Kwitcherbichen

 

Quite some time ago I was having a conversation with a friend. He wasn’t someone that I knew particularly well at the time. Regardless, we found ourselves engaged in conversation. I had just started in Real Estate and I believe I was droning on about my professional journey thus far. At the time I was quite disillusioned with the disparity between input and output. I was bitter about the economy and despite my efforts, my inability to gain employment in my field. He sat there and patiently listened until I left enough pause for a response. When I left a brief open in the conversation, he looked at me straight faced and said, “Quit Yer Bitchen.”

My first inclination was to go all Tomi Lahren on his insensitive ass. To tell him the whats and the whys of what makes my situation atypical. But, that’s not what happened. He continued, “if you don’t like it, then change it or shut up about it.” Wow! Did this guy just say that to me? No one has ever spoke to me like that before. I sat there staring at him, quiet while processing his sheer audacity.

For two days his words drilled into my psyche. In that 48 hour period I took a mental trip from full on offence to soul awakening enlightenment. But why? Honestly, all he said was, “quit yer bitchen.” The words were hardly profound. But, they were true. Did I want excuses or results? No, my life was not going the way I planned. Yes, I was educated but starting over in a new career. But, how bad did I really want success? Was I ready to do something about it or just sink into self-pity while desperately holding on to my victim card? So, I stopped bitchen.

Over the next two years I worked to build my business. I worked seven days a week and put myself out there doing the uncomfortable things that I needed to do in order to land a contract or win a listing. I door knocked. I cold called. I followed every lead. Every time I wanted to quit, I realized that I had a choice to make. Granted, I am a small fish in a very big pond. I have a long way to go. Opportunity is only limited to my belief and the will to do the things I need to do to achieve the results I wish to achieve.

Yet, as I write this, it is a chilly Sunday afternoon and I feel myself slipping back to a place of discontentment and excuses. Maybe I’m tired and running out of steam. Or maybe I need to once again remember the solid advice of a trusted friend and colleague and simply quit my bitchin.

Make 2017 Not Suck

For many of us, 2016 just plain sucked. Some of the suckage was simply uncontrollable. Face it, what can we do when our idols die? We can pay tribute to them in whatever way that makes us feel closer to their art. But, in the end, we must say goodbye. Yes, that was 2016. Too many creative souls left this world to pass on to the next. For that, 2016 will go down in infamy. Good Riddance to you, you soul robber and talent stealer 2016!

I digress…

2016 was also the year in which the masses turned on one another in mass protest. I am not even broaching that one, except to say, this is also why 2016 sucked the tail end of a 1957 Ford Pickup. Regardless of why, there seems to be a resounding consensus that 2016 will not be winning any popularity contests. But, let’s shift focus. Instead of focusing on 2016 in the rear view, my question is, how can we make 2017 not suck?

While we cannot do much about death and political destruction, we can do so very much in the wake of such resounding negativity. Granted, we may actually have to remove our mud colored, dark lensed glasses and replace them with a set of rosy lensed, diamond studded Elton John frames. I’m game! Excuse me while I slip on my fancy shades…

Now, the question again… What can we do to make 2017 not suck?

Well, first you have to answer one question. What do you want in 2017? If you could achieve one thing, what would it be? Define that in specific terms. Fill in the blank, “In 2017, I want _______________ “.

Now go after that! Go after that like a mother bear saving her cub from a lion attack. Viciously pursue that one thing. But do so methodically.

Be focused. Be purposeful. Be driven. Choose wisely. Reward yourself.

Be focused, not only about what you want to achieve. Be focused about how you are going to achieve it. Come up with a plan and set that plan in motion. Commit to what it is going to take to achieve that goal.

Be purposeful about the effort you put forth on a daily basis to complete your goal. Create a calendar and devote a specified amount of time to the activity that will result in achieving your goal.

Be driven. Do not let fear, doubt, or insecurity steal your destiny. Your destiny belongs to you! It is yours for the taking. Go take it! It will not be easy. There will be times when you hit barriers. Recognize that every success requires a certain amount of obstacles. Find the strength to knock down each and every wall that is placed between you and what your desire.

Choose wisely who you let into your world. Surround yourself with positivity! Do not let negative people derail you. Negativity can silently infiltrate your psyche, resulting in the abandonment of your mission.

Reward yourself. Every step toward success deserves a reward. Whatever makes you smile, reward yourself with that.

I don’t know about you, but today I am going to take down my Christmas tree and focus on what I want to achieve this year. Then I am going to make a plan to accomplish that one thing that will help to ensure that 2017 doesn’t suck. Hopefully, on New Year’s Day in 2018, my blog post will be about how 2017 didn’t suck and how 2018 will be even better. If for some reason my 2018 New Year’s Day blog post is about how bad 2017 sucks, you have my permission to verbally flog me.

#Make2017notsuck