I had a conversation with one of my real estate associates yesterday. She was relaying to me a meeting that she had with the broker of a competing firm that had approached her about leaving our company and moving to their firm. The point that the other broker kept stressing was that their entire business strategy was directed at empowering their agents. The centerpiece of that strategy was to give the agent a greater percentage of the dollars they generated in sales. Our agent said that she thanked the broker for being interested in her career, but that she was quite satisfied where she was.
I was obviously pleased to hear that, but I felt that it opened the door to take our conversation to another level, so asked why the promise of more money had not interested her more? She smiled and replied that, while the opportunity to make money was very important, she certainly had that opportunity at our company. “While the money is important, I want more,” she said. “When they think of me, I want my clients to associate the words integrity, professional, competency, honesty and service to others with who I am. I want them to associate money and success with what I am. The other company’s approach was to pitch me solely on the proposition of the what I am, while you stand for and care about the who I am. For that I am both grateful and proud to be a part of a company that cares for more than just what’s in it for me.”
I have always believed that the essence of our human soul is the desire to be a part of something bigger and greater than ourselves. It is what drives mankind toward goodness and Godliness. It is what binds us to one another. We are not put on this earth for ourselves, but are placed here for each other. If you there always for others, then in time of need, someone will be there for you.
William Bradford, the great leader of the English settlers of Plymouth, Massachusetts in the 1600’s said, “Our lives can become cluttered by many things. Some are obvious, such as material things, the stuff we collect. I really wish I were able to give a lesson on how to prioritize the material things – how to sort them, dispose of some, and put the rest in order – but I’m not qualified…But how well I know that we can surround ourselves with the material things to the extent that we have no time for the spiritual. Look around and see all the gadgets and toys and the nice and fun things that cause us to squander and pay and to wander and play.”
It was as true in the 1600’s as it is today. Serve and you will be served. That should be our individual and collective goal. It should drive the worker and the business owner. The citizen and the politician. Money, success, fame, things are all desirable, but if you seek them first, you will find they are quite illusive. Seek first to serve honestly, passionately, and competently and the riches of this world and the next will be laid at your feet.
Let me close with a short story that illustrates today’s message that we are at our strongest, greatest and most powerful when we think in terms of being a part of, and serving something more than ourselves. It is called The Lonely Ember:
A member of a community service organization, who previously had been attending meeting regularly, stopped going. After a few weeks, a friend of his, who was also a member of the organization, decided to visit him.
It was a chilly evening. The friend found the man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire. Guessing the reason for his friend’s visit, the man welcomed him, led him to a big chair near the fireplace and waited.
The friend made himself comfortable but said nothing. In the grave silence, he contemplated the play of the flames around the burning logs. After some minutes, the friend took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the hearth all alone. Then he sat back in his chair, still silent. The host watched all this in quiet fascination. As the one lone ember’s flame diminished, there was a momentary glow and then its fire was no more. Soon it was cold and “dead as a door nail.”
Not a word had been spoken since the initial greeting. Just before the friend was ready to leave, he picked up the cold, dead ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire. Immediately it began to glow once more with the light and warmth of the burning coals around it. As the friend reached the door to leave, his host said, “Thank you so much for your visit and especially for the fiery reminder of the important of being part of something bigger then myself.”
Have a magnificent and awe-full weekend!
Bill Bacque