Monday Morning Match is a quick post – maybe a quote, inspirational story or idea – intended to spark some motivation inside each of you so your week gets off to a fantastic start on Monday morning.
I took a long walk yesterday to start my Sunday. It was a chilly morning with temperatures in the mid 30’s but the sun was shining gloriously from the blue skies above. As I walked along the sidewalk, I noticed a flower stubbornly poking through the still frosted ground. It was reaching for the sunshine, ready to bear its beauty into the world.
Further along in my walk, I was listening to a podcast I listen to each week. The guest paraphrased a quote attributed to investor and American business magnate Warren Buffett about painting and creating something each day on your own canvas. As I walked the next mile or so to my house, I started looking around at all the new colors and pictures that were starting to appear on the canvas of nature. The grass was getting greener from the rains, the tree buds were starting to form on the far ends of branches and the squirrels were actively scouring the softened earth for acorns and other treats they had stashed before winter arrived.
When I got home, I looked up Buffett’s quote. While speaking to students at The Wharton School back in 2008, Buffett was asked about his motivation and why he goes to work each day?
“Why do I go to work in the morning?”
“Well, there are two reasons. I love painting my own painting. I come down to the office, I get on my back, and I start painting. And I think I’m in the Sistine Chapel. It’s my painting. Now, if somebody says, “Use more red paint instead of blue. Paint a seascape instead of a landscape,” I would hand them the brush in five seconds and I’d say – I’d say a few other things, too – but I’d say, “Do your own painting. I’ll go paint what I want to paint.” I get to do my own painting. And then I get applause – if I deserve it. And I like that. I like having the painting admired, and I like to get to paint my own painting.”
When you go to work in the morning, what will you paint?
I tell people the best thing about real estate is it’s different every day. I quickly follow that up by saying one of the worst, or maybe a better way to say it would be “most challenging” things about real estate is it’s different every day. One of the really neat things is we get to determine what “our painting” will look like. As soon as we realize that we hold the paintbrush and we choose our attitude and we determine the colors we use, we can paint anything we want.
This week, I’m choosing to paint a picture that includes building relationships, solving problems, and having fun.
What will you paint?