We all try to work on work life balance, and being an entrepreneur is no exception. I think about the type of impact I’m striving to make through the real estate market in Grand Junction, and it’s not what you would expect. In fact, it’s not what I expected either.

I was at a pivotal place in my real estate career. I had been licensed for about 5 years, been a full-time REALTOR® for 18 months, and was experiencing a daily, heavy, weighed-down-in-the-mud feeling that I tend to get when I’m not really on a good path. After agonizing over it for months, I finally knew that I needed to make a change. Either I was going to change something, or doing nothing was going to change me. 

But what is the best direction for change? 

Don’t we all wrestle with this question from time to time as we walk the tight rope of work life balance? I’ve always been intrigued by people who can answer this question for themselves. Sometimes, that answer seems to come almost immediately. But, not for me.

So, I decided to spend time interviewing people to see what they deemed priorities in their lives. 

I talked to friends, family, mentors, colleagues, random people in coffee shops, other parents at play groups, school administrators, local entrepreneurs, and I would all ask them the same set of questions:

1. 

   Lily trying to be a lap dog.

   How do you know if you’re on the right track in life? 

2. If you zoomed ahead to the end of your working career, what would be the most important impact you would have wanted to make?
3. What holds you back from making changes in your career?

After all my interviewing, it repeatedly came down to two things:

If you’re not doing what you’re naturally built for, you’re not on the path to YOUR most powerful impact.

(And)

Don’t miss out on the moments with the people you love. 

If you’re not doing what you’re naturally built for, you’re not on the path to your most powerful impact.

The person who really got me thinking about this was my 13 year old nephew. He wants to be an influencer on YouTube. I can’t blame him. It sure looks cool. 

And, it got me stuck on the difference between influence vs impact. 

When I think about influence, I think about persuasion. To influence another person is to coerce their way of thinking. Sometimes this looks like shiny lights, flashy promises, and the enticement of the perfect lifestyle. It all looks great, and the trap of comparison has us hustling to feel worthy of such glimmer.

To me, impact means lasting, positive change. 

It doesn’t necessarily matter what you do, as long as you’re paying attention to what you’re naturally gifted at. I resisted this idea for years. I wanted desperately to believe that if I worked hard enough for long enough, I could do anything. So I did. I worked long hours and harder than my colleagues because I had to just to keep up. I wasn’t thriving. I was surviving. And because I was only surviving, I didn’t have the bandwidth to make a positive and lasting impact. I didn’t have a work life balance. After a lifetime of attempts at leaning into my weaknesses, I finally started to lean into my strengths. To learn more about my strengths, visit my profile on my sister website, Homes Sold for MORE™.

Almost like waving a magic wand, things started to click. I was making progress in my business, I had more time for my family, and for the first time in a long time, I was excited about my career. It hasn’t been perfect, and the road has been more like a loosely-grated back country road than a smooth, paved highway, but believe me when I say, you have strengths that will elevate your success. 

At the heart of my lifestyle and business practices, is the aspiration of creating lasting positive impact for my family, friends, clients, colleagues and my community.

That’s why I take so much time with my family and friends. It also seeps over into how I chose to interact with my clients (especially in the early stages) to help them understand what is really in store for them through real estate, and more importantly, what effect that will have on them in the bigger picture. 

I don’t use flashy catch phrases or hand waving to influence what you think. True impact comes from education and understanding so that you are empowered to make the best decision for you. 

Don’t miss out on moments with the people you love. 

You’ll always remember spending time with your partner, family, and friends. You won’t remember that extra hour you spent in the office or that email you stayed up late to send. 

Carving out time to spend with the people you love seemed to be one of the things said by everyone I interviewed. They all also said that this is easier said than done. I found myself torn on this as well. How can I carve out time when I need to be committed to my career and making money? Moments with loved ones don’t pay the bills. 

Somedays, these moments are easier to achieve than others. Sometimes, tending to work needs does take the front row seat. For me, it’s been a slow progression towards balancing work responsibilities and unwaveringly making time for the people I love. But, I wholeheartedly believe now that working on a solid, satisfying work life balance is one of the most important things you can do for yourself.

Cheers to your powerful impact,

Alanna

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Alanna Spees, REALTOR®
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