When I was in my twenties I tripped on a piece of broken walkway in front of a restaurant. I fell hard on the cement and cut open my chin. The owners of the restaurant were very concerned (looking back now, I am guessing they thought I would sue them). They paid for me to go to the emergency room and get stitches, and they immediately fixed the broken walkway. A few months later I received a letter promising me they would pay a plastic surgeon to fix my scar. I told them it wasn’t necessary but they insisted, stating that I would have peace of mind about the incident (I think it was them who wanted peace of mind against a lawsuit).
I made an appointment with a plastic surgeon. He confirmed that the emergency room doctor did a great job but would I like a facelift and to have my eyelids tightened? I was appalled, insulted, and angry. Why would a plastic surgeon suggest a facelift to a twenty-something woman?
Just like an architect who wants to redesign every house he sees or a mechanic who finds more things wrong with your car than the need for a tune-up, a plastic surgeon considers that everyone needs a facelift. We naturally relate everything back to ourselves. Attorneys who see potential lawsuits everywhere, restaurateurs who can’t enjoy going out to dinner since they are critiquing the other restaurant.
As I pondered this, I realized that when I was in real estate I thought differently about homes and the home buying process than I do now as a “civilian”. I have been inactive for eleven months and I no longer “think” like a real estate agent. It occurred to me that it would be helpful for people in all professions to have someone to turn to who is no longer immersed, someone who can give them a different perspective. So, all you agents out there, if you need a different perspective, from someone who has been there, I’d love to help. If you know a plastic surgeon who is no longer in the business, I know someone who needs some guidance.