For those of you have been reading my blogs all the way back to the days when I was writing for the Denver Post, thank you so much for your kindness and support. As many of you know, in the month of December, I generally do not write about business in my cover story. There are 11 months of the year to discuss real estate and business, and this is the one month of the year when I like to talk about stories of the human condition – stories that move, motivate, inspire, and change people’s hearts. This month the story is about the two most important lessons I’ve learned in my life and how they have impacted my journey.
In September 1988, I was a Junior at Syracuse University. I had been accepted into the prestigious Newhouse School of Communication, the number one broadcast journalism school in the country. All the heavy weights had graduated from S.I. Newhouse, including Ted Koppel, Bob Costas, Sean McDonough, and Mike Tirico, just to name a few (Some of you know I worked as a television and radio sportscaster for 11 years which is another story). All incoming juniors were required to take Introduction to Journalism 101. I sat that day in an auditorium on the Syracuse University campus with about 200 other freshmen and the professor opened the class with a very interesting question. He said, imagine yourself as a photojournalist working in the business. You get a call that a very prominent local official is standing on a bridge threatening to jump and end his life. You arrive on the scene, and you’ve got the perfect angle for the photographs, but now you’ve got a decision to make. Do you stay in your position, do your job, and take photographs as the whole scene unfolds, knowing full well, that if he does jump, you may get a photograph that it will be used across the country, you will probably get an award or some accolades, and it may vault your career? Or do you put down your camera and do whatever you can to help save the man’s life?
The professor asked the class to stand up if they thought they should stay put and do their job. About half of the class stood up. Then he asked the class to stand up if they thought they should put their camera down and help save his life. Again, about half of the class stood up. The professor then went on to say that the right answer is, “you have a responsibility to be a human being first and everything else second.” Silence in the room. I never forgot that day, and I never forgot the lesson he was trying to teach. Since that moment, I’ve always tried to live my life with that simple sentence of, “trying to be a human being first and everything else second,” and it’s never served me wrong. I tell real estate agents who are thinking about coming to work at Keller Williams that when they do, I just want them to know I care more about who they are than what they do. Many times, over the years I’ve seen real estate agents get their identity caught up in what they do and how much they accomplish. I want them to know that if they come to work with us at Keller Williams, I am way more interested in who they are as a human being than their transactions. I’ll tell them that when they see me, I’m going to ask about how they are doing personally, not their business. How their family is doing, their hopes, their dreams, and what I can do to help. I think that’s one of the reasons why the businesses that I’ve been involved in are so successful. I hope, and I pray everyday, that my colleagues always know how much I care.
The second most important lesson I have learned in my life came from my very wise grandfather. Easily one of the smartest people I knew. It was clearly because of all he had been through in his life. He was the son of a farmer who sold his crops to make a living. He was in the Navy in World War II and stationed on a battleship in the South Pacific, fighting the Japanese. He survived the depression, and he saw more things than many of us ever will in our lifetime. I got to spend a fair amount of time with my grandfather when I was in college, and I always enjoyed his company. He just had a knack for always knowing the exact right thing to say. Every time he spoke, knowledge and wisdom, always oozed out his mouth. One day I just asked him, “Gramps how is it that you know so much and always seem to have the right answer?” Grandpa said, “it nothing more than being on this planet for more than 80 years.” I know exactly what he was talking about. In fact, with each passing year as I get older – I am now in my middle 50’s – I realize there’s just nothing that ever replaces the knowledge and wisdom which comes from real life experience. One of the last things that my grandfather shared with me before he passed away was this, he said, “Daniel you have never looked in the eyes of some one that doesn’t matter to God and remember when you do… everybody is going through something!” He was so right. Nowadays, when I meet with friends or acquaintances, or people that I know and I really dig in with them on how they’re doing, just everybody I meet seems to be going through something. I’m guilty of tending to be impatient and frustrated with people at times. In those moments I must remind myself that I don’t know what they are going through. I don’t know what pain, hardship or what they’re suffering in their life. And so, I must extend grace, because after all, I would want somebody to do that for me. Grandpa lived 81 years and I can’t wait until we can talk again.
As we celebrate this Holidays season, maybe it’s time for us to just sit back and reflect on some of the terrific lessons we’ve learned in life. You know, the kind of stuff that has shaped you, created your moral character and influences the way you live your life. I don’t know what they are, but I would love to hear about them if you care to share. My prayer for you this holiday is good health above all else, because without that not much else matters; and that you have some joy and peace this Holiday season with people you love.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Mahalo for reading.
Dan
Dan Polimino is the owner of the Hawai`i Team in Kailua-Kona, Hawai`i. He and his team are the luxury residential experts for the Big Island. If you are thinking about buying or selling in Hawai’i, then please reach out to us at team@thehawaiiteam.com or call 808-913-0899.
