Other People Matter.
Before I start I will preface this weeks missive by saying I spent most of last night with a sick baby in my arms so there is a real chance this one runs off the road a little. Little Charlie is ok but it was definitely one of those nights that all of you seasoned parents are familiar with. Oddly enough it was just the other day I was thinking to myself on how lucky we had been and then it happened (thank you day care). Despite being covered in everything and just wanting a few hours sleep I’ve never felt luckier to be this little boy's Dad…it was pretty special (and gross).
Speaking of emotional, this week myself and the team were fortunate enough to attend an REA event with some very impressive presenters. The day commenced with a vulnerable and honest Andre Agassi who had a simple message to deliver, do good and do well. Honestly, for a moment I thought I had walked into the wrong room. Over the years I have attended many real estate events and have often sat there feeling embarrassed to be in the room. One of the lowlights was seeing the Wolf of Wall Street as a key note speaker being cheered on by an audience that wonders why the industry gets such a bad wrap. On Tuesday surrounded by agents I felt something I haven’t felt for a while…a glimmer of hope.
Despite what the reality shows project and ‘lifestyle agents’ promote real estate can actually be a very messy business. Why? Its about real people's real lives. We are at the coal face of change and in case you haven’t noticed most people don’t react well to change.
I’ve often tried to explain to friends that helping people move is not just about the house but also about helping them come to terms with the phase in life that they are confronting. Encouraging a first home buyer to back themselves and take the first step onto the ladder is a stark contrast to helping someone step off and leave their empty home.
As the conference on Tuesday continued another speaker talked about positive psychology and referenced Christopher Peterson’s work and how he summarised it in three simple words – Other People Matter. The notion that happiness (whatever that is) is intrinsically linked with the quality of relationships that we have in our life (weird, because I thought it was about keeping up with the Jones’s).
I gave myself a leave pass on this one but I did want to use this platform this week to encourage you to get behind the Mosman Swans and get your kids to sign up for a great season of AFL this year.
The link for registrations is here: https://mosmanswans.com.au/registration/#rego
Registration closes 31st March.
Until next week,
David Murphy