A game featuring two equally matched teams of kids, roughly between the ages of 8 and 17 (none taller than 5’9”), was nearing its end when I reached the basketball court yesterday evening.
Sitting on one sideline, a group of teenage girls giggled, sent text messages and discussed ”important” things like the upcoming Justin Bieber concert and Chris Brown’s U.K. legal woes. On the opposite sideline I watched players showcase their affinity for shooting and dribbling while displaying obvious disdain for anything remotely resembling defense, as evidenced by a lead that changed with every possession.
The absence of any real competition forced me to shift my focus from “winning” to “breaking a pretty good sweat.” However, when the game finished, the high school guys decided they didn’t want to take the chance on possibly being embarrassed by a taller, older guy who was the only person on the court who could dunk. The younger kids followed suit and soon I was on the court shooting by myself. That is, until a tiny neighborhood kid named Evan walked up to me and said, “Do you want to play one-on-one?”
At first, I thought he was joking and wondered if he had taken the time to assess the impossible mission he was about to undertake. (I’m 6’3” 180 lbs. and according to Evan, his doctor measured him at 3’5 and 64.5 lbs.) Then he stuck out his small, pale hands and gave me quick nod, nonchalantly asking for the basketball as if I was one of his fellow third graders. Remarkably polite, he said “thank you “each and every time I rebounded one of his misses and passed the ball back to him… every single time!
As Evan warmed up, struggling to keep his glasses from sliding down his suddenly sweaty nose, I made the decision to take it easy on him. Shortly thereafter, I realized that was a mistake. After scoring the first basket of the game with relative ease and virtually non-existent defense on my part, the diminutive young towhead made it exceedingly clear he was not accepting any charity.
“C’mon, stop taking it easy on me and play hard,” Evan said. “It’s the only way I will get better. “
The game was filled with the obligatory traveling, carrying and double dribbling associated with playing an 8-year- old, but there was a sense of determination and self-confidence that I had never seen in a child this young, especially facing such insurmountable odds. It was quite a refreshing change. And, when Evan missed a shot or made a mistake, he didn’t complain or make excuses; he just hustled to get his own rebound and actually beat me to a couple of loose balls.
Our rubber match game of “Sweet 16” was cut short by Evan’s mom, who shouted from across the park that it was time to go home just as I was about to hit the game-winning shot. So, he technically won with 15 points to my 14 and interestingly, he taught me a lesson or two. Actually, five is more accurate and here they are:
Five Things I Learned from Evan:
1. Situations are truly what you make of them.
2. Losing now can provide an opportunity for winning later.
3. Always give your best, even when it seems like it won’t be enough.
4. Expect those around you to give their best, even if they are “better.”
5. Politeness is an asset, especially during adversity.
So, when I start to feel a situation is too much for me to handle, I will think of Evan and his can-do attitude. If he can do it, so can I... and so can you. It's simply the power of perspective. Click HERE for a funny video relating to the power of perspective.
Google is no more...
In an unprecedented decision Google, Inc. has decided to change it's name to Topeka, Inc. in honor of the city's recent decision to change it's name to Google, Kansas.
As April Fool's Day pranks go, this one is a doozy. Not because of any confusion over the name (I'm sure most people understand it's meant to be humorous) but because of the massive reach of this "joke." The name "Topeka" will be in front of the entire world for an entire day. Domestic and international news outlets are covering this story as if it's real news.
And, this could be a huge step toward Topeka become a part of Google's ultra high speed broadband effort, although the CEO denies this in his blog. Now, if I could just get Topeka, Inc. to change it's name to Gotham.
For more information on this change, please visit: http://bit.ly/newgooglename.
http://www.GothamRealtyGroup.com
This morning started like any other workday, but quickly took an interesting turn.
Earlier today, Facebook and Twitter experienced technical difficulties, making it nearly impossible to update status or wall posts, make comments, send messages on Facebook or even log on to Twitter. After an hour of dealing with these daunting and frustratingly futile tasks, I asked myself if I "could live in a world without Facebook or Twitter."
My answer was, "Absolutely not!" However, I'm guessing that the majority of respondents would disagree with me and answer in the affirmative. Why not? We lived in a Twitter-less world before it was invented, what's the difference now, right? Well, I'd like to answer that question by removing the words 'Facebook and Twitter' from the original question.
