By Living Room Realty, June 6, 2023
At the age of 48 there are a couple of things that I’m proficient or good at: fishing, surfing, kiteboarding, building things, etc. There is a certain swagger that comes with experience and a liberating freedom to just go DO something really cool without having to think very hard about it. I’ve got the equipment, I’ve got the skills and, when I have the time, I can just show up and have fun. The flip side is that I’ve built a significant barrier to trying anything new. At some point the things I’m passionate about became my identity and then my ego steps in to prevent me from looking bad when attempting something different.
There are many activities that I think about often and would like to be good at: playing guitar, archery, and golf to name a few. In balancing a family and business, often the biggest challenge is in choosing how to spend my time. Do I really want to invest hours or even days torturing myself with a new pursuit? There is one activity in particular that I’ve dipped my toe into but haven’t been able to get over the hump: Wing-Foiling. This is what it looks like when riders are good:
In my three outings thus far, I have been completely humbled. Physically exhausted, mentally drained and partially dejected. But I have to say that there is a certain magic to going back to being a total white belt in something. It takes me back to my first few struggle sessions with kiteboarding in 2006, the first time I got to the green part of the wave as a teenager and the first time catching a big bass in 1987(?). Through struggle it seems that those old feelings can be accessed.
What on earth does this have to do with Real Estate? The short answer is Change and Courage. I’ve found that where you live relates directly to big changes and the courage to take on a move. Most of the buyers and sellers that I’m working with are dealing with a version of going back to being a white belt in some aspect of their life: upsizing, downsizing, first-time-buying, breaking up, getting together, new life, old life, leaving Oregon, coming back to Oregon…every move involves change and every change takes courage.
Going back to being a white belt in anything is a fantastic way to find some youth, come to grips with who you are and perhaps gain some perspective and humility along the way. Here’s to the struggle!!
