Welcome to the fourth installment of a five-part series based on my keynote address, Lessons from The Other Side. In case you are new to this series, this keynote was developed by watching my mom, a top producing REALTOR® in our community, go through the ups and the downs on this industry on a daily basis. Ultimately, in the end, it cost her her life. It is my sincere hope that at least one of these points hits home with you, and you can re-evaluate your life and mindset.
Lesson #10: If you can fix a problem with money, it’s not really a problem
I’ll be honest – this one is really difficult for some people to accept. And if that’s you, that’s okay. I’d like to challenge you to expand your thinking around money though. Money (and usually lack thereof) can be the biggest cause of stress in our lives, particularly when we are in a long-term relationship with another human being. Remember back to the lesson on scarcity vs. abundance? This is sometimes where scarcity shows up the most in our life.
I had a series of financial tragedies over a six-month time frame a few years ago. It could have been very easy for that hardship to break me, break my marriage and break everything that was important to me. However, it was during that time that I came up with a whole new mantra around money – it’s just money. I’ll make more.
And it’s true! We work in an industry where we can go create money. It doesn’t mean that it’s not hard. It doesn’t mean that it’s not stressful. It doesn’t mean that tears won’t be shed along the way. However, if you have a problem that can be solved with money, it isn’t really a problem. Money won’t bring back my mom or little Zoey who died of cancer, and it certainly can’t solve the social issues we all are dealing with right now. Those are the real problems of the world. What you focus on expands, and when you have a scarcity mindset around money, it expands to everything around you and brings you undue stress to your life. Be like Queen Elsa and let it go.
Lesson #11: Travel expands you
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” – Mark Twain
This is one of my very favorite quotes as I can feel its truth at my core. When you take time to go explore our amazing planet, you open yourself to new opportunities and you open your mind to seeing the beauty that surrounds us every day. Hit the pause button and go, see and do. You will forever be a changed person – in the best ways possible.
Lesson #12: Your health is your most valuable asset
It sounds so trite to say but your body is a temple. If you don’t have your health, then what good is it to be working yourself to the bone all the time. And it’s not just your physical health – it’s your mental, emotional and spiritual health too. Your health is your wealth. Don’t underestimate its importance in your everyday life. Make time daily to exercise, feed yourself with foods that truly fuel your body and don’t forget to get all those thoughts out of your head through journaling.
Take care of you. You are the only one of you that there is. And there are no do-overs.
Dan Hartman • November 7, 2020 at 5:57 am
Sharing your story and creating a message through the written word is an amazing journey. I have the utmost respect for you and the stories you are sharing. Stories heal, stories enrich and stories encourage those around you. I challenge you to continue writing. Your audience will keep reading. Well Done Bobbie!!