The concept of turning literal shit into something beautiful happens every day in nature. Think of your problems as a hot steaming pile of pony poop in the middle of your climb up the mountain of personal fulfillment.

There was a time in my life when I questioned the very point of continuing. The darkness was all-consuming, a suffocating blanket of hopelessness. I knew I needed help, so I reached out, gratefully accepting medication, therapy, and even, in a desperate move, a return to some form of faith.

Recently I ran into my high school English teacher, Ms. Barley (not her real name). Mind you, this is some thirty years after graduation. And I'm feeling pretty good about myself. Family's great, I'm involved in my community, and, honestly, I've done alright for myself. So, I'm giving her the life update, feeling all proud.

Then I mention real estate. And BAM. Her whole vibe shifts. "Oh... real estate? I just thought... with your brilliance... well, as long as you're happy!"

At thirty-something, with three kids, a zoology degree, and a severe lack of foresight, I traded my steady teaching job for the unpredictable world of real estate. Let's just say, it wasn't a smooth transition. In fact, it was a spectacular crash landing. I quickly discovered that my primary role was convincing people to work with me – a daunting task for someone whose self-confidence was perpetually on life support. To add fuel to the fire, the Great Recession loomed, threatening the livelihood of my contractor husband and myself. Oh, and we decided to have a fourth child. Because why not?

We all want success and are willing to work hard for it. We even have moments of clarity and inspiration when we really believe it’s possible, and times when we have a taste of real success and want more. Then, in one way or another, the world slows us down and gets in our way. In reality it’s not ‘the world’ that keeps us from having/doing/being what we want; it’s usually something of our own doing.

It’s only Wednesday, and I have already had a shit week.

Early in my career, I didn’t have the money to do all the things I was told a real estate agent should be doing: direct mail, pricey coaching programs, etc.

But I, a natural ‘people person’, was having a great time on this new thing called Facebook.

I am amazing at my job. But I’m not special. I’m not better than you. If you’re willing to put in the work, you can be (and feel) amazing too.

I started my real estate career pretty smug. Seriously, how hard can it be?

Early in my real estate career, I had a deal with the quintessential glad-handing old boy. We’ll call him Bill Cooper (not his real name). Bill came from the generation when real estate brokers were mainly white guys who named their brokerage after themselves. In this crowd, a wink, a nudge, and a handshake were all valid forms of communication.

Four real-life struggles of a business leader and how to overcome them 

Valentine’s Day, 2009

I am grateful:

I have 3 showings scheduled at my new listing

I wasn’t badly injured when I fell down the stairs today

There might be a medication that can make me feel better

Next time you’re looking to ramp up productivity, before you add people or add work to the people you have, first make sure you’ve created the most fertile ground for that work to be done. Happy chickens lay more eggs!

Here’s how it goes: You start noticing growth, and for a minute it feels like you’ve got this thing figured out! And then BOOM, you get a big fat attorney letter hand-delivered to your door.

When I first started in real estate, I had to learn how to do almost everything with no money, including how to dress myself.