Motivation, determination, perseverance and empowerment.are just some of the words used to describe the recent EXIT Realty Corp. International Convention in Washington, D.C.by our guest columnist EXIT Realty East Nashville's Sophie Mason, Real Estate Broker and House Matchmaker!  Get ready to be motivated EXIT Southeast!
Can you believe it friends?!  Another October gone, another EXIT Annual Convention passed. Along with it, as usual, came the nuggets of wisdom that speak to us long after the event has ended. We connected to incredible speakers inside and out of the EXIT family, each having brought their unique lens of the world, and all shared their input on how to improve ourselves, our lives and the world around us. We scribbled notes of motivation, determination, perseverance and empowerment. We affirmed and improved and celebrated like only EXIT can do! (If you have never been to a convention yet, just picture a giant fire hose of positivity hitting you in the face for a full week.) I think it's safe to say we all pack up feeling more ready than ever to conquer life![caption id="attachment_4016" align="aligncenter" width="600"]
Sophie Mason, EXIT Realty East Nashville, center, with EXIT Southeast Regional Owners Stacy Strobl and Kenny Lynn at the annual EXIT convention.[/caption]And yet in the end, the lights go back down and we all go home...back to our busy worlds, families, clients, plans to be made and future choices that hang in the balance. Now the time has come to begin implementing these newly found lessons into our lives. What spoke most to you? Maybe you soaked up all the information on how to incorporate technology and social media into your business. Go you! Get your social media on! You are going to rock that Facebook business page! Or, maybe you really resonated with advice on how to build a relational business. Yeah! Go on with your bad self! You are never too busy for their referrals, baby! Or maybe, if you're like me, you were inspired more to make changes on the INside. Self improvement is my jam, y'all!
The moment at convention that I am carrying with me the most is listening to none other than the wonderful Tami Bonnell, CEO, EXIT Realty Corp. International. Also known as “speaker most likely to make you ugly cry in front of a butt ton of strangers.” Doesn't she just have a way of delivering the message straight to your heart?! Goodness! I'm pretty sure I got snot on the ceiling. Tami, you are officially required to supply Kleenex for all attendees. Or pay Gaylord for the damages. I'll leave it up to you.[caption id="attachment_4017" align="aligncenter" width="600"]
One of the highlights of the EXIT annual convention was Tami Bonnell, EXIT Realty Corp. International's CEO, speaking on finding your true north.[/caption]Her message, as always, was profound – the importance of seeking our “True North” and unearthing our inner compass. As she stood on that stage with a huge back drop of the constellations behind her, there was the north star, Polaris, twinkling more brightly than all the others. It's actually pretty amazing to think about how so many humans throughout history have relied on this star for navigation, long before maps ever existed. Can you imagine traveling over land and sea with no guarantee of anything on the other side, simply because you followed a little dot shining in the sky? The stability of that glowing light allowed for many journeys to be traveled that otherwise may not have been possible. 
Which started me thinking...in this modern era, with maps and screens and robotic directions to any place on earth, it's ironic how lost we can begin to feel sometimes. As a society we tend to put all our stock in getting our direction from some other source outside ourselves. When in reality, we all have our own unique inner compass ready to navigate us to the next part of our journey. The trouble is, that internal voice can get drowned out so easily...sometimes by other voices telling us what to do, where to go, and what path to take. And that can be dangerous, because following someone else's plan keeps ours from unfolding. Then again, sometimes WE are the ones drowning out our own internal voice because the things it's telling us to do are really hard or scary. (“You want me to do WHAT?! No thank you!!”) It can definitely be tempting to ignore the pull of your inner compass. Often times we just want the path of least resistance because HOLY MOLY life can be hard and we just want to make it through the day, week, month, year and on and on. But the easy way isn't always the best way. Sometimes we are assigned certain mountains to show others and ourselves that they can be moved. Sometimes WE are the light guiding someone on their journey home. But how sad would it be if the sky lay dark because all the stars chose not to sparkle?
So your mission, amazing humans, is this – shine, baby, shine! Twinkle more brightly than all the others. Take those risks! Do not wait to do the scary thing, do it now! Start putting in the hard work today and continue creating the unique, magnificent journey destined for only you. Forge ahead into a life that radiates so brightly, others can't help but see the glow and want to follow it. Never stop betting on yourself and never stop seeking true north - You never know when you are Polaris in someone else's journey.
It is the perfect time of year to consider your real estate future by joining a team of rising stars like Sophie Mason. Earning #1 in franchise sales for the fourth consecutive year, join an award-winning team of unstoppable professionals by contacting EXIT Southeast Regional Owner Stacy Strobl at 412-LOVEXIT. (412-568-3948).
