Back in the late 1960s and early 1970s, I read all the works of Herman Hesse. Some of them over, and over again. Siddhartha stuck a deep chord.
Siddhartha, after living three years as an ascetic, emerges from the forest and meets a beautiful woman. In order to obtain worldly items to please woman, Siddhartha seeks employment with a merchant. The merchant asks Siddhartha “What have you learned that you can give?” Siddhartha replies “I can think, I can wait, I can fast.”
The merchant asks Siddhartha, “What good is fasting?”
Siddhartha responds “If, for instance, Siddhartha has not learned to fast, he would have had to seek some kind of work today, either with you, or elsewhere, for hunger would have driven him. But as it is, Siddhartha can wait calmly. He is not impatient, he is not in need, he can ward off hunger for a long time and laugh at it. Therefore, fasting is useful, sir.”
I can think. I can wait. I can fast. Those three short sentences became a mantra.
I can think. I can offer ideas, I can create solutions. I can wait. I can hunker down and stay the course. I can fast. One look at my waistline could convince you not to take this answer in the literal sense. But I can indeed wait calmly, in a position of strength, unencumbered by impatience or urgency.
I can remember repeating “I can think, I can wait, I can fast” to prospective employers a few times on job interviews back in those long ago days, to be met with blank, but polite, stares.
Fast forward a few decades. I write a post on Bloodhound blog exploring ideas about re-inventing a small real estate brokerage in the Web 2.0 World. People correctly point out that I need to assess what I can give a prospective agent.
I visualize myself sitting across from a new agent, conducting an interview. The agent is asking “so, what do you offer?” I ponder E&O, desk fees, commission splits, niche marketing, contact systems, lead generation, vertical searches. Lions and tigers and bears. Oh my.
But after all these years, I have come full circle. What else can I give to anyone; other than the answers of Siddhartha, what else can I answer?
I visualize myself replying to that new agent: “I can think. I can wait. I can fast”. I smile, there is a gentle humor in the juxtaposition of Siddhartha’s assertions and today’s real estate market.
But these are the assertions of a strong and confident young man. And then the thought comes to me: I can add two more answers, distinctly mine. Answers I have only learned only with the passage of time, although I would like to believe Siddhartha also learned them as he neared the end of his life.
I can delight. I can forgive.
Are these useful qualities in your real estate broker? Points to put in an independent contractor agreement? A foundation upon which to build a business? I do not know. And yet here I am.
Oh wait, back to the visualization. The attractive young agent in the well tailored suit is getting up now. “Thank you,” she says. “I enjoyed meeting you,” she says. She does not say “have a nice life,” although the unspoken words hang in the air between us for a brief moment. Then she leaves, and I remain, remembering, thinking and waiting, and delighting in the sweet absurdity of it all.
Teri Lussier says:
Cheryl-
Beautiful.
I enjoy the haiku, but this is remarkable. 😉
>I can think. I can offer ideas, I can create solutions. I can wait. I can hunker down and stay the course. I can fast. One look at my waistline could convince you not to take this answer in the literal sense. But I can indeed wait calmly, in a position of strength, unencumbered by impatience or urgency.
We forget the power in these skills, unless we read Sun Tzu, and they are presented to us in a different way. And he doesn’t mention the importance of delight. 😉
So you made me take stock:
I can think. I can wait. Shucks, do I have to? I can fast (not in the literal sense). I can forgive. I can delight? Only once in a blue moon.
And to answer your question: Yes! I would appreciate those skills in a broker. And also in a friend.
June 6, 2008 — 7:25 am
Thomas Johnson says:
If all brokers would ask potential new agents “Can you think, Can you wait, Can you fast.” Or, “Show me a business plan how you are going to pay your bills and survive this jungle until your first closing. Now, I can show you how we can get you there, but I need to know that your financial desperation will not cause you to make an ethical blunder that will harm all of us here at XYZ Realty.”
June 6, 2008 — 8:02 am
Barry Cunningham says:
LMAO…he said “show me a business plan”….TGIF!! That was a good one!
We have been personal coaching for over a year and most agents don’t even realize that they are IN business much less being prepared enough to compose a business plan.
I have even given people templates that they STILL could not follow to write their own.
Business plan writing seems to be above the pay grade of most real estate agents and I guess the low barrier to entry and the lack of real business qualifications and experience is or may be the cause.
Please don’t get the pitch forks (really don’t care if you do) but I said MOST..not YOU.
June 6, 2008 — 10:22 am
Thomas Johnson says:
Barry: WWDGD?
June 6, 2008 — 10:59 am
Don Reedy says:
Cheryl,
This is so wonderful. I’ll reflect with much less than I would like to, because while you CAN wait, you should not HAVE to wait.
I would tie my boat alongside yours if you truly could “delight.” More than anything in this world, to delight in one’s life, activities, friends and work is the pinnacle of living. This is what “delight” means to me.
To delight is most importantly to focus on what is here and now, to put away distractions and worries and fears. Give yourself over to the moment, grasp it, and take it in as a long deep breath. To delight is to put away all misgivings and doubts, and to open your arms, open your eyes, and open your spirit.
So, Cheryl, if you will provide daily opportunities to your agents from which you may give and they may receive delight, then you will provide all the substance needed to create the exact environment in which both of you will prosper.
Your post is very, very moving. It is clear to me that you are writing a business plan in your heart, as well as in your head. That, my friend, portends every opportunity to succeed, grow, and most certainly to delight.
June 6, 2008 — 2:49 pm
Vance Shutes says:
Cheryl,
Those who forgive shed themselves of the burden of anger. Those who choose not to forgive become encumbered with so many hurts that they eventually break down under the load.
You’ve heard me say before that agents get the clients that they attract, and clients get the agents they deserve. With the attitude you’ve displayed in this wonderful post, it’s doubtless that you’ll be attracting a wonderful set of clients with whom you’ll choose to work. After all, you can still fast.
June 7, 2008 — 5:36 am