Cindy, Brad, Paula, Missy – glad to see I struck a chord. That was the hope.

Benn – absolutely right. And there have been moments over the past year when I’ve done just that, spending more time wringing my hands than putting them to work. Sometimes it’s easy to snap out of such a mood, sometimes it’s not. But there’s no question that this is the time to be aggressive and also be real.

Elaine – appreciate it. These usually are the times when I start another website, pursue another avenue toward client acquisition. The odd part is I’ve been too busy to do it of late, which is a good thing.

My overall hope is we can pull each other out of the malaise many of us slip into at times like this. Isn’t that what friends are for? (Cue the Dionne Warwick music)

Sitting around fearing the unknown is enough to kill the soul.

Get aggressive, challenge yourself, challenge others, be inspiring, and above all else, allow youself to be inspired by the little things.

just my 2

You may have hit upon the essence of what is really driving the economy and decisions in todays fragile market. FEAR! In and of itself, fear can not master us, however the fear we see in others makes it much harder to stand in confidence.

I too am having a good year, but lately have had many more buyers turned down for credit and those who do qualify are afraid to make a decision.

I have suffered from my own writing blocks, more so, just busy and when business calls, one must be ready. Yes, much has been written about real estate and often there seems not more to expound upon – yet, those of us who find it within us to carry on, will be glad we did.

Thanks for a much needed post! Cheers!

I survived the early 70′s through the War protests and the National Guard on campus when I was able to attend college (after hubby was done).

I survived the late 70′s when our fixed rate mortgage was 11%. Our friends were strapped if they had one of the no-cap loans with rates that went to 16-21%. We survived the long gas lines because we had small foreign cars before they were popular – and considered a necessity.

I survived the 80′s as a single Mom working my way up the corporate ladder while going to college at night for 6 years. I got my degree one week and became a Grandma the next week. I was doing very well – made very good money – built a good portfolio – and was on track for a nice retirement nest egg.

In the mid-90′s I was part of a large RIF. Life hasn’t been the same since. I was “too old” to be hired so went into real estate since it seemed to offer a means to more closely proximate my former salary, plus it was a career I wouldn’t have to stop when I became 65 – which I did last month.

I’m been working hard all my life, and this year I’m working even harder. My business is up over last year, and my income is up even more thanks in large part to my WP blog. I try to stay positive, and when it gets tough, just go back to my mantra that has helped me for years … When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Instead of pity parties, I try to look for the fork in the road that allows me to explore new opportunities when bad things happen. That same philosophy applies to marketing myself as well as my client’s homes.

So ….. been there, done that, got the T-shirt … and I DON’T want to share my “wealth”. I work too hard for it. Stay positive, Jonathan! This too shall pass.

“We’ve got to stop crying and start sweating, stop talking and start walking, stop cursing and start praying. The strength we need will not come from the White House, but from every house in America.”

We know the strength of America. We are strong. We can regain our unity. We can regain our confidence. We are the heirs of generations who survived threats much more powerful and awesome than those that challenge us now. Our fathers and mothers were strong men and women who shaped a new society during the Great Depression, who fought world wars and who carved out a new charter of peace for the world.

We ourselves are the same Americans who just ten years ago put a man on the moon. We are the generation that dedicated our society to the pursuit of human rights and equality. And we are the generation that will win the war on the energy problem and in that process, rebuild the unity and confidence of America.

I found these comments to be inspirational:

This is not my best year in real estate. And yet, I am still in business. The franchise I joined in 1994 closed it’s doors less than 3 weeks ago after being in business 26 years.

Why did they not survive and I am still here? I don’t know.

What I do know is adversity makes me stronger. My greatest ideas are generated when my back is against the wall. Although it would be nice to have someone say, “Way to go!” when I’m stepping out in faith, it’s rare.

As I told my girlfriends at lunch today, “I’m free!” If you want to know more about how I gained freedom, give me a shout.