Dear Jennifer,
I've wanted to be a real estate agent since I was 18 and your book made it sound so easy and wonderful! Although, I must admit that I also read in other books that you have to "have a thick skin," but I told myself - "I'll be fine because I'll only work with nice people!" The problem is, even "nice" people can be difficult and demanding.
I've finally acknowledged that I don't have the personality for this. I hate it when people are angry with me, and I have a temper myself. I have very little patience for constant interruptions. I hate confrontation and negotiation, and I dread the sound of the phone ringing because I know it's a problem on the other end that I have to solve.
And of course, the financial insecurity has been more than I can stand. Sure, it's great to have those $10,000 months, but they always seem to be followed by several months of zilch - maybe because I spent all my energy working on those sales that led to the $10,000 month. I can't stand not knowing where my mortgage payment will come from or whether or not I can pay my health insurance premium next month.
This career has been devastating to my health, my peace of mind and, as you know, my marriage. Now that I'm back at work, 9:00 - 5:00, in a J O B that I can leave at the office, I'm so happy and relieved, I can't believe I didn't do this sooner.
I hope you aren't disappointed in me. I really gave this my best shot, but in the end, it wasn't for me. Do I feel like a failure? Yes, sometimes. But I tried and I'm glad I did!
Sharon
***
Last month I received this letter from one of my very first readers, and with her permission, I shared it with my mailing list.
Wow - the response back to me was overwhelming. Many sympathized with Sharon and quite a few confessed to having similar fantasies about leaving the business. But in the words of those who admitted to be considering a change in career, I heard a common tone of shame, of guilt, of apology - that they felt they had to defend themselves for even thinking about making a change -- even though their real estate business was clearly taking an enormous toll on them.
Well, I'm here to tell you that there is NO shame in changing something that isn't working. Quitting, even. Successful people do it all the time - in fact, Seth Godin wrote a whole book about it (The Dip)! There's nothing sacred about a real estate career and if the time has come to do something ELSE, have the courage (yes, the courage!) to throw in the towel and DO something else!
Of course, if you're just frustrated with your real estate career from time to time it doesn't mean it's the wrong career for you; that's just life -- the frustration will pass. Or maybe you're a little burned out and need a fresh start or even a break so you can rediscover your passion for the career you used to love. In this case, quitting probably is NOT the answer!
So, how can you know which it is? How can you know if you are truly ready to do something else (in which case, you most certainly should), or if you're just a little tired and frustrated?
I dunno ;-]
No, seriously, I think I can help. On August 25th, we'll convene in the SWS Virtual Studio for a frank discussion about, well, quitting. Be warned this is NOT a Rah-Rah show where we'll rev you up and encourage you to eat right, exercise more, think positive thoughts, chant daily and then, oh, yeah, try to sell you lots of our stuff to help get you back on your feet. Nope, our goal is to help you decide, for yourself, if you're on the right path. If you aren't, we'll encourage you to make a change. No guilt, no shame, no apology required!
THE DETAILS
Date: Thursday, August 25th, 2011
Time: 8:00am Pacific / 9:00am Mountain / 10:00am Central / 11:00am Eastern
Duration: 75 - 90 minutes
Cost: Free to attend live, but you must register, below. You may purchase a recording afterwards for $3.99 in the Sell with Soul Bookstore.
REGISTER FOR THE SHOW HERE
Note to My Readers - Selling Soulfully blogs are written with the goal of inspiring intelligent discussion and good-natured debate among readers - not just a back and forth between me and you. Feel free to 'hijack' any of my posts with your own relevant links, opinions, rants or discussions - no need to ask for permission - just go for it!
