A seven letter word, yet powerful in it’s own right.  Aretha Franklin said it so well in the song, Respect.  There are many levels and kinds of respect .  You may respect someone for a variety of different reasons and this could be considered esteem or admiration.  A butcher may have respect for their knives while a mountain climber for the elements.  Take for instance having respect for someone’s rights or that of a judge or court.  This may be considered deference, but it is nonetheless another form of respect.

Unfortunately, there are too many that feel that respect is a right.  It isn’t – it’s something that is earned.  It’s intangible, but at the same time, very real!  Before you can show respect for others, you must first have respect of yourself.  Conversely, for others to show you respect, you must respect others as well.

We take too much for granted in our daily lives and this includes the people around us.  I believe that a strong ingredient of respect is that of common courtesy.  Being courteous to others is not only respectful to others, but it directly reflects on you as a person. It means putting yourself in the other persons shoes instead of thinking of yourself first.

This reminds me of the “ME” generation of the 80’s where it was all about me, me, me!!  Personally, I could never understand that concept, yet I know of others, that still to this day, feel that it is all about ‘Me!’  Unfortunately, I always found this somewhat distasteful.  I may be wrong, but as much as I can respect someone’s viewpoint, I also find the ‘me’ thing as a lack of respect of others.  I don’t see how the two can co-exist.

I can go on and on with this topic, but it all comes down to that we have to learn and in some cases relearn what respect is.  I’m not saying to always put yourself in the backseat, so to speak.  You have to take care of yourself, but not at someone else’s expense. How can someone respect themselves while doing so?

Maybe I’m crazy…OK, let me rephrase that…I know I’m crazy and others with attest to this, but I also firmly believe that if you give common courtesy and respect you will get back an abundance of it.  It is not just a concept, but a way of life. Imagine what a better place this would be if we could all understand those two simple concepts and put them into actions.  Some may say I’m being a Pollyanna, but maybe if we all just started with someone….who knows how large this could grow!

As always….Marc It Sold!….and have a great day!!

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There comes a time at some point and for whatever reason that we may feel it is time to reinvent ourselves.  We all do it, even if we think that we don’t.  Of course, a lot of introspection comes with this.  This time of year and especially during the holidays, for most Easter and Passover, generally bring on a reflection of our lives – where we’ve been and where we are going.

‘Reinventing’ ourselves has become a buzz word as of late.  I’ve heard so many use it.  Some have called it a transformation.  Yes, I’m sure it is a sign of our times.  There is a lot of uncertainty out there.  We may be concerned about our job, our finances, where we are going – in short, OUR FUTURE!!

As I stated, a lot of introspection is needed now.  I obviously came to this crossroad as well.  How I got here probably differs from many for we all take our own path, but here I am, or I should say was.

I’ve been a licensed Real Estate and Mortgage Broker for almost 12 years.  I love what I do!!  I consider what I do as helping people achieve a goal and that is so rewarding to me.  I do not have an issue with change and actually embrace it!  I sometimes consider it a challenge and that is good for the mind, nevermind body and soul.

We all know, or should know, what has been occurring in the real estate and mortgage industries.  The news if full of it.  It has affected many of our lives greatly.  This is what has led to my questioning where I stand.  What should I do?  Where should I go?

After searching several different avenues and looking at some of the opportunities out there as well as the ones that I could create.  I’ve come to the conclusion that I don’t want to be anywhere else.  I already love what I do.  I never wanted to fully leave real estate.  In fact, a very close friend and client said to me the other day, that real estate and I were made for each other.  I know that I’m good at what I do and, no, I’m not being an egotistical bastard.  But this compliment did make me think and helped in my reevaluation.

In fact, I’ve been very lucky throughout my life to have always loved what I was doing.  Unfortunately, too many can not say this, so I know that I’ve lived a very fortunate life!  What probably helps most, is that I have a very supportive partner.

If you are embarking on a reinvention or transformation – remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day!  In other words, you need to need to be patient with yourself and have a plan.  All this is for naught without some sort of plan.  Look at where you want to go and then look at what will it take to get there.  Do research, just don’t do this willy-nilly.  Otherwise you are setting yourself up for disaster and defeating your own purpose.

This is a new path that you are taking.  It involves many aspects of which education is a very important one.  But remember – life is an education.  School is not out yet.  That doesn’t happen until you take your last breath.

No matter what obstacles we’ve seen or are in our way, all we should be doing is looking forward.  This is not to say forget the past.  Otherwise you lose the lesson.

Believe in yourself – remind yourself of all your personal accomplishments.  At the same time, be true to yourself.  Don’t try to make something of yourself that you are not.  Not everyone is an entrepreneur.

Good luck on your journey!  You’re not alone!

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It’s amazing to me.  A week ago I was tumbling down into the depths of an abyss, and yet a couple of days later, I found myself climbing a mountainside reaching for its heights!  Life is grand!  Especially, when you have such caring & loving true friends!!

What does the word ‘friend’ mean to you?

According to Dictionary.com, the definition is, “a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard.”

