Gary Woltal's Blog

In listening to many buyers' dreams of building or purchasing their new houses I am convinced one thing about our lives:

     YOU WERE BORN TO FLY.

What I mean by that is we need to achieve our full potential. If someone ever gave us a book on what we really could achieve in life, it might scare us, because we can be doing so much more than we do.

We need mid course corrections many times in life. Points of reflection. What are our true gifts? Leader? Teacher? Homemaker? Counselor? Someone who makes others laugh? Someone who is great at consoling others? Great communicator? Organizer? One who is a master at details? Peacemaker? Have a quiet conversation with "yourself" and determine those gifts. Then amplify them to the world. Do not let the business of the world distract you or other people put your gifts away in a box and up on the top shelf of the closet.

We seem to know we were born to fly as a child but sometimes along the way we forget this. Maybe one of my gifts is Mr. Reminder Man and inspiring writer.

There's a saying that, "You don't know what you've got until it's gone, but you also don't know what's been missing until it arrives." Has anything arrived recently to surprise you?

Bring your gifts to full bear in the world, and show other people what they have been missing. There will only be one of YOU that comes along during this journey. Make sure we all see it and feel all that's wonderful about YOU!!!

Do you know your gifts? Are you giving them to the world each day?

Ok, this post is a simple one. People want to know "at least" one thing they can do to be happy. What is that? I am not talking pleasure or joy here but just something simple like being happy.

   DOC FEELGOOD TO THE RESCUE WITH A PRESCRIPTION.

You will feel much better by the end of this week if you follow my advice. Here it is:

Notice what makes you happy and do more of it.

If it's gardening do more of it. Playing with the grandkids, more of it. Golf. More. Laugh. More. Eat out with girlfriend. More.

For me I can think of at least a hundred things but I like being with and laughing with family and friends, physical activities like running, swimming, and basketball and listening to upbeat music to name a few. Oh, and quiet mornings with a cup of coffee or quiet evenings with a glass of wine.

How about you? Is it dance? Your cat? Your pool? Your secret lover? <Smile, just kidding>

Tell me what ONE thing you know that makes you happy, that you will do MORE of this week? I guarantee by week's end you will have more happiness in your life.

I have to confess

          I HEAR VOICES.

I searched the house thinking there were these little kids hiding in the cabinets but no, that wasn't it. Was it some psychotic break with voices in my head, where I needed some new meds prescribed? No, I don't think that was what it was.

It was the voices of the many in real estate social networking. It was an Active Rain call. One thing I have noticed from my own writing one article after another is a voice rises to the surface. Why this is so I haven't quite figured out yet but it perhaps has to do with what you are passionate or knowledgeable about.

The voices I have heard include knowledge about local markets, technology interest like the new Flip video camera, passions about topics in politics like who should be the next President, rants of all kinds from other dopey Realtors to the pros and cons of the new Localism to ethical behavior. I have heard voices in the mortgage industry about whether we are going through a meltdown. I have heard voices about shoddy repair of ceilings damaged by water leaks. There are voices that just want to tell a joke. There are voices about plummeting prices of homes in southeastern Florida. Also, inspiring voices. In Las Vegas I have heard more than one voice that there may be too many condos for sale. Voices, voices, get out of my head Jason Crouch! Then there are the songs of the inspired. There are the MeMes and ThemThems. So much to say, so little time to read. This forum has practiced my speed reading skills. There are all sorts of clubs from Christianity to Chaos. There are Public voices, Members Only voices, and if you get to really feel the love some day the "Jacked" voices. And there is the so much laughter. Please take time to enjoy the laughter. It is there, and it is real.

All I want to say to all the voices and to especially the Newbies trying to figure this crazy place out, do not rule out any voice you encounter. Stick with it. First impressions here can be misleading at times. Stay open. This is a great place to listen for awhile before you fire back that reply comment. Trust that almost all the voices you will get something out of if you just hang with them

Gotta go. I'm hearing more voices calling me again!!!

