It seems that everywhere you turn these days it is easy to see people behaving badly. For as many examples of people behaving badly there are twice as many people behaving questionably…riding that line between right and wrong, riding that grey line so closely that it is often times easy to justify any action they take. For many years I found this to be a frustration. How could people live their lives flirting between right and wrong and be okay with it? More frustrating yet, how could I help make the changes I felt need to happen in our society?
I always knew that I lived differently than many. I prefer to take the knocks life had to throw rather than do something that I felt was wrong. When I felt that someone had wronged me in some way rather than retaliate I would learn from it, and move on, always choosing to stay on the high road because I could not stand the idea of taking any action that was beneath the high standards I set for myself.
About ten years ago I was very fortunate to attend a week long training in a program called Character Counts!. It was so refreshing to know that I was not the only person in the world trying to live by high standards. This program also gave me a really great vocabulary for understanding and expressing those values that were so important me. And best of all, it gave me tools to be able to work with youth and adults so that they may better understand what it means to be a person of good character.
One of the most important ideas that came from Character Counts! is that the decisions you make, the way you live day-to-day, and the way you treat people is a part of your core being, and will not change regardless of who is looking. Put simply, if you are a person whom is trustworthy, respectful, responsible, fair, caring, and a good citizen, then you will always be those things because you are accountable to yourself.
I believe in the power of being a person of good character. I did not learn to be trustworthy, respectful, responsible, fair, caring, and a good citizen because of Character Counts!, but I am much more conscious of my daily decisions and how they affect my character. All of these are traits that I carry deep within myself, and they are expressed in all of my daily choices. In business, including real estate, we often hear the terrible stories of how clients were wronged by a dishonest salesman. There are also those real estate professionals that are not responsible and do not follow through on things. How about the one that is trying so hard to make a sale that she walks that fine grey line between right and wrong?
I am on a mission to make my world a better place, and that includes my real estate world. I do believe that there is still value in being a person of good character in business, even in real estate. And I do believe that those who choose the high road are appreciated by their clients. That is the kind of REALTOR I want to be…that is the kind of person I am!
Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you on the high road!