your nose) We had 2000 Chickens. The Chickens lived their lives in pens and when they laid eggs, the eggs just simply rolled down to the long tray and I would pick them up every morning and put them into the basket and then those baskets would go into an egg washer and then we would move them into cartons and get them ready for Safeway to come and pick them up. Those chickens had a purpose…we referred to them as layers. We also had broiler chickens. We bought them as chicks. Fed and watered them. Let them walk around a bit and then when they were big enough we would slaughter them. They weren’t in cages but in a separate barn. We called it Chicken catching when it was time to get them into the truck. We just went in at night and just picked them up. Some of them would put up a fuss but it was inconsequential. They were easy to catch. They moved in groups and they all acted the same. They were predictable. They were labelled with titles for their actual purpose. Layers or Broilers. Sound familiar? Does it?
Think about our population of people. How do we label ourselves? Titles are important aren’t they? People are labelled for the job description they have right? They take the wage that is offered to them with the hopes of getting some bonuses or increases one day if we behave and do a good job. This is the life of the JOB…Now most of the population operates this way and it is awesome. Please understand that I believe there are so many people that do wonderful things with their lives and effect people in such positive ways, while working in jobs. Most people work in jobs and provide some sort of service that we all get to benefit from. We need that. It has to happen. But most of those people are not reading this BLOG post. Do you agree?
I am speaking to you…the REALTOR-PRENEUR. This is dedicated to you. As a REALTOR-PRENEUR our living is made by getting out of the comfort of the pen. We have to get out and about and look for our food. We are not happy with the scraps on the ground. We want a challenge. We are just as fired up about the hunt. The process. The overcoming. The Achievement! That is what gets us going. That is what we are all about. We have our heads up and our eyes are situated on the front of our head so that we are looking forward. We have lazer vision. Did you know that an Eagle can see its prey 3.2 miles away. It is always looking for opportunity. Always looking forward. We hunt the prey that is moving around. This is more satisfying. More Exciting. The taste of victory.
There is a difference between Fast Food and a really good meal. Do you know what I mean? Or a Steak at Denny’s versus a Steak at a place like the Metropolitan Grill in Seattle or a Ruth’s Chris; or a Gotham Steakhouse in Vancouver BC., Or Morton’s in New York City. I have been to all of these places and it is a special thing that we do now. The difference is not subtle. There is an enormous difference. My mouth is actually watering right now thinking about it. It cannot be explained in words…the difference in quality and preparation. Oh my goodness it is amazing. It is expensive. It is costly. It takes more time to prepare. But boy is it worth it. I remember the first time I experienced a steak from the Metropolitan Grill in Seattle after a Seahawks games. I’ll never forget that experience. It was like I was actually hearing my own tastebuds celebrating! They were losing their minds. I was thinking- while eating that bite- how excited I was for the next bite. My mouth was on absolute overload. Now if you are a vegetarian…I am sorry to bore you and I am sorry that you will never experience that feeling…. Should we have a moment of silence for the vegetarians….just joking.
But here’s the thing. It was so enjoyable and so satisfying and so amazing, that, it has changed my outlook forever. When I go out to eat at a regular restaurant, I rarely order steak now. On the rate occasions that I do, I am now comparing to the best steaks that I have ever had. When I have people over to my house, I spend the money on the best cuts of steak and prepare them so that I am trying to re-create that experience for them, if I can.
The same goes for receiving that commission cheque. I still get a little tingle. A little high, if you will when I get that commission cheque. I love going to the bank with a few commission cheques and a deposit book. You know what I mean? I love that feeling. It actually feels strange going to the bank with only 1 cheque now.
You see, my brain has been stretched. I have been changed. I can’t go back. There is no way that I could ever work for someone else and trade time for money ever again. Ever. It will never happen. That is my version of prison or hell to be honest. I have been a REALTOR-PRENEUR for over 22 years. Out there hunting for my food. Oh and did you know that Eagles mate for life. My wife and I are Eagles and I am teaching my children to be Eagles and take responsibility for their futures. We are Eagles.
A 4X Agent who learns all the aspects to be a great Real Estate Professional, and goes out there every day with the attitude … “Its up to me!” is an Eagle.