Whether you believe in global warming or not is a subject for some Political Group but who cannot be for the environment? You know fresh air and clean water. No toxic stuff in our landfills.

For those involved in remodeling homes, and Stagers and Realtors consulting homeowners I've learned of a new paint. You know how when you paint walls in a house the smell lingers for days? Even the professional painters always wear those masks which makes me wonder too. So in that direction let's

       PAINT THE WALLS GREEN.

Be environmentally friendly. Paint manufacturers have come up with a standard called Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) which is the measure of the pollutants that give that strong smell. High VOC paints have been a concern for small children, pregnant women and allergy sufferers. The trend to lower VOC paints started in California.

The price on these new paints is 30 to 50% higher than the more traditional paints. But guess what with the home remodelers? The new generation paints are in high demand. Did you know that indoor air quality even without the paint is not near as good as outside air quality. No one opens their windows anymore. Paints and finishes can release toxins into the air for years after they are applied. The most emissions are the first 24 hours while the paint is curing on the wall. Sometimes when you put stain on your wood floors they say to turn a fan on and GET OUT OF THE HOUSE.

The low Sherwin Williams Harmony brand only has 4 VOCs per can but other low VOCs are like 50 to 60 per can. Typical paint and stain is 170 to 440. So keep these numbers in mind when you get out there and paint and ask your paint store what they can do for you. I'm sure you and your whole family will enjoy the freshness of the paint on your walls and the freshness of the air you breathe.

In selecting a Realtor or Stager or other professional for our real estate needs we want the best.

Likewise those that want to be the best need to

          REACH FOR THE EAGLE'S NEST.

This is where you learn to fly like eagles and soar and not hang out on the ground with the turkeys.

I have seen this experience in many areas of associating with top notch peer level people.

Take Active Rain for example. It is approaching nearly 100,000 members. Do you know only about 5,000 are really active? Out of that, there are a "tremendous" number of what I have found are very good and outstanding people. They will make you laugh constantly, share industry tips, show you how to work technology, share a little bit about their backyards from Hawaii to Maple Valley, WA to Idaho to College Station, TX to Auburn, AL to Las Vegas to West Chester, PA to the whole U.S. and Canada.They not only are willing to share what is going on in their lives but these "eagles" you find will share "who" they are. Do you know they used to work in the airline industry? Do you know how many kids they have? Did you know they are in the middle of downsizing or upsizing their house? Do you know where they went on vacation or their cat or dog's name? I do. And you should too. These are very good people that you need to discover. It's called networking. And you want to network with the best. They are all around you. The other thing I have found with the eagles is that they are more than accomodating to help you with answering a question. Even stupid questions that I ask, like do balloons on signs help sell more houses?

My suggestion is to create your own Active Rain Eagles Club, a group you will make a circle for yourself around some very special people you will find for your life. People ask me all the time how I can be upbeat and uplift others all the time. It is so easy. It is all about you. Those eagles that I have found that are my strength each and every day.

Have you found the eagles? Remember you are an eagle too. You need to be with the birds of your feather. Climb up to that nest and be a part of a group that gathers together in the highest of trees. It's where you were destined to belong.

In real estate, personal computing, and life in general we all seem to be operating on complete information overload. If you think about it, the amount of flow of information continues to increase. Do you ever feel

        "MY HEAD CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE AND MIGHT EXPLODE?"

I have felt that way, but I am getting over it lately. I am learning better to roll with multi-tasking.

I can stay almost perpetually connected anywhere, anytime to information via wireless connections and various communication and computing devices that can connect to those waves in the air. I sometimes think this is good for editing, creating, deleting emails, blogs, and all sorts of communication.

I still find the phone the best to reach out and "really" touch someone even though if you encounter voice mail and leave a polite, clearly worded and brief voice mail with your number TWICE, no one seems to return your call anyway. You have to call them back. This is cause THEY are so busy!

