“Growth means change and change involves risk,

stepping from the known to the unknown”

– George Shinn

Seven years ago, the company I was working for was slated to close. It wasn’t a surprise; there had been rumors for a couple months. So to be proactive, a colleague and I started investigating other firms. What we saw was status quo, which I was actually okay with. My colleague, on the other hand, was not. It was decided that it was time to speed up our process of getting our broker’s license so we could open our own firm.

So in the middle of a recession, we started a real estate company with exactly $100 in our bank account. I was a wreck. I was full of self-doubt, unease, and total fear. My colleague became my broker, I became the manager, and we recruited three agents from our old company who, for whatever reason, were crazy enough to join us.

And here we are in 2016 sitting as the largest non-franchised company in our area. We have a second sales location, and also run a successful property management division with almost 200 properties to oversee. It would be easy at this point to just continue doing exactly what we are doing and ride the success train. If it were up to me, that is probably what we would do. I’m not a risk taker. I hate change. And I resist anything new.

There’s comfort in sameness and routine. Knowing what to expect, when to expect it, and how it’s all going to go down keeps me sane day in and day out. When faced with new situations, my first reaction is to retreat. I want to pass it off to someone else, or ignore it all together.

But I’m fortunate in that I have people around me constantly pushing me outside my perceived boundaries. My broker jumps in to new situations with both feet pulling me along behind him kicking and screaming. One of my favorite clients constantly places me into unfamiliar territories because his confidence in me exceeds my own.

And what I’ve learned over time as a result is that if we keep doing what we’ve always been doing; never push ourselves beyond our limits- we will keep getting the same results. We will never learn, never grow, and never be more than who we are right now. 

Change sucks. It’s scary. It’s hard. It’s just plain uncomfortable. But where would we be without it? What if we kept everything the exact same as it is right now? What if we never progressed or looked for something more?

Look at your past, look at your present, and look at your future. Can you see things you’ve done back then that have benefited your life now? Are there changes you know you need to make now that will help your future?

If so, what is holding you back? Fear? Time? Money? Those are all easy excuses to use to keep yourself from trying something new. I know this because I use them… a lot. But when I finally get over myself enough and take the risk, I’m better off because of it.

I encourage you to jump in with both feet and make the changes you know you need to make. Get over yourself, and just do it. Your future self will thank you.

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Amy Gilpin Associate Broker, Manager, ABR.

Fourteen years of helping clients. Six years of helping agents. All for this crazy thing we call real estate.
Production Realty 517-879-4141 Jackson, MI Amy@ProductionRealty.com

 

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