Following Yogi
In the immortal words of Yogi Berra, the catcher/philosopher of the New York Yankees, “When you arrive at a fork in the road, take it.” This statement is as profound as any Zen koan that I have ever heard, and I have pondered it a lot over the years.
For example, the saying implies that life is a journey, and when one embarks upon this journey, one will encounter many forks in the road. Yogi also assumes that one recognizes a fork in the road when one comes to it, which requires a certain degree of self -awareness. Very few of us, in my opinion, are so self aware that we recognize every fork in the road we encounter. What I have found is that sometimes one takes a certain fork in the road unknowingly, and actually doesn’t recognizes that fork until later, sometimes much later.
Finally, Yogi’s advice when one encounters a fork in the road is to “take it.” Of course, one could recognize a fork in the road and not take any action, and just go with the flow. Or, one could arrive at a fork in the road and be constrained by factors that precluded one from choosing which fork to take. But Yogi’s advice is to follow one’s convictions, and have the courage to confront the inevitable consequences of the fork one takes.
What Yogi is talking about, of course, is making choices, and the role that these choices play in one’s life. Often times one relies on the opinion of others for assistance in formulating one of these choices. Alternatively, one’s choices might be influenced (sometimes unknowingly) by what one has heard or seen in passing. There is an entire industry whose sole purpose is to influence our choices by various means, both consciously
and unconsciously. That industry is commonly known as advertising.
Statistics show that the majority of Buyers choose the first real estate agent or broker that they talk to as the facilitator of their transaction. Sellers often choose a Realtor they have used in the past to facilitate their choice to sell, without investigating other options in this regard. These phenomenon are at least in part a reflection of how real estate professionals are often traditionally viewed, which is usually somewhere near that of a used car salesman or politician within the hierarchy of professions.
What does all of this have to do with Johnny McElree and Hawaii Luxury Listings? Well, everything, in my opinion. First & foremost, I feel that the knowledge I have gained in my life, both in & out of real estate, is valuable to my clients. I look at my role as that of a facilitator of my client’s choices, whether it be buying a property or selling one. What value I bring to the table in this role is largely the product of the choices I have made, or not made, in my own life. So, this is the first of a series of autobiographical blogs designed to let you know a little about me as a person, and what forks in the road I have taken. Hopefully these will allow you to get to know me a little better. Perhaps you might feel that we would make a good team when it comes to buying or selling a property in this beautiful place.