I am a very, very rich and lucky man!  I’ve always known that I have some very close people in my life that care very much about me and my well-being.  But, I never, never realized how so very much loved I am.  I always knew that a few of these people loved & cared for me, but the extent to which it went is still mind-boggling to me.  This may sound crazy, but I don’t see where I deserve that much attention.  I know that I’m good to my friends and will go out of my way for them and even beyond where most would go, but to have this returned in such great enormity defies comprehension to me.

I generally put myself out there and my life is an open book.  This is how I’ve always been.  I don’t believe in secrets and as most of my friends have heard me say at one time or another – “I yam what I yam” as Popeye would say.

So that you may understand more clearly, a little background may be in order.  I had found myself in a situation with a person who called themself a friend.  I truly believe that they were as much of one as they could be.  Unfortunately there came a comfort level of being friends for quite a while & I found myself being taken advantage of.  Yes, there were other feelings involved, but that’s really neither here nor there.  Because I believed in this person as a friend, I would elide over the many transgressions that occurred over this long period of time.  Unfortunately, this was to my detriment and I was deeply hurt.  And this is by someone that I considered a very close and dear friend who would be there for the rest of our days on this planet.  So for me, this has been a difficult pill to swallow.

I won’t deny that writing this is somewhat uplifting to me and kind of cathartic at the same time.

While on the way down its slippery slope it was difficult to see clearly, even though I thought I was being completely rational and realistic.  But with the help of ‘Friends,’ I was able to see the light more clearly in all its clarity.  It really just doesn’t get any better than that – does it!?!  What more can a person ask for?  As a friend wrote, “without lows, you can’t judge the highs.”

Our friends are so much more a measure of our wealth than dollars in the bank or any other materialistic goods.  You can’t put a monetary value on friendship!!  You can’t quantitate it.  Yet, at the same time, it’s not the quantity of the friendships that matters, but the quality of those that are really ‘true friends.’

What does the word ‘friend’ conjure up in your mind? To me the faces of the people that I love come to mind first.

Recently, in the Orlando Sentinel, there was an article A Friendly Reminder.

According to the article, “a 2006 study from the American Sociological Review reported that 23 percent of us don’t have a single close confidant, and nearly 20 percent have only one.  Clearly a confidant crisis, with nearly half of us in serious short supply. Over the past two decades, in fact, the number of Americans without even one confidant has tripled, and the average number of confidants has dropped from three to two.”

This boggled my mind.  I have a few friends that I am in contact with daily.  They know what is going on in my life as I do theirs.  Amongst them, there is one that we talk at length daily.  Before a dear friend passed away a couple of years ago, we always had out 10:30am talk and this went on for years.

So it amazes me and at the same time I have to come to the conclusion of how lonely of a society have we become.  Is this a result of progress?  Have we really lost so much of our interpersonal skills? Unfortunately, but technology, as I guess with everything else when you really look at it, appears to be a bane and bonus at the same time.

Where the problem then lies is with us!  Many of us have lost the art of conversation.  Many of us have tended to hide behind the keyboard rather than face-to-face communication.  It’s easier to text someone a simple phrase or two, rather than pick up the phone.  Why?  Wouldn’t you rather hear their voice and inflection? A text or email cannot show that inflection in their voice.  It can’t tell you if that person is happy or sad.  You can’t read those qualities.  It’s not like reading a book with descriptive text.  But it’s easier and for some it allows them to isolate themselves from being further involved in the other person.

Friendship vs. Acquaintance

Are you my Friend?  Do I know you? There are differently levels of friendship as well as there are different levels of love.

With the advent of social media and it’s ever growing popularity, it seems that these two terms have lost their particular meanings.  It seems that everyone is my friend or wants to be my friend on Facebook.  On Twitter, they are called followers, but are still referred to as friends.  Many people are carrying this over into everyday life calling everyone that they know a friend.  But are you really my friend?

The word ‘friend’ was generally known to be a noun, but is now used as a verb and is recognized as such in many dictionaries, as in ‘to friend’ and even ‘unfriend’ someone, especially on Facebook.  Now, granted, it has been used as a verb in that we would sometimes say ‘to befriend’ someone.  Also, while doing a little research, it’s been noted that the word ‘unfriend’ is not totally new in that it was used in the late 13^th through 19^th century as meaning an enemy.

The definition of ‘acquaintance’ is ‘a person known to one, but usually not a close friend.’

Some people are simply acquaintances. Some are “fair weather” friends. Some are friends when it’s convenient. There are some who are extremely friendly only when they need something from you.

Friendships don’t just happen. They require attention, nurturing, love and energy to create them and keep them alive.

True friends will not judge you and will easily forgive and have compassion & love for you. They will support you and help you shine.

What is a friend to you?

What do your friends mean to you?

I wish you the wealth of friends that I am so very lucky to have.  For without friends, what are we really? Can we exist without friends – Sure!  But what kind of life would that be – other than just an existence.  Granted, my friends do not define who and what I am, but they surely do tell a story of my life and how I’ve lived it.  I am such a very rich man and love my friends dearly!!

