The sum of all the Real Estate and life parts is larger than the whole thing.

A man without direction. Walking the fine line of life. A lost soul. When I was younger I struggled with identity and the pursuit of happiness. What was happiness? What was success? How did I want to define my life and the chance to do something with my life. Funny, it really was not on the front burner at that time, and like so many others time came, went by, and everyday was another thought or action that for the most part, surely would not have been identified as success, happiness, and definition of life meaning by what I believe to be correct today.

My friend in activerain, Ernie Cabrera, touched on pursuit of happiness in one of his recent posts and it got me thinking more about what he had mentioned. Ernie works in San Francisco and the surrounding areas in California. I really like it when someone does one of those small things that wind up making my whole day. Recently Ernie sent me an email and simply said "Hi Tom, I wanted to take a moment out and thank you for adding me as an associate in activerain, you were the first one. Thank you" Is Ernie class or what? I can only believe his customers and clients just love the guy. Why wouldn't they? He goes out and does those little things that people just do not forget. Please see http://www.erniecabrera.com. Recently I started mentoring a young gentleman named Alex Zokan that started to work for me. he asked me what the secret of success is for me. I was fast to tell him that it took a long time to learn, but it was right in front of me all the time. Just dare to be different, just be yourself! Smart guy, he picks up things fast, and has a real desire to learn. Please see his profile on activerain at http://www.activerain.com/alexzokan he truly wants meaningful advice that can help him mold his career. Send him an email and let him know that you are just one of the great teachers of activerain. At a time when caring means the most, and in a slow market we all pull together as a family, he surely would enjoy and embrace new found friends and knowing he is part of a caring cyber family. I learn every day from some of the best; you! I believe that you have to break it all into parts rather than perceive it to be one big chunk of substance.

Where am I going with all this? Take a moment out and think about what we do on activerain, and what we see. We see the new person writing that post saying I hope I am doing this okay, and they just start writing. Bravo to them. Remember when we picked up that phone the first couple of times in out career? Luck would have it that we probably had someone on the other end that was ready to ream us a new rump not because they did not want to hear from us, they just did not like life, as a whole, and wanted to let us know. I don't know about you but that sure as heck would not do a whole lot for my self esteem starting out in this business. I probably would be apologizing to the next person before they even answered the phone. Enter the glory of activerain. There is strength in numbers, and we have a family of brokers, lenders, title companies. virtual assistants, Real Estate photography companies, virtual tours, and more that at any time of the day is willing to lend that ear to someone, and take a moment out and say " It is okay, I have been there", Try this, it worked for me", "Can I make a suggestion, I had found when I changed this it worked for this reason."

Take a moment out. Think. What networking source is there that really allows us a chance to work, think, participate, contribute, learn, and more on a daily basis as much as we want to absorb or take in. No sugar coating, just one big healthy diet, one big thirst for being. My daily regiment used to be simple before I became very sick. The grace of God has healed me to the point where I was able to give myself a really big cerebral kick in the glutias maximus and wake up! How simple was it before. real simple. Work, work hard, think I worked hard, convince myself, eat lots of aspirin, be a know it all, and what ever I do don't let people know there was a sensitive side to me. Oh my, someone could challenge me, and I would have to step up the the plate. Sure, after twenty three years of doing this I have refined myself and now am out of the woods.

WRONG, I have to work at it everyday. I never want to be of the mindset that I cannot put it all off to the side and remember that I have a wonderful little man named Spencer that keeps me focused. I have my traveling companion Lars the German Shepherd that reminds me everyday that it simply is a dog's World. Take a step back and break it all up. Mr. Spock said it best when he said that the needs of the many outweighs the needs of the one. By virtue of our source of perpetual rain, fresh rain, healthy rain, the rain that falls on us known as activerain, we have the ability to cleanse ourselves and renew.

By breaking it all down into a daily recipe of balance, a balance of home, work, play, family, friends, and more we have the abilty to not get all caught up in one big thought of disaster, dis-function, dis-enchantment. By putting the needs of others first, and stepping up to the plate and saying "I intend to make a difference, I want to make a difference, I intend to lead by example! Even if I contribute in a small way, and an honest way, at least I did what I set out to do. Contribute. That in turn allows us to put our happiness, by virtue of leading by example, to put our life mission of true sense of goals, breaking it up, putting it all into a warp drive of meaning

At a younger age life just did not have me balance what I really needed to put first. Today, we have customers and clients that really have become very near and dear friends of ours. The fact that we read how technology throws this curve out there, people should do this, people should do that, and everytime we turn around we see another expert on television telling the morning audience to do this and it will work. Trends will come, trends will go, and so with it goes the same people that will want to call us and want our services because we offer something that others in business may not be able to offer sincerely, and whole hearted. Ourselves.

Balance, we all want it, we strive for it, we can taste it, but we need to wok at it, it does not fall in our lap.

Activerain gives people like myself a chance to redeem my worthiness. I have a lot to learn, I learn everyday not by the people around me, my customers, my clients, my friend and mentor-my son Spencer, but also activerain. The same source that allows me to contribute on a scale that I can determine. I look at Brett Noel's post and he really does drive a point home that must take precedence over all others. We have to take responsibility. Simple, but very powerful. Imagine having a custom pizza that allows us to put our life ingredients on each slice, happiness, work, contributions, learning, caring, passion, other people first, our attitude, our meaning, our decisions. It would be a big pizza, but if well thought out we would put the internal conduit on that could easily be missed. The life sauce that makes, or breaks the pizza, that being to put others needs ahead of ourselves.

Mission statements, gameplans, goals, business plans:they mean nothing unless we have the proper attitude in life. The proper means and vision to take the whole thing and dissect it into meaningful, effective parts

Tom Braatz is a Broker that services all of SouthEastern Wisconsin. In Milwaukee, Waukesha, Ozaukee, Washington, Walworth, Dodge, Jefferson, Fond Du Lac, Sheboygan, Racine, and Manitowoc Counties call us to find out how others have benefitted fromour superb Selling and Buying systems. Be sure to visit his Real Estate blog in the State of Wisconsin at http://www.activerain.com/tommybraatz http://www.tombraatz.com http://www.buyingvip.com http://www.myhomevaluesource.com and see our full page listings at http://www.localism.com Have a question? Need his help? Pick up the phone and give him a call at 262-377-1459, or email him at tom@tombraatz.com Have a great 2008!!!! May you and your family be Happy, Healthy, and Safe.