Hard…Messy…Gorgeous

Change is rarely a comfortable experience. It’s often accompanied by feelings of trepidation, anxiety and a fear of the unknown. Trust me, I know.

It’s easy to look back now with 20-20 hindsight and think entering real estate was one of the best decisions I ever made. And from the outside, it may look like that career shift was a no-brainer.

It didn’t feel like that at the time. In fact, changing professions from hospitality to real estate saw me well beyond my comfort zone and face to face with the discomfort of change.

It was a move filled with seeds of doubt, fear, and anxiety. And it was hard. But I’m not alone in that sentiment. I would think most feel the same way in their first few months in our industry.

That’s the thing about change. It asks something of us. It’s a leap of faith, an embrace of the unknown, a step beyond the familiar, and a foray beyond the comfort zone.

It requires us to have courage and be bold. And the rewards for that ‘bravery’ often far outstrip that initial discomfort we feel.

The safety of certainty

It can feel safe to do what you’ve always done. It’s familiar. It feels easy. There’s a predicted outcome for a familiar activity.

But nothing momentous comes from the comfort zone. And if you do what you’ve always done, you will get what you’ve always got. You may even get left behind.

Change is constant

The reality is, change is happening all the time, whether we like it or not. Political leaderships change, markets change, economies change trajectory, and as we’ve seen recently, it can happen in the blink of an eye.

In real estate, the property market can shift, and suddenly a drop in confidence, increased negative media and a shift in urgency signal a period of ‘change’ and adaptation.

For some, this is challenging. It can feel unsettling. There’s a sense of discomfort in the unknown.

In reality though, the only constant in life and work is ‘change’ itself.

Everything is in constant motion and forever changing. The way we live and work today is very different to the way we worked 10 or 20 years ago, let alone 100! In five years time, it will be different to now.

The stages of change

Change is often initially accompanied with trepidation – a niggling fear and doubt.

This trepidation unfortunately stops some in their tracks. It binds them and keeps them from moving forward, growing or reaching for their goals and dreams.

It feels easier (and safer) to just stand still and do nothing.

But our biggest breakthroughs are often because of the courage to make and face change.

Those game altering moments happen when we face our fears, make bold moves, embrace the discomfort and make ‘uncomfortable’ decisions.

The more we make those bold choices, the more we understand the process, and that process is ‘hard at first, messy in the middle, gorgeous in the end’.

The more we step outside of the comfort zone, the more comfortable we become with being uncomfortable.

We get better at identifying and seizing opportunity. We become adept at navigating a changing landscape.

And here’s the thing, when you move forward with the right intentions and with the right energy, everything has a funny way of working out.

About the Author

Manos Findikakis is the CEO of Agents’Agency, Australia’s first multi-brand real estate network, ‘the only fully integrated solution for you and your people to create an unforgettable experience.’

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