Just Keep Swimming

I was on the fence about how to return to my blog, being embarrassed about the long delay in my posts. The best thing to do in an instance like this is to just be honest, take responsibility and move on. Here goes: when I make a mistake, I tend to shut down. I'll work on taking time to lament whatever needs lamenting and then getting back to business. Kind of like what I'd do if it didn't work out with a guy I was dating - spend a few days expressing all my feelings and then getting back out there! Life simply happened, and in some instances much larger or horrible than we could ever imagine: Super Storm Sandy and the shooting at Sandy Hook. Two huge opportunities to practice compassion and to re-focus on what's really important - living our lives the best way we know how.

On a positive note, many great things are happening as well. One of my siblings is expecting, I've moved and changed web hosts for my site. The new website is not online yet and I had to change URLs from flowproperties.com to flow-properties.com. It means rethinking and recreating some parts of my company when I liked what I created. I took a fabulous course at the New York Real Estate Institute called Investor Profit Lab. I learned so much! The most important skill I learned was a concrete way to analyze properties. I do 25 per week now! I'm working to getting it to 25 per day.

I have a new accountability partner - Janice Saunders of One Jazzy Life. I've known of Janice since my competitive swimming days. We weren't on the same teams; but when I saw her, another girl of color, tearing it up in the pool I took notice. She received even more of my respect because she was, hands down, much faster than I was. I don't think we ever raced each other in the same heats until the All City Championship of my junior year. We were both in the final heat for the 50 yard freestyle. This race would determine who would be the fastest girls in New York City! And to think, two Black girls up for the title! Alas, tried as I might, I came in fifth. She (correct me if I'm wrong, Janice) came in third. Yes!! Due to my decade of conditioning in the pool, I was okay with the loss because it was a personal best time for me. You win some, you lose some - just never quit. I have been in awe of Janice ever since.

Fast forward some twenty or so years later, I bump into a very familiar looking pharmaceutical rep at the now defunct hospital I was working in. It took me about a week and a conversation with an old high school classmate for me to realize who she was. After hitting me like a lightning bolt, I couldn't wait for her next visit to the hospital. I want to apologize to my former colleagues if we created a scene in the department's hallways. We decided we needed to go to lunch to truly "catch up" and we have been each other's support system ever since. Now if we can just go on a scuba diving trip together -I'm in dire need of a reliable dive buddy. Turns out, Janice has been moving and shaking for quite some time. We're both starting our own businesses, so the timing is perfect. But if you need any kind of coaching, call on Janice, she's a master.

So with new skills, more accountability and new goals, my direction is becoming more clear. My intention is to be consistent. On that note, I'll save next week's post to discuss my new goals. Nothing like a blizzard to get a person to focus inward. Thanks Winter Storm Nemo! See the attached pic for a look at his wrath in New York.