I was in my living room the other day and I saw a package of spring flowering seeds that my daughter had left in a little bowl. The seeds were spilling from a tear in the package, ostensibly on their way to being planted, but apparently something or someone got in the way and she forgot to plant them. So there they sat. And it got me thinking.

I picked up one of the tiny seeds and marveled at the simplicity of that little dot in my hand. What a massive difference from the dramatic, fully formed flowering beauty pictured on the front of the package. It really is a miracle of sorts how that seed goes from that clean, pure little shiny hard bead to a soft, billowing, colorful masterpiece.

Decision Time
As I was holding it, I realized that I too had a couple of choices as to what I would do with that seed. I could simply place it back into the bowl along with the all the others, where those seeds would never change their form except to perhaps shrivel down a bit with age and become unusable and worthless. Or I could take those same seeds and take the proper action, get them quite dirty, put them in very filthy soil, an unknown environment for these shiny little hard seeds. In fact, if I added even a filthier soil compound, manure, the better my odds would become to grow even more vivacious and brilliant and exquisite flowers.

But I would have to be willing to go along with the process it takes to create a masterpiece from a seed. In other words, I can't just throw the seed in dirt and walk away hoping that the seed will find the necessary water and nutrients on its own. I have to be willing plant the seeds, water them, continue watering them, and get rid of any weeds that creep in. Then we have to wait for our successful peek of our first green sprouts emerging triumphantly from the dark depths of an abyss below the surface.

Trust the System
Although we could not see on the surface right away, the growth and rising up of that sprout from that seed, we had to believe in it enough to continue to care for something that we could not yet see. We had to continue taking the right action steps trusting that we were aligning our seeds with the right outcome.

And then from the soil, the green stems begin growing. Eventually more development and refinement occurs. When this happens, we witness the unveiling of a completely different entity that we placed there in that soil not so long ago. We have created an amazing change from a lone and simple seedling into a beautiful and plentiful garden that will continue to grow and multiply as time passes and growth is allowed to flourish.

Embrace Change
As all this was taking place, I began to see clearly the similarity that we as Realtors® are challenged with. If we try and stay "clean and dry" and not put ourselves out there and expect a little dirt from time to time, we too, will sit just like the dry seeds and rarely see any changes or monumental growth.

We have to be able to get down in the "soil" and react and change with the current marketplace, lest we be left behind to live dormant, lifeless real estate careers where we are trying to survive, and not thriving like we could have if we had taken a few more chances, allowing the necessary changes we need to build a successful business.

Today's Seeds Need Special Treatment
The old adage, "bloom where you are planted" makes a great deal of sense when you are talking about really making a conscious effort to be the very best you can be regardless of any outside circumstances that are less than ideal. And we are faced today with just such a marketplace. Many areas are in a decline and agents have to redefine their action steps to ensure continued growth, just as the gardener has to take the right action steps for a successful harvest.

We must take our "seeds" and strategically allow ourselves to grow and to flourish in any environment or in any market condition. Change, whether forced upon us or self-declared, is really a good thing for us as it helps us shape and redefine ourselves and our futures on a continual basis. One thing that will never change in real estate is that change is inevitable. And in most cases, we are talking radical changes.

Faulty Preconceptions
If you entered into the real estate field with the idea that you simply need to learn one way to do business and that the market will just grow slow and steady and everything will remain status quo, then you've probably had a hard-hit realization that you were wrong. Dead wrong.

We are so much like that little seed. We can begin planting our seeds now. We can cultivate that fantastic business we have always dreamed of but we perhaps sat back and expected the business to come to us. Go out and begin planting, keep watering your past clients with your presence, be up to date with the marketplace, know what is going on around you.

Keep your name in front of as may people as you possibly can. Be creative, be bold, and as in watering and caring for our garden, be consistent. Never let up, even if you can't see that sprout above ground, know deep from within that every contact, every touch you give to your customers will grow your real estate garden richly.

Grow Strong and Prosper
So, I urge you, become that seedling and make the decision to not just sit there amongst the others with no real desire for great change. Be proactive, take the right action steps, be patient, have faith that even when you cannot see it. The steps you are taking will most certainly lead you to that path of success more quickly than you had ever dreamed.

Are you willing to embrace change in order to bloom? Send me your thoughts about this article at Phil.Lamb@HobbsHerder.com.