Fall Down Seven Times … Stand Up Eight

Recently my “toddler” dog, only just a year old, cut his foot open while sprinting around the backyard with his “younger” brother (10 days younger, but still) on a frigid, icy Wednesday afternoon.

When he came in the house and was making a bloody footprint every time he stepped down, I knew he would need stitches.

The vet, unfortunately, was already overbooked and ten minutes from closing time. They encouraged me to clean it up, wrap it up, and see if I could get the bleeding to stop on its own. If not, I’d be heading to the ER veterinarian 30 minutes up the road.

After a brief moment where I considered a meltdown, I pulled myself together and remembered I’m the daughter of an EMT. This is my jam. We triaged the dog, I wrapped him up tight, and it stopped bleeding. (Side note – hydrogen peroxide is GREAT for removing multiple bloody doggy footprints out of your light-colored carpet.)

Call it mother’s intuition, on Saturday I still had a feeling this wound wasn’t going to finish healing without some stitches. I could look between his toes and see we had a gash twice the length it was originally, and any pressure on the foot would push it wide open. So I got him into the vet Saturday afternoon, and they filled it with stitches, wrapped it up tight, and sent him home with a cone around his head and a special bag to put over the foot anytime he goes outside so it doesn’t get wet from the snow and ice. And on a leash to his beloved backyard playground so he doesn’t tear the stitches out. Now, to wait just 10 to 14 days for it to fully heal, bringing him in every 3 to 5 days for a professional bandage change.

I promise, I’m getting to a business tie-in. Keep reading if you’re curious.

Fall Down Seven Times … Stand Up Eight

Sunday morning hits. I’m preparing for church. My husband and sons lose sight of the dog for 5 minutes while I’m showering, and Houdini (his newly-given name, you’ll see why) has managed to manipulate the cone, get to the tip of the bandages, and pull the entire “cast” off his foot.

This means we get to go to the ER, as my vet is closed on Sunday. $100-plus and two hours later, he’s re-bandaged, with a longer cone. We’re good.

Monday, I take my husband to the airport early, and he’s gone on business for the week. And so it begins.

Over the course of ten days, Houdini will destroy the bandage every two days. I pay to have the vet fix it four more times. Then two days before the stitches are to come out, Houdini gets out of the bandage, eats it, throws it up. I put him in the warmer, dryer yard for just a couple minutes while I clean up the mess. And in THAT time he manages to tear a stitch.

Back to the vet. 3 to 5 more days. New bandage. Cone tied to his collar now.

I want to quit. So many times. I want to let him roam free and take my chances. And his. That he won’t get an infection, won’t tear more stitches. But I don’t. I do triage. I wrap it using my dad’s EMT methods from days of yore. I resolve to wrap it myself every day until the stitches come out.

The Japanese Proverb states, “Fall down seven times. Stand up eight.” This market we’re in, with low inventory, with crazy multiple-offer situations, where buyers write and lose 3, 4, 5 times is exhausting.

You either quit real estate and go work a “regular job” OR you get back up. You find new ways to succeed. You persist until you break through.

Sellers still need to sell. Buyers will buy. Where can you get ahead of the curve to find the listings?

• Go searching on behalf of a buyer’s specific needs. Mail, call, door knock if it’s appropriate. “I have a particular buyer looking for this specific type of property in your neighborhood. Who do you know whose house might fit the criteria?”
• Connect with seniors through a virtual or in-person seminar. Gather your probate attorney, de-cluttering expert, auctions specialist, reverse mortgage lender, senior living director and give tons of value.
• Talk to your elder care and probate attorneys. See what you can do to help them help their clients.
• Reach out to investors who may be unaware of the equity they’re sitting on.

There are many more ways to generate listings. These will get you started. Contact me if you need more.

By the way, Houdini is free now. Stitches out, cone retired, living his best life sprinting around the backyard with his beloved brother. He didn’t give up, and neither did I. You shouldn’t either.

ASK FOR HELP if you need it. Email me at amy@realestatemastersguild.com or call me at 303.682.1072 and I’ll help you get back up.