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.