Could you live in a world without...
mobile phones? Even 8-year-old kids have them these days.
the Internet? Try looking for a house without it.
automobiles? At least there would be less pollution and the ozone layer might still be intact.
airplanes? Two weeks to cross the Atlantic isn't so bad.
radio? No biggie. TV killed the radio star, anyway.
television? Could be the next casualty of the Internet era.
cable/ satellite? NBC would actually be "Must See TV!"
calculators? Time to dust off the abacus.
electricity? That investment in wax futures is looking pretty good right now.
the printing press? No printing press means no textbooks. Hmmm...? Not a bad idea.
Were you able to say "yes" to any of these questions? If you think so, think again. The question wasn't "could YOU live without..." it was "could you live in a WORLD without..."
It's reasonable that any of us could live without a few of these things, but it would be very difficult to live in a world they had not impacted. For example, try to imagine a world without electricity. With the exception of the printing press, the rest of the list wouldn't even exist.
And, while the comparison between the importance of social networking sites and electricity is a stretch, we cannot downplay their role in our society. They will be around until they are upgraded and/or replaced, so why not fully embrace them or at least stop complaining about them?
As always, feel free to send us a telegraph or you can follow us on Twitter: @GothamRealtyGrp ( http://www.twitter.com/GothamRealtyGrp).
For free, unrestricted 24/7 access to homes in Kansas City, Overland Park, Leawood and more... visit http://www.GothamRealtyGroup.com or just stop by. Here are directions: http://bit.ly/GRGmap.
Beginning Saturday June 13, 2009 Facebook is joining the ranks of Twitter, Myspace and other social networks by providing vanity URLs for account holders.
In my opinion, that's great news for everyone, but especially for real estate agents. Realtors, brokers and their companies tend to spend lots of time and sometimes lots of money creating consistent, recognizable brands. And, the ability be "top of mind" in the eyes of potential clients and recruits, can contribute heavily to success in real estate.
If you don't believe me, try naming 10 toothpaste brands in 10 seconds. How about 10 bar soaps? Okay, I'll give you an easy one... 10 types of soda/pop. While it's not impossible, I discovered that it's also not very easy.
However, marketing a vanity Facebook URL is extremely easy. There are already major corporations experimenting with this technique. One example is the now-doomed Kobe vs. LeBron campaign by Coca-Cola's VitaminWater: http://www.facebook.com/vitaminwater. The vanity URL made marketing that site much easier than http://www.facebook.com/pages/vitaminwater-kobe-vs-lebron/123424578 (not a real URL).
Networking with friends, business associates, other real estate professionals and potential clients using Facebook has become an important part of "marketing" myself. In the last three weeks I have received 11 solid leads and converted 5 into clients. That may not seem like a lot, but it has a huge positive affect on my bottom line; those leads were FREE. And, the majority of my Facebook activity is during my personal time, so I'm not distracted and can still focus on my other real estate related responsibilities.
In addition, I didn't have to "do" anything to receive these leads other than talk a lot about my life and talk a little about my business. And, during one referral conversation, the gentleman said that he chose me because I "don't just talk about real estate." (NOTE: I am in NO WAY trying to knock agents who only post listings and only talk about real estate, I'm just talking about my personal experience.)
As with many seemingly worthwhile things, there always seems to be a catch. If you have a common name, are part of a franchise or you need multiple names you will have to act quickly if you don't want to be "JohnSmith34279." The expected "gold rush" will also undoubtedly create a perfect environment for "URL squatters." Like cyber squatters, their aim is to register popular or trademarked names then sell them to the highest bidder. I truly hope that Facebook has safeguards in place to prevent that type of thing. Good luck!
For more information, please visit the Facebook Blog or bookmark the registration page (http://www.facebook.com/username), which currently features a registration countdown clock.
Jonathan Bell
I'm trying out a new twitter icon. If it doesn't work... http://www.twitter.com/GothamRealtyGrp
Today is my 32nd birthday. LOL. And, frankly, sometimes I can stress a little bit. However, after a tough day at the office, I can let the stress of the day carry-on into my personal life or I can change my attitude. Changing my attitude has proven it can be a challenge
Recently, I found a solution... when I am feeling particularly bad, I visit http://icanhascheezburger.com.
There is at least one thing that makes me smile EVERY time I visit. So,I try to share it with everyone. However, don't take my word for it. Use it and let me know what you think.
Jonathan Bell @GothamRealtyGroup on Twitter.
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