REALTOR by Day & Jumping Jet Skier by Evening (We have to have outside interests!)

It's so important to have other interests besides real estate. I don't think I could keep up my stamina with my work load and be excited about working every day if I didn't have other hobbies and interests.

It's also important to stay in shape so you can have a full, long work day. Not only do you have to eat in your car half the time, (bad food), but when you are showing properties and homes, you need to have the physical fitness to show 10 homes in high heels and slacks. It gets tougher when you have to go home after a full day and work on feedback and listing paperwork throughout most of your evenings. But hey, I signed up for this!

I show Lake Norman area properties so I think it's important to be active on the lake so I can talk to my clients about my experiences, Lake rules,knowledge, etc.

Eating healthy is really important too but, unless you can keep a cooler in your car, it's almost impossible not to grab something at least once a week in a drive-thru. I also love to drink wine, (at over 200 calories a glass), So staying active with hobbies like running, tennis, and lake activties are really important to me to stay trim from all those extra calories.

You can also meet new people while doing these activities, thereby increasing your network! The only thing you have to remember is to keep some "waterproof business cards" handy and always introducing yourself as a local real estate agent. :-)

If you don't know what you can do for a physical hobbie and you don't want to go to the gym or hang out at the coffee shop like every one else, then try searching www.meetup.com for something that you might be interested in. I started my Wine meetup (Lake Norman Wine Enthusiasts) in September of 2007 for fun, and I now have over 700 members! I host 3-5 events a month a local wine bars and it doesn't cost me anything to do the tasting since I set them up. It's totally fun and a great way to network.

My friend Lonnie just joined a hiking group (meetup group) and is now hiking almost every weekend within a couple hours of the Lake Norman area with a whole new group of people. And he gets in shape while hanging out and networking!

I also try to play tennis with lake norman tennis organization ($15) called "Compass Draw" at least a couple times a month. I bought a used racket a couple years ago and just signed up and have played ever since. I joined Galloway Training in Charlotte and I run a long run at 7:30am every Saturday morning with at least 20 people in my 11 min pace group. Who needs the gym when you can mingle with people and exercise at the same time??

HERE'S A MOTTO: "WORK HARD, PLAY HARD!"