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We all too often forget to look at the overall picture and sometimes dwell upon and ‘sweat the small stuff.’ We have to keep things in perspective and remember that the only things we can change are what we have control over. We may be able to influence external conditions, but we can only change how we look at and deal with them.

Yes, I do wax philosophically at times and try to be introspective as well. To me, it is a way in which I’m able to keep myself grounded, or at the least try to. I’ve learned that repeated frustrations and disappointments are always a reflection of repeated misunderstandings and presumptions.

Thinking is not enough. For if you think negative thoughts, then that is the outcome you will be receiving. You have to think positive thoughts and then turn those thoughts into actions. Your thoughts can yield inspiration, creativity and the determination you need. Just thinking different varieties of the same old thoughts is not conducive at all. But remember to take tiny steps – Rome wasn’t built in a day.

The more you find good in another, the more you’ll find good in yourself. Don’t dwell on past issues. They are over and done with – can’t be changed and can’t be brought back. They prove no purpose as long as the lesson has been learned from them. Always, always, remember the good. Besides, it will bring a smile to your heart.

By accepting full responsibility for the things in your life, you will be unlocking the doors to joy and with that comes power. Blaming others and external forces accomplishes nothing. It won’t change anything, but you can by the actions that you take.

It’s all a matter of perspective and how we wish to treat and look at things and life.

“Be true to your work, your word and your friend.” – Thoreau

Have a GREAT day!!

For information on Orlando real estate and Orlando homes for sale in addition to Orlando relocation contact Marc Grossman, your Greater Orlando Area Realtor @ 407-463-1034.  Additional information is available for Seminole County real estate, Orange County real estate, West Volusia County and South Lake County.

To learn more about Marc and the services he has to offer, visit his website.

Marc Grossman, GRI  -  http://www.OrlandoHomes-4u.com/ -  407-463-1034

You can read Marc’s other blogs Real Estate Morsels, Real Estate Off The Leash & Real Estate Cracker

Marc donates 10% of his net proceeds to Hospice of the Comforter.

Marc It Sold!

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My blogging usually deals with Real Estate related posts & things that I have an interest in, etc. I’ll write about my opinions on certain topics, but rarely do I write so personally. But I want to tell all about something that I never thought I’d have the joy to experience.

Here I sit in a motel room in northern Mississippi and my brother is getting married this afternoon. Granted, it’s not his first time, nor his second, but it will be his last. I really believe that. He went through a life-altering experience several years ago, which some of you are aware of from reading my blogs. I spent several months in this region of the country by his bedside. So today is even more joyous, if there can be such a thing, than might normally be the case.

I’ve met a lot of people in my life & have been involved in a few relationships. This is not something that I would generally put in a public forum. As open as I may seem about myself, I’m somewhat of a private person in certain aspects. Many will have a difficult time after reading this, and that’s one reason that I’ve never put my life out there for all the public to see. But there comes a time in one’s life that there are more important things to consider. I’m not writing this for anyone to read, yet for all! I’m not writing this for him to read as I don’t think he reads this blog nor do I intend to tell him about this.

I’m a 55 year old man. Very content in life. I’ve had my ups and downs just like everyone else. I stopped ‘looking’ a long time ago trying to meet someone. Knew that was not the way to find someone anyway. Earlier this year I met someone. We communicated a little. I found out that he did home repair work and hired him to do a couple of things for me here and there. We talked a little, but it was just about work. Fast forward several months and more work for myself as well as some customers.

One day we met at a home that he needed to do some work at and for some reason ended up standing in the driveway and talking for at the least an hour and possibly two. I lost track of time. I asked him if he had plans for later and if he would like to meet for dinner. The conversation that evening was wonderful and we both had a nice time. We have been in contact almost every day since and as time went on more than several times a day. Within a week of that dinner we realized that we would be close friends for quite some time to come.

It’s not often that you make such connections in life. We have a friendship replete with respect, caring and concern. In the past, I might have delved in head first, but thankfully we became friends first. We came to have an implicit trust for each other. There were times in the past with others that paranoia and doubt would present itself, but the utter trust that I have for him kept that at bay. Recently, something came to mind and some may understand what I’m saying, and I’d never realized it before – I feel safe with him. It was a new concept, so interesting, so warm and so enveloping – just like him!

Our friendship has continued to grow. That in itself is enough for me. I do have a few very close friends who no matter what have my back as I do theirs. But our friendship has grown beyond that. Never thought there could be such a thing.

I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but I really do believe that we will always be in each others life one way or another. Will it progress to our becoming lovers, partners? I don’t know, but I do know that there will never be another person in my life who truly cares for me and has so much concern for me and my well being than he does. No other person that will do such not because of what they think that I may be able to do for them or what they may be able to derive from an association. I know his concern comes from the heart. This is mutual as I feel and would do the same for him.

Here’s to you my friend!!

I am so very thankful that you are a very integral part of my life buddy! You mean the world to me!!

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