The fast twenty something texters around me amaze me. I can text on a PDA keyboard with two thumbs but I think many grew up with this and are very fast at this craft from so much practice.

I do disconnect at dinners, at fitness centers, at runs through the park, at movie theaters, and most important of all in my "moments" one on one with YOU. If you called me on the phone I don't care if email was popping up all around me and another phone was ringing, I would ignore all of them to be with you. You definitely need to do this in "person." Remember to very much live in the present and "be" with the one right in front of you.

Another tip is to make your vehicle a quiet oasis phone booth. Pull off the road rather than driving and then talk on the phone or use your laptop with the air conditioner running. This is such a helpful hint that has worked for me in staying out in the field. The parking the vehicle is critical cause you can concentrate better and it is the safe thing to do.

The world of information overload I am afraid is here to stay with us forevermore in this future we have created for ourselves, but we have to live in the present. Don't let the multi-tasking drive you crazy or make your head explode. People are still the most important. Give them your time. Give them some undivided attention. You can't hug them hanging on to your laptop. Do not have your cell phone go off at the Mexican restaurant while they are talking to you at lunch. That's what they made the silent mode for. Give them your love.

And don't forget the power of the phone in addition to your face to face meetings. A "short" message to someone goes a long way to letting others know you are still in the loop of their world. Give yourself permission to be unplugged as well. Life will go on. Trust me. People will appreciate YOU being there "fully" for THEM.

In real estate you intermingle with a lot of people. I have indeed found some funny ones out there. What has amazed me sometimes is that some of the most funny ones have underlying pain that they are using the laughter as a coping mechanism.

I don't ever mean to make light of tragedies and events that are not pleasant in our lives but I really do admire people who continually laugh and make my life easier with making me laugh and smile. They even make it seem so easy at times. Yet I can see pain in their lives that needs to be healed. Part of their healing is by me continuing to be on the recipient end of their humor, and part of it is me making them laugh.

In the end we have to get through our pain and that takes conversation.

If you haven't had a big sense of humor in your life, you really ought to try it out more. Work that funny bone. It relieves stress. And I have found it opens doors to the heart. With the bruised hearts this is a good thing. Because they are scarred yet are tender to the touch. With humor, the door is open and I can be my doctor self and help with the healing. You start sharing silly little stories about your own life and what an idiot you once were or maybe still are. I one time in an intramural basketball game took the second half inbound pass and ran to the wrong goal with people yelling at me on the sidelines to STOP!! Did I hear them? No. I dunked the ball in the wrong goal. The scorekeeper didn't know what to do.

Yes, while I was embarassed, my close "funny" friends understand that they too have been embarassed, hurt, and trampled on by others at one time or another. And we need to let others know that it is ok to be ourselves and that someone else cares.

So when you run across those "extra" funny types in your life, laugh along with them, but dig a little deeper. Maybe a heart is opening for you where you can help them with some healing. Your funny self and presence might be just what the doctor ordered. Remember, there are no coincidences in this world with you showing up at just the right time!

I used to do quite a bit of snorkeling in trips I took off the Florida coast, the Caribbean, and Hawaii. Watching the bigger fish as I went deeper off the coral reefs I learned a thing or two.

I can relate it to folks struggling to keep real estate businesses going or homeowners trying to stave off foreclosures. It had to do with survival. While you can find yourself in a survival mode at different points in your life the big fish do not ALWAYS get the little fish in the food chain. Only sometimes. The smart little fish:

Seek shelter - figure a way to lower expenses, share expenses, have a plan to hang in there economically for awhile by tapping into reserves.

Have safety in numbers - talk freely with others to avoid trouble like credit counselors, others that ARE doing well in your business, and network constantly.

Swim faster - learn to work harder and smarter, streamline systems, work two jobs, have your son mow more yards this summer, finding alternate income streams, or a niche focus like short sales.

