Fear Factor

Several friends and I just returned from an amazing cruise to Cozumel. The trip was fantastic. Good food, good friends, warm sunshine, smell of the sea air, magnificent sunsets, and the amazing blue of the waters were enjoyed by all.

Now, this is my third trip to Cozumel and each time I have planned to go scuba diving. The first trip, a hurricane had come through just before my trip and we were not allowed in the water, (it was not even pretty).

For the second trip, my traveling partner would not consider diving. He did try snorkeling after some coaxing and a little fit throwing from me, however, he did not last long, his Fear took over and he went to the boat for an adult beverage.

This time, I had a friend with me who was ready, willing and able to do the dive. Yay!!! Finally I will get to dive into these amazing blue waters.

Sandy and I get to our dive location and we go through the training, she seems to be getting very nervous. I am nervous as well, but determined. I guess the good part about her fear was that I forgot my own. As we enter the water, she begins to have a little panic attack and she presented her Fears to the dive instructor. He calmed her down and we enter the water and begin our amazing dive. AHHH this is what I have been waiting to do.

My real estate path has opened up the opportunity to open a new branch office in Central Texas. This is a fantastic opportunity and I am very excited. I have been travelling back and forth between two cities with the plan of relocation after the 1st of the year. Now all of a sudden I have this HUGE FEAR FACTOR.

This fear is setting in and consuming my thoughts and I am not sure where it is coming from. I have never been afraid to take on a new challenge. My partner and I started our property management company several years ago with just the idea and determination to make it work. I know that I can do the same in the new market.

Like the game show FEAR FACTOR where contestants are faced with different types of risky challenges, starting a new office comes with many new challenges. I feel like one of the contestants who is having to dive into a tank of sharks! Now granted I was scuba diving in the Caribbean and the thought of sharks was not on my mind!!!! What is wrong with this picture???

Then I reflect on some of the fears that I have faced and overcome:

* Divorced raising two young boys

* Working 3 jobs and shuffling the schedules of my sons

* Taking several classes and designation courses as I began my journey into property management and real estate

* Studying and earning my real estate license

* Leaving a job of 15 years to open a property management company

Life is full of fears and each one must be faced head on. "You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do." Eleanor Roosevelt

So look out Central Texas, I am about to take my dive into your market and I will do this without fear or regret. I will build a top notch branch office for our company and expand into Temple/Waco area in 2012.