Relationships Matter

I remember being young and starting out in the career world. So many things to look forward to! All the opportunities and ideas to apply my ambitions! It was so easy to see people living their Chapter 30 and think that I, merely at the Preface to the novel of my life, should suddenly be operating at that level. 

Someone told me that I should forge relationships with people, join organizations and get to know folks. So I did. I went to networking events, I joined groups like the Chamber of Commerce, and never had any idea of what that would actually do for my career or life. I was told to do it, without any context. If successful people were out there doing this, I should too! I'm gunning for Chapter 30, here, as soon as possible! 

That was over a decade, two kids, two homes, three dogs, and a career change ago. Thanks to tools like LinkedIn, I am able to stay in touch with people that I met in these professional settings. Some of the folks I met are lost to the ether of time, and I vaguely remember who they are. But we met, and enough of an impression was made to connect to some level.

The thing is, you never know what those past relationships will actually bring to your future. Treat people right, and those good efforts become time traveling assets that come to visit you in the future. The light you impart upon people really does make a difference, and makes you memorable. When you think about what we really have in life, it's people and relationships. It's fellowship and connection that bring meaning to life. 

Just as I suspected, these connections I have been cultivating for 20+ years are still around, and still in contact! I recently had the privilege (and pleasure!) of helping a long-time connection in the home search process. It's been a lot of fun to see where life has taken this person in the last several years, and the great things that are in store. The satisfaction is not in the transaction of real estate, but rather that the home search is the medium for building a relationship. A partnership. A friendship.

Either way, I'm still aiming for that Chapter 30. And to get there, it's really going to take a village.