Running is like Real Estate

I’ve been in real estate 21 years.

I’ve been a runner for 31 years, or more.

When I started my real estate career I did a lot of uphill climbing.  It was all uphill.  It was a new adventure.  I had a lot to learn.

Then one day I had a realization which made it all much easier to understand.  Real Estate is like Running…or at least the other way around.  I’ll tell you why.

When I started running, I knew one thing.  It was uncomfortable.   I loved the idea of running – being all slick and slim appealed to me.  When I put my feet to the pavement it was another story.  It hurt.  It pounded my bones.  I woke up in the morning earlier than I wanted to and it was usually too cold or too hot.  I didn’t want to do what I was doing but I would remember that ‘slick and slim’ idea and somehow find the power to do it.  Every morning.  If I didn’t go in the morning I went in the afternoon.  Somehow I did it.

And I did it often enough that I started becoming a little more slick and somewhat slim.

Then I realized I had to invest in equipment and knowledge.  I had to buy better shoes.  I had to reach out to other slick and slim people to find out how they did it.  Some of them would talk to me and share their best lessons.  Some of them wouldn’t.  In fact, some of them acted like they were way better than me and couldn’t possibly share their tips.  I avoided those people.  I embraced the ones who helped me.  I ran with them.  They became my morning friends.  I learned that they made my running easier to do and they also made me accountable.  Eventually I ran more and longer and faster.

Sometimes I didn’t run more and longer and faster.  Sometimes I got hurt.  Sometimes I had bad runs.  Sometimes I felt like quitting.

Eventually I ran a 5k.  Eventually I ran a 10k.  Eventually I ran half marathons.  Eventually I ran the New York Marathon.  I ran more marathons.  That’s 26.2 miles for those of you who don’t know.

That’s what I started remembering when I started in real estate.  I liked the idea of having my own career and making a better income for myself and having no limits on my success.  The reality was that some days were just awful.  I didn’t really like it when I started, it was uncomfortable.  Everything was at risk.  I couldn’t let that be a problem.  I had a plan.  I had to.  I had just quit a very comfortable job (as in a salary) to take a risk to do something more for my career and my future.  I loved the people I worked for in my job, but I had to move forward – so I started my career climbing uphill.

I would get up in the morning not really knowing what to expect and sometimes it hurt.  I got hung up on, I got lied to.  I got cheated on by buyers and sellers.  I was running a business, and it was usually uphill.  I would get hurt and I would brush off the dust and do it again.

I then started investing in my business.  I had to buy better equipment and research better ways to do things.  I would try a technique and try to learn from the best, and some of them really did offer to help me.  They were great.

Then I sold 1M in real estate.  I closed out my first year that way.  I was excited.  Maybe this was going to work after all.  I sold more and more and helped more and more people sell and buy homes.  I invested in my equipment, my education, my knowledge and kept learning from the best.  In return I started helping others.

I started doing better and better but I didn’t stop to count the bruises.  I sometimes hurt throughout the process but I kept going.  What I learned is that you can’t always be running marathons and you don’t always have to win.  Just doing it is the reward.

The simple fact is that if I always know I have given it my best the bruises aren’t so bad and the discomfort just goes away.  I’m not in it for the wins.  My mother told me long ago that “there will always be someone ahead of you and there will always be someone behind you”.  What I try to do is reach back to help those behind me get better – because I remember how great that felt when someone did it for me.

Running is like the real estate business in that you can do it your way and make it work.   You can have good days and bad days and you just need to do your best.   It’s not about winning awards it’s about being your best at the moment and enjoying the rewards of the good efforts.

It’s all about reaching back and helping those who are running behind you if they ask for help.

I’m still running and I’m still selling Albuquerque homes.  It’s a good combination.