The Road Ahead: It's Time to Get Bold
No more hesitating. It's time to take your best shot.
It’s Time to Take the Shot
What’s your mindset for capturing this year’s opportunities? Here’s what I happened when I almost played it “too safe” once. I’m glad I didn’t.
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Start Moving from Caution to Calculated Risk
If last year had a theme, it was “caution ahead.” I never lost my optimism. But I wasn’t alone amongst friends who moved with extra care through a year of business, health and personal turbulence. As New Year’s Eve approached, I joined my social circle in saying:
Time to go, 2023! We’re ready for something better!
Moving ahead in our own heads
While last year felt like we needed to break glass in case of emergency a few too many times - lawsuits, industry shake-ups and many colleagues’ departures - let’s not forget we still sold over 4.5 million homes. Not bad! For some, it was their best year yet.
Still, it’s time to think forward. And especially stop the comparisons to years before. In a few months, we’ll look back upon this moment and say,
Remember early 2024, when some people were bold enough to ….
Mirror, Mirror
How much do you believe the market is full of opportunity?
As for me: I’m going all-in. Here are my risks to kick off the New Year:
I bought an investment property last week (from open-house to closing in 4 weeks!) because I believe that much in real estate to fulfill dreams and build wealth.
I pre-purchased tickets, hotels and airfare to three major conferences because I believe that much in the magic of learning and sharing as an industry.
I invested in my platform - upgrading equipment, lenses, production tools and content - because I believe that much in personal improvement and online collaboration.
I ordered hundreds of printed copies for my new growth guides, because I’m confident they won’t collect dust (Insiders request a copy in comments below!).
Step Into the Sunlight
Let me tell you about this picture of the wide open road.
When I moved from Boston to Las Vegas, I was enthralled with the desert. Beautiful vistas, unique plants, weird insects, and incredible colors. After years spent in city congestion, a long drive across the desert is still a treat.
It was August in the Mojave Desert.
Over 115 degrees in the shade. I’d driven for three hours, stopping quickly to capture an abandoned shack or discarded railroad car, never staying too long outside the air-conditioned car. I didn’t even turn off the engine, worried it might not re-start in the intense heat.
I kept an eye out for snakes and scorpions every time I pulled over, too.
That’s when I turned the corner and saw far into the future.
The GPS said 85 miles to the next gas station.
The fuel gauge, however, said 95 miles to empty.
There was one bottle of water left.
Yet here was the beautiful, open road! The ultimate metaphor in photography and life.
To get the shot, I had to take a few risks. To let the engine idle, reducing my fuel cushion until the next gas station. To stand in the blazing sun and compose the shot, avoiding heat stroke while waiting for a car behind me to drive over the horizon.
To drink up the remaining half bottle of water!
To take a Calculated Risk
I knew I wouldn’t die from taking the shot; but I risked becoming mighty uncomfortable. Why bother, when I could play it safe, proceeding cautiously until things changed somewhere down the road?
I could live with the memory of the time I missed a promising shot.
Or could I?
Taking Your Shot is Your Nature
You take risks all the time. You just don’t think of them, because they aren’t big. A few times a year they stand out: when making resolutions for the year or something unexpected turns up the heat. The rest of the time, we forget we’re designed for risks.
So we must practice recognizing them when they appear on the horizon.
Take the High Road
Today, that photo of the Mojave Desert stands as a 30-foot mural inside Edwards Air Force Base in California. A few months after publishing it, I was contacted by a team renovating the space in the recreational lounge. They loved its symbolic imagery as a complement to their slogan,
Aim High.
It was an opportunity to share my core belief: Anyone can go as high and far as they try. And to give back to a country that provided me with so much opportunity. I had only one request: As my father served 38 years in the Air Force, I asked that a small dedication plaque recognizing his service would accompany the mural.
Their response:
How could we NOT use this image! I love the picture, and I always love it when we can tie it back to a military family! Do it!
Not Just for January
I love to share this photo, because its journey is a reminder to seek opportunities every day. I share it with friends contemplating their next steps. I showed it on webinars during the pandemic when audiences wondered, What does the future hold for us? During writing retreats, it’s a prompt for imagining stories to be written. Last year, it was my go-to-metaphor for clients navigating market slow-downs.
Hopefully, it has inspired some of our country’s finest servicemen and women.
Today is another moment for the open road
To turn up the heat. To rev the engine and step into the blazing sun.
To not worry too much about the "safety cushion” of your abilities.
Taking smart risks isn’t just your job: It’s the road you’ve chosen.
And calculated risks always seem smaller in the rear-view mirror.
Once you see the beautiful big picture awaiting on the road ahead.
I love the way you write. Your "Always Inspiring" mantra could not be more perfect!!! Happy New Year!