Somehow it's nearly the end of January and I am just now making my way back over here to share a few thoughts. I promised that I would try to start providing some kind of insight or at least food for thought on life, real estate, and possibly changing careers. If I don't write these things down somewhere, they might be forgotten.
To provide a little background, I got into real estate in my early 20s on a whim. I was a young, single mother with a son who had quite a few health problems. Living in a heavy industrial area, jobs at the local plant or factory were where the majority of people I knew ended up.
My dad was one of those people. I watched him give his life away to his job while we grew up. Not really realizing back then that we had so much more than many of the people in our community. When he wasn't working, he always made sure to take us along on golf outings. And he took the time in the Spring to coach my softball team. He also went to church, along with my mom, to all three services every week. With the exception of when he was pulling overtime at the plant. He often worked 80 hours a week.
I had worked a variety of jobs when I got into real estate. My dad saw how much I was struggling with trying to be a mom to a son that ended up in the hospital every time we turned around. The local factories frowned upon their employees missing work for any reason, no matter how valid. He told me one day that he always thought that he would have enjoyed a career in real estate.
Given the fact that I was at the age that I was starting to wish I had taken my parent's advice prior, it seemed like a good idea. I remember getting a phone book out on their kitchen counter (remember those things?) and looking up real estate in the yellow pages. I found a school, called, signed up, and within about 6 weeks' time, I had my real estate license.
I KNEW ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ABOUT REAL ESTATE.
I'm sure some of you can relate.
Nearly 20 years later, I can tell you I've had a career in real estate that's had a lot of ups and downs. Given my eagerness to learn, I've gotten broker's licenses in multiple states, my GRI, and a drawer full of other certificates and accreditations. I've even sold thousands of houses. I was a top producer in my area when it seemed virtually impossible to sell homes.
And then I stumbled upon the Myers Briggs Personality Test back in 2019 and life hasn't been the same. I don't know why or how I happened upon the thing. But I took the test and it said the very worst thing my personality should be doing was a job in sales. (INFJ) At first, I laughed it off but kept reading. Every single thing about my personality registered with me to my core. I started searching the internet to find other information about my personality.
I was floored at the plethora of information and finding out that so many people were actually "in touch" with themselves. My best friend, another real estate agent, took it after I told her about it. She found herself in the same boat. She says she wished she had never taken it in some ways. But she also agrees it's helped her to understand herself better.
And that's when I decided to start writing. Me, a writer? I don't think I'm very good at it yet. I cringe at the thought of someone discovering some of my initial blog posts. But I read the other day that professional writers are amateurs that never quit. So I'm going to keep it up.
As for real estate? I'm no longer advertising but am still working with past clients and referrals. I dream of a day that I can hang that hat up and not feel the weight of responsibility that comes with every transaction.
If I hadn't taken that test, I would probably still be out trying to meet some unrealistic sales goal. But for now, I'm just taking things one day at a time.
And for me, that's fine.
If you would like to know what I actually do know, it's spending time in the sun at places like Walt Disney World taking photos, making notes, and researching. My latest piece is this Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort Review.
Then I find a quiet space at home to put all the information together to help people. It's probably a whole lot more work than it sounds, but I kind of love it.
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