Being unconventional isn't all that scary!

Unconventional? Me? Oh yeah!

Earlier this week I was hit with a text that left me pondering the words written in the message. The text read, “We have unconventional lives/schedules. Maybe we need to be more unconventional about our dates.” That message came from my partner, Alyssa. She was trying to get me to understand that it is ok to not always have date nights or completely quiet evenings where we can re-connect from the chaos of our lives, but instead seek to be unconventional in our attempt to spend more time together. Her text came after we had snuck away during the middle of the day to see a movie together. No kids. No work. Just us. Together. Maybe normal for some, but completely unconventional for us and our busy lives.

So what was so profound about that text? To me, it was the word unconventional. Even though she and I are in a same sex relationship with two kids from my previous marriage and a dog from her previous life, I was still stopped in my tracks at that word. That word led me to this blog.

In the moment that I read those words, I knew she was right. I am unconventional. We are unconventional. But then I thought, is that a bad thing? Or something to be extremely proud of? And what does unconventional truly mean? To me, it means that I choose to not conform to what is typically done or believed. It means that I beat to my own drum. That thought alone had me remembering all the times that my Mama told me that very thing; “be proud of who you are and always be you, regardless of how different you may be.”   

But furthermore, it led me to think of other things in my life- my business. Am I unconventional in the way that I do business? Is that a good thing? Should I try to conform more to what other agents are doing? My immediate response was, “heck no!” And then I smiled. If you know me well, you know that I don’t typically color inside the lines when it comes to following a developed model for success or try to mirror what other agents are doing. I am me. I want to be different. I want my brand to stand out and be noticed for more than the numbers on a piece of paper. Don’t get me wrong, I do love to crunch numbers, but I know that isn’t what my business is all about. It’s a small portion of my business. My heart, determination and commitment to doing business different is what my business is about. And the people. Yes, the people are my business. The smiling faces. The warm hugs. The thank you’s. Those things make my heart happy.

Look, I don’t want to be the biggest Realtor in the area or become so overwhelmed with life that I can’t take an afternoon to enjoy a little time with the ones I love. And I never want to look left or right to help me form my own opinion in fear of being different. I want to be me- unconventional and happy. So I challenge you to color outside the lines, take a walk when you should be working, love whoever makes you happy, beat to your own drum and don’t ever be scared to be unconventional.

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