Brad and I went to a fantastic industry event yesterday and the guest speaker was Mr. Thank You.
Yes, that is actually what he goes by, and he was every bit as good as it sounds.
He said many things that have been rolling around in my noggin, but one thing in particular really stuck with me. He said, "If you can't appreciate what you have now, who is to say you'll be any happier when you finally get what you say you want?"
That one simple sentence quietly dismantles a lot of ambition culture.
The question is deeply uncomfortable because most of us are wired to think about what's "next". That next level, that next goal, that next milestone, that next house, that next version of ourselves, etc.
We tell ourselves we are ambitious, driven, future-focused...all solid traits. However, there is a thin line between building a future...and postponing joy until you get there.
I've always been hyper-aware of this in my own life...almost to a fault. I make a conscious effort to appreciate what exists right now - the business we've built, our relationships, schedule flexibility, the random uneventful Tuesday. I don't want to look back five years from now and realize I missed the good part because I was too busy chasing the next upgrade.
Don't get me wrong, I still dream. I still set goals. I still want more...and I still stretch beyond what I know is possible.
The difference, at least in my mind, is this:
There is dreaming OF the future.
There is dreaming FOR the future.
Dreaming of the future sounds like, "When I get there, life will be great."
When I hit that number. When the market shifts. When business slows down. When I finally have more free time.
That "of" subtly suggests the present is lacking in some way.
Dreaming for the future feels different. It's less about escape and more about expansion. It's not "Someday life will be amazing." It's, "Life is amazing, and I want to build on that."
One comes from dissatisfaction. The other comes from stewardship. That distinction matters because if we can't appreciate what we have now - the imperfect, complicated, beautiful version of life as it stands - why would we suddenly become experts at gratitude when something bigger arrives?
If anything, the stakes increase. The pressure increases. The expectations increase.
Gratitude is not circumstantial. Rather, it is practiced.
Ambition is not the enemy of gratitude...but misplaced ambition is.
I don't think the goal is to become complacent. I don't think it is to stop striving or dreaming or reaching for the stars. The goal is to make sure the future we are building doesn't become a moving target that steals from the present.
This is especially true in real estate (any business really) because it is easy to fall into "once I hit..." thinking. Once I hit that volume. Once I build that team. Once the market stabilizes. Once interest rates come down. Once this deal closes. Admittedly, I have to snap myself out of this mode all the time.
But...what if? What if the point isn't to escape the now?
What if the point is to become someone who can hold gratitude and ambition at the same time?
That, my friends, is the tension I am trying to live in every day. Not dreaming of a better life someday, but dreaming for a future that honors the life I already have - and builds upon it.
What does it look like for you to welcome joy right now? How are you choosing to live fully in the present while still building what's next?
