Happy Fall Y’all
Well, I’ve been a slacker! It has been about a month since my last blog post. Things have been SO busy! Busy is good though so we’ll take it.
The reason for this post today though is to talk about courage. A few weeks ago I checked something off of my bucket list, Rock Climbing. My hiking group (if you have not joined yet what in the world are you waiting for?!?) created an event and we ventured out to Chickies Rock. The goal? To climb up 90’ of rock. The thought of doing this scared the shit out of me. I had never attempted to rock climb before… shit, I could not even do the plastic kiddy walls that my toddler darts up. I’m not even really afraid of heights.. it’s more of the, you have to trust this stranger on the ground to keep you from falling to your death, that got me. And the fact that you are legit, gripping the side of this cliff with your big toe. Talk about intense.
5 feet off the ground I was ready to shit myself. Ready to call it quits. But that little voice inside of me kept saying “don’t be a little bitch and climb”. So that’s what I did. I climbed up that damn cliff. Why? To prove to myself, that even though it scared the absolute shit out of me, I was still going to crush it. And crush it I did. I not only got to the top once, but twice on two separate ropes.
It took a lot of courage for me to do this. I honestly did not think I would be able to do it. You are literally gripping onto a cliff, with your toes and fingers holding onto the side, on 1/2” ledges… if there was a ledge to grip onto. Every time I got to a small ledge that I could relax my muscles I would shake. Absolutely terrified, I could not even control my own body. But, I took a deep breath and continued on. It felt like I was up there for 45minutes.. (I’m sure it was not nearly that long)
About 15” from the top of the first climb was a piece of rock that was flat, slick and had no where to grip onto. No lie, I felt like spider man trying to get up those last few feet. I started to panic. I was 75’ off the ground and had no idea what my next move was. I stared at that ledge. Just stared at it, trying to figure out how the hell I was going to climb up. All of a sudden my hands felt clammy, my heart started racing, legs shaking as I felt the panic attack rapidly coming on. Terrified, I yelled down and told my spotter I needed to come down. Someone on the ground then yelled up to me “don’t you dare quit, you are right there!”.
I took 5 deep breaths, and looked at the rock again, trying to figure how the fuck I was going to get up there. I knew I would be so upset with myself if I gave up. I am not a quitter, I accomplish whatever I put my mind to, it’s kinda my thing. Was thing going to conquer me? As I gathered my thoughts I told myself “well, you are either going to get up there, or you’re going to fall, either way you are NOT going to bitch out.” So I yelled down to Emily, my belayer (person on the ground you are trusting not to let you drop), and said “you got me?” Where she replied back “hell yeah”. So I gathered every bit of energy I had left and I climbed up that last 20’, and got to the top!
I did it, I couldn’t believe it. I had conquered the cliff. The old Katie would have NEVER tried rock climbing before, and if she did she would have NEVER had the balls to climb to the top. Why am I bringing this up on a real estate blog…? Well because courage applies to all avenues of our lives. Every day we all battle something that scares us a little bit. Whether it be being a first time parent, taking an important test, being called into the principals office or your favorite café runs out of your favorite coffee and oh shit you have to figure out a replacement!
The other day I had a first time homebuyer who called me scared SHITLESS about an offer we had just put in on a home. She was scared doing it alone, it was such a big decision… what if she had made the wrong one? After talking her off the ledge, I told her how courageous she was for taking this step. I mean, lets be honest, the fact that she is a single woman purchasing a home on her own… that’s badass, and something to be very fucking proud of. She then realized that she wasn’t alone. That she could do this, and that this was the right decision. She thanked me and after we hung up I started thinking about our conversation.
Everyday we are all faced with obstacles that are keeping us from our goals. Whether it be something minor, like Bob getting the promotion over you, or you need $50,000 to start up your business idea but have no idea where those funds would come from. You may be scared to take that next step in your relationship, or that you aren’t raising your kids right. And we have two choices at this point, accept defeat and give up, OR, rise up and do what it takes to crush the goal. My buyer decided to rise up above the fear, she knew that in order to buy a home she would have to get over the fear of buying it. She trusted in the professionals that were helping her to make this decision, and ultimately came to the conclusion to continue with the purchase.
We all have a choice. It just depends how important that goal is to you. We all know what we need to do to lose 20lbs. Eat healthy, exercise, drink water, sleep good. But do you know why so many people fail at losing the 20lbs? Because of the fear. The fear of failing, or not having that extra slice of pizza, or having that craving at 9pm for your favorite snacky snack. You can accomplish anything you put your mind to, the hard part is convincing yourself that you can do it.
So, the reason I am bringing this up? I want to empower you. My hope is that you realize that you can crush any goal you put your mind to. Have the courage to push past the fear, the insecurity and doubt you have in yourself. I can not tell you how many people I talk to who say “I’ll never be able to buy a home”. And they list off 10 excuses why. Well, I’m here to tell you that you can do it. One of the best parts of my job is working with a home buyer who has said this to me. There are some I have been working with for years, yes YEARS. Helping them improve their credit, working on income, helping to find job opportunities, counseling them through the process and guiding them to the right professionals to help them achieve their ultimate goal. And when I hand over those keys at the end of the process… my gosh I am so beyond happy for them.
Buying a home is one of the biggest financial decisions that someone will make in their life. The fact that I am able to help people achieve their goal of homeownership is unbelievable. So if you are one of those people who is doubting you will ever be a homeowner, please reach out. Whether it is me or another realtor (obviously I’d like it to be muah ;) ) please reach out and see what your options are. There is always a way, it just depends on how badly you want it.
