Priorities and Balance

Some people think that because I am one of the top agents in my company, I must be a workaholic. On the contrary the secret to becoming a top agent is not only to work hard, but to work smart.

With experience, we will learn how to assess a client and a property, and we will know whether or not to take on a property to sell. It is not easy to serve some clients - they are either wishy-washy or insincere. These are the ones who will waste a lot of our time and resources - it is best not to even start working for them.
I prefer to focus on a few clients who demonstrate their trust in me by giving me exclusives to market or rent their properties for three months. I will then be able to focus on their properties with my fullest attention, and hence will be able to monitor the best offer for them. A property without exclusive will have many agents rushing in to close the deal - the fastest man wins. Hence this may not turn out to be the best result for the owner.

When people say they do not have the time, they imply they do not have the priority.
After all, we get the same 24 hours a day. It is a matter of what we consider as most important. In this article I will just share with you my priorities.

Whenever my siblings come to visit me in Singapore, I will work only part time. I will not take on new cases when they are here, so that I can spend more time with them. I hardly see my siblings as they live in different parts of the world.

Once I am committed to delivering a speech project or taking on an assignment for my toastmasters' activities, it takes priority over work. A keen buyer may say he wants to view my clients' property and I will tell him I have a toastmaster's meeting. Once a client suggested that he and his wife would pick me up after my meeting. I agreed. They saw the property at 11 p.m. and we closed the deal at midnight! I have learnt that when a client wants to buy a property, he will pursue you for it. There is no necessity for us to pursue after clients!

My pet dog takes priority as I am committed to looking after her. No matter how tight my schedules, I will always ensure she gets her walk twice a day without fail.
Now writing on my blog at least four times a week takes priority. Todate, I have been able to write almost everyday and this is my 445th article since I started my blog on 15 November 2005. I know I will not have billions of dollars to leave behind as my legacy. If I keep on writing consistently, I will be able to leave behind billions of words as my legacy to the world. I am not a great philospher like Socrates; but I hope to make full use of the little talent that God has given me. :-)

Perhaps apart from the word priority, the next important word is "balance". I do not want to work from early morning till late at night, no matter how hot the property market is. I need to balance my time for work, play, and rest. Some one has said that man spends his whole life to get his wealth; at the end he spends all his wealth to get back his life. Till today, I have not yet spent a single cent in my CPF medisave account; I hope I will not have to touch it for a long time.

I do not have to join the 99 Club. I am contented with living in a little flat where I can spend just 30 minutes daily to clean up the flat. I can have time to play my piano and violin; to write on my blog everyday, to read and learn everyday without fail, to walk my dog, to mentor my proteges, and above all, to invite my friends and colleagues home for a simple, hearty meal. Every year I must make time to visit my siblings in Malaysia and other parts of the world.

Yes, Singapore is a pressure cooker. But we can chose not to be cooked by the Jonesess. Everything boils down to .... PRIORITIES and BALANCE in life.... and CONTENTMENT.