You may have read Simon Sinek’s book, Start With Why, or at least you’ve listened to his TED Talk.

The premise behind starting with the question, “Why do I do what I do?” and leading with “This is why I do what I do”, is that people don’t buy or follow or believe in what you do or how you do it, but rather why you do it.

What is the purpose? What is the point? Why do we get out of bed, brush our teeth, hopefully exercise, shower & dress, eat a healthy breakfast (if we’re lucky), and zoom off to a soul-sucking job every day? Is it just to cash a paycheck every couple of weeks?

Work to live, not live to work, am I right?

But what if there is a higher calling to what we do day in and day out? What if there is something out there that we can do that fulfills us and rewards us, that we look forward to doing every day, and that helps us keep a roof over our heads, clothes on our backs, and food in our bellies?

Those are a few of the questions I asked myself daily en route to a job that I somehow fell into selling smartphones and talk, text, and data plans for a national wireless company several years ago.

“Did I spend four years at a prestigious university to do this?” I thought. “Isn’t there a way I can make a greater impact on my community and in my customers’ lives than by hooking them up with the latest iPhone?”

I had a background in real estate, having been licensed in Virginia in my early twenties.

I didn’t stay in the business for very long my first go-around because I was more interested in joining my friends in California than I was in putting down roots at the time, but I remembered there was something I found rewarding about helping others with their real estate needs.

Around the same time I got married in June 2013, I decided to get back into real estate as a way to build a long-term, potentially lucrative career in which I could help people on a deeper level and provide for my family.

I believed then that working in real estate would give me a platform to make a difference in people’s lives, but I had no idea that it would lead me to discover my greater professional purpose, which is connecting people through community.

I am a connector. It is who I am. It is in my DNA. And I love being part of a tight-knit local community.

You may have seen my tagline, “Real Estate. Made Simple.” and that is certainly what I strive to do with every client. That’s my what.

How I do that is by educating my clients about the transaction process up front, communicating with them regularly, and advocating for them throughout. My goal is always to make the home buying and selling processes as simple, enjoyable and low-stress as possible.

But why do I do it?  Because I love building community.  I love being active in the Waxhaw area business community. I love connecting people with other people, with businesses, with communities, and with their homes.

That’s why I’m always out and about shooting videos, promoting local businesses and causes and, oh yeah, I also happen to sell houses, and according to my clients, I’m pretty good at it, too.

I’m excited to be signed up for six more months sharing real estate tips and information with you in Tri-W News, and I look forward to knowing you and continuing to connect and serve this beautiful community.