I remember being reminded “the days are long, but the years are short,” when I was in my late twenties and all of my thirties. To be honest, I would nod my head with the most confused look. What did that mean? How could days feel long, but then the years fly by?
Well, I can tell you now, I absolutely know what that saying means. The past 16 years of our daughter’s life has flown by, but there were days/weeks/months that stood still. I remember thinking as she got her driver’s permit at 15, we have a whole year to help her drive safely and be prepared to drive herself. Then BAM, we were lining back up in the amazing DMV line to get her license. All the doubts and fears rushing in as we waited. Did we drive enough? Is she really ready? Did I explain all the rules and the consequences correctly? I sure hope that driver’s ed class that cost over $500 was worth it!
It’s been over a month since she has had her license and we are slowly letting out the “freedom leash.” At first, she was only allowed to drive to and from school, then to certain personal appointments and now a few “fun” activities here and there. We aren’t ready for her to drive the freeway or any country roads. I know that has to change and it slowly will. But as the days and months go by she is building trust, appropriate decision making and enduring consequences as they come up.
As I write this, I realize this can be the same role and steps we need to take on as agents. We have to build trust with our clients and get to know them personally and professionally so we can help guide them in their best interests. We recently had a couple, who for lack of a better word, were drowning at their rental and really wanting/needing to buy locally. We have been working with them for several months and have gotten to know them well enough that we had an opportunity to ask them some hard questions. Through this lengthy conversation, we learned a great deal about their situation, their immediate goals and how we can help assist in getting them there. In the long run, we were able to help guide them on where they were wasting time and money as well as different avenues available to get them into a home sooner rather than later. It was an entirely different game plan than we had at the beginning, but because of their trust in us, and sharing their financial situation and personal issues they were facing, we were able to come alongside them and develop a plan together.
As we slowly approach the end of the first quarter of 2024, I can feel the year continuing to fly by. I have no doubt I will blink and have a 17-year-old. I have always found the parallels between everyone’s professional and personal life intriguing. Each aspect helping us grow, the lessons learned in one applying to the other. Our hope is our clients would lean on us more as we build a foundation of trust; that as trust is built the more important questions will rise up.
