How to Change: The Art of Adapting

I’ve always looked at life as a series of changes. How to change and adapt have always come easily to me. While I come from a city where change is hard for so many, I crave it. My internal makeup is that of the proverbial black sheep. I’ve never been afraid to start and stop jobs, relationships, or plans that don’t suit me. Life is fluid, and whether you want to adapt to that fact or not is a choice. In fact, what I realized, is that life is going to gush all over you if you don’t start swimming with your current and in your lane at some point. I know enough people who tried or keep tying to be the salmon swimming upstream, and bears have their way with them. I won't go on with the analogy of bears and salmon. I’ll get to the point. Fight life too much and you might literally die.

Reading a book in the library, possibly about mindset

Adam Grant and Mindset

I’ve been a realtor for 12 years and a broker for 7 years, owning my own company and building my business. I built my business from the ground up, encountering hurdles you wouldn’t (or maybe you would?) believe. My point is that I have put a lot of time, effort, and focus on getting myself and business where it is now. But I also promised myself that if ever I wanted to change careers, I would figure out how to change careers. In Adam Grant’s book Think Again, he encourages interrupting your thought patterns with new thoughts, questioning yourself (gasp!). Not just going along with behaviors and thoughts because it’s “what you’ve always done.” Already embracing this sentiment and wanting to improve in it, I feel seen by this book. So, am I quitting real estate? Read on to find out.

The place my client tragedy occurred and I decided RWR needed to be born

But You’ve Built a Fabulous Business

Three years ago, while on a road trip, I decided I wanted to start my brand: Roaming with Red. The impetus was a real estate client who completely screwed me on day two of travel. It's a long story, but I wanted to curl up and die. It happens to the best of us. I chose to channel my fury into my new pet project. I had no clear direction, no ideas for monetizing. Roaming with Red was just something that helped me not lose my mind and expound on my creative expression. Since then, it's provided the most beautiful connections on social media with like-minded people I could ever ask for. While I'm not quitting real estate (yet), RWR gives me an outlet when things get tough in my job. It's always my silver lining. And now, I'm looking to monetize it with valuable content and great connections.

A few of my other interests besides travel

Who Am I?

The first part of my journey with RWR I focused on travel. After realizing I am no expert after visiting a place once, I knew I had to change that idea to it being more of roaming through…life. I’m more than travel. I love fashion, animals, wine, working out. The works! What I am not is someone who runs down the Champs Elysees in a flowing dress while looking back. That, I am not. There’s an ass for every seat, and I am not that ass. My ass is simply too old for that nonsense. I write about relatable things. I roam through most days with wonder, interest, excitement, and awe. Sometimes I roam through my days with moments of anger and disgust and frustration. My vision is to represent myself and my experiences authentically. The journey is still evolving, but I’m getting closer to the vision.

My first stock agency sale!

What Am I Doing?

Taking photos has always been my jam. But have always been a thing I didn’t get paid for and wished I did. Last year, I signed up for a social media friend’s course about stock photography and began my stock agency journey. After 6 months, I had a few photos approved to one agency, and about 2-3 sold. The course itself was a small fortune and I wanted to pay it with stock photo sales. Many of my photos were not getting approved, so I messaged another gal I follow on social, who is an amazing American photographer in Paris: Krystal. I asked her to teach me more about my camera, my iPhone camera, and hold me accountable. She was up for the challenge and we are still going strong. I'm meeting my lofty goals. It’s doable now that I know what I’m doing. Imagine that.

Planning!

I Will Not Be Schlepping Houses When I’m 103 Years Old

As I stated in my first couple of paragraphs, I know that I don’t want to sell real estate while pushing around a walker, so I am setting myself up for passive income success now. If I can start making some dough on the side with something I love, my future self is going to be very happy with my present (or past) self. What a concept! While I have been accused of being too spontaneous, my critics don’t realize that this redhead always has a plan in motion. It’s just not me to share it all, all the time. Would I classify myself as a schemer? Nah. But spontaneous planner, I’ll take. The other part of my evil plan is to sell fine prints. I have found a very unique way of preparing my beautiful pictures, and I will not share that because it’s a trade secret. Some things have to stay mum. I’ll gladly sell you one, though!

I Wonder What Tomorrow Will Bring

Life is so awesome because we get to choose. Some days we don’t get to choose, or feel like we don’t get a choice. In the grand scheme of life, we get to choose. I don’t see real estate being my dream job forever, and that’s the Gemini in me. Nothing can be done about that. Fluidity, how to change, shifting…it’s all part of the program in my makeup. No need to bore you with the prior life details, but I’ve been everything from a toy store employee to a sales rep for Big Blue (that’s IBM for you lay people) to being part of a tour company. It all suits me, or it did at that time. When it didn’t, adios, ciao, bye. Life is too short to commit to one thing forever. My philosophy is: learn how to change, or life will wreck you. You decide, and that is the fortune of being a human in this world. Now, I have to go make my next move. It’s going to be awesome.

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