3 Clues to My Through-Line

Uncovering our through-line requires us to look at the big picture and at the details, all at the same time. Good thing I’ve spent so many years watching crime shows! I can finally put years of wannabe-detective work to good use!

In a previous post, I mentioned that I was embarking on a more intentional process of uncovering my through-line, with the goal of more clearly articulating how I serve and the transformation I facilitate in others.

Here’s a short overview of the first three clues I have found so far.

Clue #1: Coaching People in Transition

In my real estate business, clients come to me when they feel the need to make a physical move that requires buying or selling a new home. That’s an obvious transition. From the time I started my business, I have considered my role as a real estate agent to be more of a coach than a salesperson. I broker a transaction between the buyer and seller; I am not the seller.

In fact, I often advise clients not to buy or sell. Some clients think they want to move because they feel the need to make a change, when the real change they need to make is in their job or marriage or internal mindset.

This coaching role has come naturally to me, because for as long as I can remember, people have come to me for advice when they feel stuck, or at a crossroads and unsure of what to do. The actual challenges have varied, but it’s a recurring theme:

• which job to take
• whether to go to graduate school
• stagnation in their business/career/current project
• unable to get traction in something

It often seems that when the winds of change start blowing, people come to me to help them find their footing so they can move forward with confidence and certainty.

Clue #2: Marketing Labors of Love

In college, I majored in Communication and Marketing. I LOVE marketing. I study it for fun.

You know how people say they skip the ads when watching TV? I readily admit to watching television commercials. (In fact, I would advise you not to trust any marketer who admits to skipping the ads. How do they know what works or doesn’t work?)

In fact, my love of marketing was one of the driving forces that led me into real estate. I saw real estate as a business that would allow me to combine my analytical mind and creativity with my love and skills in marketing and strategy.

Across 8 years in business, spanning both slow and hot markets, my sale price to listing price ratio – the only metric that really matters when you hire an agent to market your home – is 100%. What this means is that I get the job done.

I reverse engineered my successes and I discovered a framework that I used consistently in marketing my clients’ homes.

Last summer, I put that system to the test on some projects outside of real estate, in helping friends launch books and courses. I’ve applied this to one-off projects and to entire businesses. Each project has helped me flesh it out more, and provided me with a lot of fulfillment. As I looked back for the common threads, I realized that in each case, I was helping someone market and sell something that was their “labor of love” – an expression of themselves:

• Your home is an expression of you.
• Your book or course offering is an expression of you.
• Your business venture is an expression of you.

Clue #3: Advocating For Others

One of my other callings that I have is as an advocate. This is the one that pulled me to law school. Even though I no longer engage in the practice of law, I still work as an advocate. Obviously, I advocate for my real estate clients in the transaction process.

I also advocate for the hungry, through my volunteer work and fundraising efforts for City Harvest (shameless plug: it’s not too late to donate!)

My work last summer with friends on their projects showed me that I love advocating for people who do great work. When I find someone with a message that resonates with me and that I believe should be heard by more people, I feel called to spread that message and shine a spotlight on that messenger. I want to help great messengers be seen and heard by as many people as possible. That’s part of why I feel called to help them market their labors of love.

Last week I discovered another clue, and I’ll share that in a future post.

I hope this helps you in uncovering the clues to your own through-line.

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