No guaranteed paycheck coming every two weeks for over 20 years. I have had 20 cheques in a single month….that’s 5 per week! Imagine getting a check in a job every day of the week and the amount was equal to your regular monthly cheques because you worked a little harder? Imagine that? Don’t really do this…but imagine asking a person working in a job that question and they will answer with “….Ummm…no…I can’t imagine that. That’s impossible.” “That’s ridiculous” “You are out of your mind” Bawk Bawk Baaaaaawkkkk Bu bu. AND you know what. They are right. In their world -they are actually right. But not for you - You are an Eagle. Think of yourself that way. Make the Eagle your Spirit Animal. Here’s another comparison. When a Chick is born and works its way out of the egg…it sits in the tiny comfortable nest and when it leaves the nest, it is not really a major event. It just stands up and starts pecking and doing what its mother is doing. The Eaglet is different. When it is ready to leave the next, it is pushed out of the nest and then has to figure out how to fly. It’s survival instincts have to kick in. Fear is experienced. I am sure uncertainty as well. Using muscles that it didn’t know it had. And after going through all of that, it suddenly figures it out and begins to fly. Then it learns to improve its flying abilities. It learns to look for prey. It learns to be patient and act at the right time. It learns where the best hunting areas are. Where the prey tend to be. This is what an Eagle does. Everything that it is learning is about, how to get, what it wants. Have you seen an Eagles nest? Have you seen where they are located? It is high up. It is usually located in a precarious spot in the highest point of a tree or on the edge of a cliff. This is where it feels safe. Because if someone is going to prey on them then they will have to go to great risk to do it. Keep operating at a high level and notice that there is not much competition. Eagles don’t steal from each other. Eagles aren’t worried about other Eagles close by. They know they are capable of getting what they need. There is enough for everyone. The Eagle is a special Bird of Prey and highly respected. I live in an area where there are a lot of Chicken Farms and I also see a lot of Bald Eagles where I live. I have seen 30 Eagles in one square mile area driving along one road, many times. I have never seen two Eagles fighting…ever. IT just doesn’t happen very often.
I find that even Real Estate professionals can act like Chickens. They prospect the exact same way as everyone else. They fall into the same tactics. They don’t take the time to sharpen their skills or study their craft to get better. They are satisfied to go after the easy business and then complain when that becomes hard. They blame outer influences. The Elections, The War in Iraq, the Interest Rates, The Immigration policies of the day….this is like saying …. “Oh man, I guess the farmer went away for a week and forgot to throw the scraps in the pen for us to peck at.” Bwaaack Bock Bock bok. “Someone forgot to fill up the feeders for us…I walked all the way over here to peck at the feeder and its empty” Bwaaack Bock Bock bok. “I wish I could get out of this pen”
“Have you ever had another agent “steal” your client?”….Guess what … Bwock Bwaaak bok bok….It wasn’t your client then. Have you ever said the term…. “Buyers are liars”? Well guess what… Bwock Bwaack bok bok…. That’s on you. IF you didn’t take the time to meet with them properly and set the appropriate expectations, and learn everything, that you need to learn, about them. Cause them to commit to you in writing, and then utilizing that information that is custom to them, to serve them well then it will be confusing to you won’t it. You think that they were lying to you…because you don’t know them. You didn’t take the time to get into relationship and become relevant to them as someone important in their lives….that is why. That is the reason 75% of the time.
Does this sound familiar? Do you blame your office? Do you blame the agent that promised to give you leads? Do you blame lead capture program? These are all items that are part of the henhouse….get out of the henhouse. Learn and Improve. Learn and Apply. Get educated. Sharpen your skills and get out of the pen. There is no roof on the pen…did you know that? Look up…its all up to you. Your mind is your “Wing Span”…. You need to increase your mind so that you can increase your wing span and get out of that pen. Eagles wing spans are 2 and a half to 3 times wider than their actual height…because their wings are their power along with their vision. See the comparison? Crystalize your vision, expand your mind and learn how to soar!
I encourage you to go to 4X Formula.com if you want to learn what it takes to become an Eagle in the Real Estate business. Get on the waiting LIST – its free and we have some awesome bonuses for people who are signing up early. Coming soon. The most complete real estate training course that has ever been offered! The 4X Formula. Learn how easy it is to make a lot of money in Real Estate. Don’t become a statistic. Most of you know this…87% of Real Estate agents are out of the business within 2-3 years…. The Average income is too low. Real Estate agents are not well respected out there…We eat Chicken eggs two to three times per week and I eat chicken for Dinner and Lunch many times per week. Too many Chickens saying that they want to be Eagles but are acting like Chickens. I have never cooked an Eagle for dinner or ate Eagle eggs for Breakfast. Make sense?
Thank you for reading to my funny little post today. I hope it convicted you today. I hope it makes you think. In what ways are you acting like a Chicken? Recognize that. In what ways are you acting like an Eagle? Do more of that.
This is Kelly Johnston Signing off for today. Take care and make a great day!
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