One of my families all time favorite movies is "A Knight's Tale" with Heath Ledger. It's a story about a young kid whose peasant father sends him off with a Knight, to serve as a squire. His father tell him that he's done all he can for him now. The boys needs to watch and learn from this knight and then "Change his Stars". If you haven't seen it yet it's a must see. It's funny, romantic, and has a rock-n-roll upbeat tone throughout.
As I enjoyed this past Labor Day weekend with the family we watched the movie... again. I found myself distracted at best considering the challenges my new friends and clients in real estate are facing. As I often do, I drew some parallels from the movie to real life, looking for yet another shot of positive energy to get us through the hard times.
Consider the movie character and his circumstances/challenges he was faced with:
1) Raised in poverty
2) Separated from father as a child
3) No formal education
4) Grew up in society where "royalty" and "Knights" ruled, everyone else was expected to serve them
5) Success was something you were provided due to birthright. You were either born a noble or you were born to be in poverty
But as you might imagine, the character in the movie was unique:
1) At a young age his father told him that a man could change his stars
2) He took advantage of an opportunity to be a Knight and he never looked back
3) He was passionate about winning and he never backed down from a challenge
4) When given an opportunity to run, to escape certain death, he stood his ground. He had a fundamental belief in his self worth
I believe that true success comes from within each of us. Its' not given to anyone. It's a personal belief that no challenge is beyond my capacity. This belief however is not all that is required to be successful. It also requires work. I know that I have to do everything I can, each and every day, to earn the right to achieve success. This means that I have to get out of my box, it means that I have to do the hard things first, it means that I have to make the calls, spend the money, hit the streets, and pray to be blessed.
If you find yourself making excuses, STOP! Or..... find another career and go to work "for the man". If you want to achieve greatness in this world of real estate that I have come to love, then go to work. There's no reason you can't achieve the greatness that others around you have.
If you're on top don't take it for granted. This new young generation of worker is hungrier than ever. They are educated and are taking advantage of technology to increase their sphere of influence. Keep focused on the prize, stay up on technology, make sure your long-term loyal customers know you are still relevant. You may not be as young as the next generation but your character, your example of hard work, your industry-knowledge, and life experiences make you indispensable.
Don't delay, Change Your Stars today
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