It will happen: One day your dream will come true. You’ll get everything you ever wanted, if you only work hard enough, seek out opportunity, and take a few risks at the right time. It’ll all come true… but will you be ready when it does?
One thing I’ve learned since quitting my 9-5 job and going full time as a entrepreneur is the importance of enjoying the journey.
With your own real estate business, there’s always something to do. Since the Internet never sleeps, you’re always “open.” And if you’re not careful, this can steal your joy and destroy the freedom you’ve worked so hard to create.
That’s how it went with me, anyway.
For years, I dreamed of being able to be a full time entrepreneur. It was the one thought that constantly consumed my mind. And when the opportunity finally arrived, it was no longer enough. I wanted more. Having climbed that mountain, so to speak, I realized there were even higher peaks to ascend. And my curious eyes scanned the horizon for what was to come.
Around that same time, I had recently become a Dad and was learning how important being present in parenthood is. Kids grow fast and life moves quickly. “If you don’t stop and look around once in awhile,” as my man Ferris Bueller famously said, “you just might miss it.”
And I don’t want to miss a thing.
I learned the hard way to slow down, almost burning myself out and losing my family in the process. Soon after I had started my dream, I almost killed it because I didn’t know how to handle the responsibility of managing my own business and my family.
There’s an important take away here worth paying attention to, whether you’re just beginning the journey towards self-employment as a real estate agent or are well on your way: Don’t take your biggest potential supporters and make them your worst enemies.
On the way to fulfilling my dream, I discovered how much I needed other people in the process, especially family, friends, and the community I found around me. As part of this, I discovered three lessons that helped me succeed without letting the success destroy me (which it almost did at one point):
- Celebrate the small stuff and remember to share the joy with those closest to you, the people who have cheered you on since the very beginning.
- Invite others to join you. This means every entrepreneurial struggle, triumph, and opportunity isn’t just for you; it’s something you can turn around and give to your community. When you authentically become present in your experiences others take note. They take note so that they may benefit too, you realize your dream isn’t just about you.
- Let go of expectations. The truth is none of us completely deserves our good fortune. We get lucky or stumble into the right opportunities. We can’t completely take credit for our success. Sure, you need to hustle and not depend on luck, but more than that, you need to ready yourself for the adventure!
The other day, I was excited to get to work. I’d spent the whole weekend with my family and was ready to hit the ground running that week — I’m one of those weird guys who actually looks forward to Monday because I love what I do. But sometimes when you enjoy your work so much, you can forget why you do it.
The weather was warm, which is odd for San Francisco in January, and my wife wanted to know if I wanted to go to the zoo. Immediately, I got defensive and actually a little scared. Today was a work day; I couldn’t just take it off. That would be irresponsible… right?
After thinking about this, I realized that if I can’t take the day off to watch my son chase llamas around, trying to pet them while he screams “Baaaaa!” then I’m working for the wrong reasons.
Yes, you should work hard for your dream; you may even have to make sacrifices. But never forget why you’re chasing it in the first place; never let what you do compete with who you’re doing it for. And above all, remember that this is a journey without a destination. In fact, the journey is the destination.
So you’d better enjoy it.
Happy Wednesday.
-Ray
