10 Vacation Observations From my Week at the Beach

I've been on vacation for the last week. I've had a lot of fun. It's also been an opportunity to unplug and unwind from the hectic world we all live in.

It's really kind of amazing what happens when you simply disconnect.

The e-mails wait in the inbox a little longer than usual. The cool thing is when you finally get around to checking your new mail, very few are "important" or "urgent." It's kind of amazing how many you can hit "delete" without even reading past the subject line.

Calls can go to voicemail. You quickly realize that only a random few will even leave a message.

Scheduled social media check-ins? More like "When you think of it" kind of posts...and they're usually not a "this will bring me business" type of post anyway.

As I head into a few more days of my vacation before heading back to Ohio and getting ready for a very busy schedule ahead in the second half of the year, here are a few thoughts and observations I have had this week on vacation;

• The tide comes in and the tide goes out. No one has any control over it. You just have to plan accordingly and know where you're going to put your chairs and towels down.
• People watching is a real thing.
• When it's hot as hell, a cool breeze is a wonderful thing.
• Even though the restaurants are different, the menus can often look the same. The ones that have been memorable have been "more than the menu."
• Sunblock can be your friend.
• Your schedule is flexible and loose but it's still a good idea to keep ownership of what you're doing each day.
• Talk to everyone...or talk to no one.
• Traffic is going to move at "island speed." You can ignore it and be frustrated all week or you can slow down and "go with the flow."
• You never forget how to ride a bike.
• There's always "one more day" until it's time to go.

Now let's translate these into "REALTOR talk"...

• Buyers are gonna buy. Sellers are gonna sell. No one really controls "the market." You just have to decide where you're going to plant your seeds, how you're going to water and fertilize those seeds, and decide how long you're willing to wait to repeat that process until those seeds bear fruit. The ocean never seems to be in a hurry. It just keeps making waves.
• Who are you seeing and who is seeing you? Remember, it's not about the houses.
• How can you be someone's "cool breeze" when it's hot and humid? How can you show up the right moment and give someone relief? Figure that out and people won't need to look for air conditioning.
• With almost 1.5 million Realtors, how will you stand out? What are you doing for your customers, clients, and community that is truly worth talking about?
• Be honest and ethical in everything you do and you'll never need to worry about being burned.
• Either you control your schedule or somebody else does. Usually when you're on vacation, you're the boss. You control when you wake up, what you do all day, and when you go to bed. Why would that change when you're back engrossed in yown own business?
• You decide your level of engagement each day. Do you want to build a wide network of potential clients or would you rather go deeper on a much more narrow list of people? Both can work, you just need to decide on where you're going.
• The Supremes sang "You Can't Hurry Love" and the best Realtors realize that you can't hurry success. As my friend Anthony likes to say, "Get up, show up, and do the work."
• Stay balanced, keep moving, and know where you're going. The basics work! Never forget the power of focusing on building relationships, solving probems, and having fun. Once you get started, you realize how far these simple concepts could take you. 
• Don't worry about the last day until it's your last day. You've got a full 24 hours ahead of you and you're sort of playing with "house money." Sleep in. Crack another beer. Order the expensive entree. Get dessert. Stay up late and have one more bourbon. You've worked hard. It's time to enjoy it.

I hope you can learn from...or be reminded of, a few of these lessons. Maybe you have some axioms or "rules to live by" that come to mind that could be good ideas for you to gain some momentum and finish the year strong.

I just know that all this good time and relaxation has inspired me to get back home to start working hard so we can schedule another vacation sooner than later.