Who Wants to Buy a House?

This is the design on the front page of my parent's website I helped them design a while back. If any of you need a good realtor, my parents are amazing! They are very successful and know what they are doing. You can get their contact information here.

I used to sell real estate with my parents. I loved it. I loved knowing that if I worked hard I could become very successful. I don't think people understand how hard real estate is. It is so tough. I put in super long hours every single day. I usually worked from 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and sometimes much later. The hardest part though was putting in tons of hours for a client only to have them buy something without you. I don't understand why so many people do this and how they can feel good about making someone work for free. Can you imagine me asking anyone to work 40 hours for me (painting, computer work, nursing, teaching... whatever) and then say nevermind, I'm going to pay someone else to finish the job or just do the rest on my own?

Well, the job was tough, but I really did love it. I loved it mainly because I loved setting goals and accomplishing what sometimes appeared to be unrealistic goals. I loved feeling successful and accomplished. My mom is the queen of setting and reaching goals. I loved working with her and learning from her and I miss that so much. I quit at a time I was doing really well. I was selling enough to be considered in the top 5% of real estate agents in Utah. Actually, I didn't completely quit. I just scaled things back to nearly a stop so I could stay at home when I had my first baby.

Eventually I decided to start Digital Scrapbook Memories and when that company started doing well I let my real estate license expire. I'm really glad to be doing Digital Scrapbook Memories now. We struggled to build the business and there are still struggles now, but it's worth it. I started Digital Scrapbook Memories because I had a product I believed in and I have always thought having a product in stores was the way to go.

I love to work. I always have. In High School I would often work two jobs at once. I worked at Nordstoms doing the sales, at LeRoy's (a dress shop in the mall), and at the Mann Movie Theater across from Cottonwood Mall. I loved having my own money to spend. I spent most of it on clothes and entertainment. If I wasn't working I always wanted to be out with my friends. My parents would get so mad at me because I never slowed down.

One of my high school friends told me I was the hardest working person he knew. It was true, I really worked hard (to earn money, not really at my homework). When I sold real estate I was still that hard working person. I loved that about myself. I had so much confidence in myself. In the past couple years I have really been mourning the person I was. I'm not that person anymore. I rarely set goals anymore and when I do, I get frustrated trying to balance everything. On paper everything is so easy, but once you add a family into the equasion there is no way to truly predict what you can control. I want to be successful and accomplished in business, but right now I'm finally becoming ok with the fact that that will have to wait.

I have always understood that my kids are the most important. I understand that my job as a mother is the most important job. I am FAR from perfect, but I do think I usually get my priorities straight when it comes to my kids. My frustrations are that I think I should be able to do both (work and kids). When I don't get my work done I'm frustrated and embarrassed, but I can't stress myself out and be a mess at home all of the time.

In Sunday School a couple months ago a lady stopped the lesson and directly said to me that she wished she would have enjoyed her kids more when she was young and didn't worry so much about having a clean house or making sure everything was perfect. She encouraged me to learn from her. Others in class agreed. In my mind I was thinking she clearly didn't know me that well. In the past couple years, my biggest stresses have to do with the fact that I am NOT working hard and that my house is a mess all of the time. When she was saying that I thought to myself that I can honestly say I do not regret not taking enough time for my kids. That is one of the only things I do well. My stresses are the opposite of what she was saying.

Do you believe that God works though others to help you? I do. What that lady told me in Sunday School really stuck with me. Later in a conversation with my mom, my mom was asking me how things were going with my business. Honestly, I guess most stay at home moms in my situation would answer they were doing great. They would be thrilled if their buisness was going as well as mine, but I never think I'm doing well because I think I'm capable of making millions and because I'm not I get frustrated. I just can't put the time into it I want to. I told my mom what that lady said in Sunday School and told her how I truly don't have any regrets with the amount of time I spend with my kids. My mom said, "Well, maybe that's your answer". Wow. That was powerful to me. I couldn't see that myself. I couldn't see that that lady's words in Sunday School were inspired. I believe they were inspired now. From her words it's clear my friend in Sunday School doesn't really know what my life is like, but I'm now starting to recognize that her words were an answer to my prayers. My moms words were too, because she pointed out something I couldn't see myself. I feel a bit more freedom right now. I'm not going to stop working and I'll continue to set goals and try to do more in business, but I am able to step back and feel better about myself right now. I am able to feel accomplished and secure with what I'm doing. I am finally feeling ok with the fact that the "old me" isn't as important as the "current me". There is plenty of time later in life to find the "old me" again.

I didn't mean to go into all of this, but it felt good to write.