Camouflage what you are - sometimes you have to fake it till you make it, exude success and be positive even as you work to get out of survival mode. No one wants to associate with a complainer and a whiner. Keep laughing, cause this too shall pass. Don't stop dancing in your life. I'll be your partner if you need one.

Play dead - do not broadcast to everyone one that the sky is falling. You will attract nothing but MORE bad things into your life. As your Mama told you, if you don't have anything nice to say, HELLO, shut up!

Rob banks - ok, this wasn't supposed to be on the list but that was what famous bank robber Willie Sutton said about where the money is.

We are built to "thrive" in life not "survive" but we do have these periods from time to time of survival.  Famed dying author Elisabeth Kubler-Ross once wrote, "In life when one door closes another door always opens, but the hallways are a bitch."

Stay positive. I'm here with you plugging along on the blue planet alongside you. Each day is a blessing when you get up and put your feet on the floor. It's another day closer to thriving if you're not already there.

At this time of year when many take one if not two weeks of vacation and spend that time AWAY from the house I have noted two things:

1) Driving back home ALWAYS seems faster than heading to your vacation resort. This I have concluded is because driving home is the known and away is the unknown. Familiarity makes things more comfortable and time flies faster with the comfortable, and

2) When you arrive home, you realize ONCE AGAIN that your home is your castle.

This second item I have wondered about. What makes your home your castle? A few thoughts:

That's where you find the pillow you like.

Your cat or dog lives there, and by golly you missed them.

Your TV remote with your favorite channels on the big TV is there.

The refrigerator is stocked with all your favorite food and drinks and you know where to find them.

Your mattress is just right.

Of course, it is a Shelter from the world!

You know where the stores, restaurants, and where to get a haircut places are.

You know where to buy the cheap gasoline is.

Clean towels are only a closet away and you know where the next roll of toilet paper is stored.

You know where all your fresh and clean clothes for tomorrow are hung in the closet or which drawer to go to for some clean socks.

If you want a late night glass of wine you know a) where the wine is and b) where the wine glasses are.

Likewise in the morning you can make your tea without ordering room service.

Best of all, the castle that is your home is where your memories are.

Is it any wonder after a long vacation we need a vacation from our vacation?

What makes your home your castle?

The whole idea of family has always intrigued me. Yes, in our lives we have our immediate family, and then an extended family from brothers, sisters, cousins, nieces and nephews and the like.

I have seen at least three other families in the "Family of Man (or Woman)."

Clients from Business: In the real estate world you cannot help but get closer to some buyers and sellers with emotional ties in seeking to buy or sell a house for nine months. You get to know the insides of their lives.

Civic, Church, School, Sporting Groups, Co-workers: You meet birds of a feather with similar interests on a regular basis and the friends you naturally gravitate toward become a second "family" to you.

Social Networking: Groups like Active Rain, Facebook and others you may heavily participate in start out as virtual friends.

But we all know within a virtual communication between people there is a "real" person behind that keyboard. Whether you ever pick up the phone and call them, or meet them some day in person is just a matter of taking it to the next level of a relationship. But do not discount that these social networks provide a real "family atmosphere" to you. You know this is true because you look forward to their comments on what you write, you "miss" them when they are not around for awhile, you "care" truly about their lives and what they are doing in the backyard of "their" world. You "know" their face from their profile photo. You may have even heard their voice from a video they posted. They are your family because you celebrate their successes and you share in their defeats and sorrows.

I have seen much of this sense of family here on Active Rain and I, for one, am in awe of it. It is nothing short of sheer love between people who deeply care about each other.

A definition of a great friend is someone who doubles your joy and halves the pain in your life. A friend who has moved into a closer circle in your life as "family" I would say is someone you feel you just can't do without. What an honor that is when someone feels that way about you, or you about them. Afterall, aren't we just a bunch of "strangers" out there? I would say, definitely NOT!!

Like a parched flower on a hot summer day that needs the refreshment of a little rain, embrace all the family you find here. They are all very good people in your life. They are the charming gardeners of your soul.