In the fall of 2018, I was not in a good place. If we're really being honest, I hadn't been in a good place for about a year. The previous fall I had cut my piano student load in order to have more time in the evenings for our children. It was the first time both of our children were in school and it had become very clear that the piano teacher's schedule of teaching from 3:00-7:30 was no longer conducive for our family. But as both children were in school and I no longer had a full-time studio to manage, I quickly fell into depression. The first few weeks were awesome- my schedule was open and I'm pretty sure my children came home to freshly baked cookies several times. I remember when it hit me, though: literally no one noticed (or cared) when I completed my household responsibilities. I could be productive as soon as the children left for school or I could go back to bed, sleep until it was time for carpool, and do laundry in my now free afternoons. I chose the latter.
After about a year of this, Chris and I were discussing how I really needed to find something to do with all of my newfound free time, ideally something that produced an income. We had not made the decision for me to cut back on teaching lightly- Chris had been promised a promotion at work and we had made plans for our family based on the word of people who had no intention of keeping it. A year in, we were really starting to feel it. That was when Chris made the suggestion that I look into real estate. "Why would I do that?" I asked. "Because you know you love it," was his reply. He was right. Even though we loved our home that we had searched for for a year and a half, I had never stopped looking at houses coming on the market. One could say I had caught the real estate bug, and I was constantly looking up houses online and dragging everyone to weekend open houses. I decided to explore my curiosities and enrolled in the pre-licensing course.
Fast forward to the following summer when all of my coursework was completed, the course final and license exam were complete, and I was starting to build my business from the ground up. I can remember the first time it happened: someone asked me, "What do you do?" I excitedly answered, "I'm a Realtor!" They quickly raised their eyebrows and I could see in their eyes what they were thinking... "So, basically one step above a used car salesman." I had not been prepared for this response at all and quickly (and proudly) added, "But I also teach piano!" and received the response I had become accustomed to receiving for the past 20 years: the softening of the face, a nostalgic look in their eyes, and a smile that said, "Now THAT is a noble profession!"
But wasn't helping people find their homes also a noble profession? Why had I received this response and what was it in me that immediately felt shame for this new direction I had chosen? I decided to dig deeper into these feelings and quickly realized I had been wearing my profession as a piano teacher as a badge of honor. Teaching the next generation the art of music was such a privilege and I knew I was walking away from a profession that was very fulfilling and rewarding. Nevertheless, I knew I was being called away from this profession and led to an exciting new career. I knew what I needed to do in order to continually be proud of my new profession: stay true to myself and remain authentic.
Defining my "Why" has helped me to do just this and stay focussed on what's important to me. What was driving my purpose? I started to dig deep, seeking wisdom from experts in the field. I spent time in prayer and discussed it in detail with my mentors.
Every day, I work towards providing each of my clients with an exceptional luxury experience that helps them feel confident and knowledgeable about their real estate endeavors. For the majority of the population, real estate is the largest investment one makes in a lifetime. I consider it an honor and a privilege to be their trusted real estate advisor and walk alongside them during these transactions.
