Obligatory Year-End Post

There was re-birth, and there was an early end.

There is a season

I went from processing home loans, to rejoining the customer-facing side of the industry.

I was reminded why I got into the mortgage industry.

When I was pushing paperwork, it was all about the details. Now, it’s all about the people I talk to; the stories behind the details.

Back in my processing days, I thought I was happy to not be emotionally involved in the Real Estate transactions of others.

Now, I remember that it’s one of the most rewarding experiences I could hope for.

Year of the geek

By Andy Piper (Flickr: Yep) CC-BY-2.0

Yes, I am.

When 2011 started, I was just the non-douchy mortgage dude on Twitter.

Now, I am doing all kinds of things.

I help people with their WordPress sites.

I found a healthy addiction in mobile photography.

I started a podcast.

I even volunteered at, and spoke at, a 140 Characters Conference in Vancouver, WA.

Just recently, I started monkeying around with Android development.

What matters

There’s no time like the present to re-evaluate your priorities. Sometimes, life has a harsh way of reminding you.

This year, we lost a giant to cancer. His name is Clint Miller. If you know me, then you likely know his story.

Clint & Angela Miller with their two sons

Clint is a rock star who lived at the intersection of Real Estate and Social Media.

He lived his life out loud with no apologies for doing so.

He was a constant reminder that life is too short to mince words. Too precious to waste it pretending.

I never “met” Clint. We talked occasionally on Twitter.

Some may say that doesn’t count as “knowing” someone. I wholeheartedly disagree.

Here’s how I know Clint:

• He loved heavy metal. So do I.
• He loved awesome food. So do I.
• He loved great humor. Only idiots don’t.
• He has two young sons.* So do I.

When I heard about his diagnosis with testicular cancer, it hit me like a ton of bricks. At 40, he is only a little older than me. He was way too young to get cancer.

Way too young to die from anything short of random, haphazard, “Act of God” event.

He shared his struggle selflessly, and that had a profound effect on me. I check myself regularly now(for the first time in years), and I am constantly reminded to focus on what matters.

Men, check yo’ self! Click here to learn how. (Big fat tip of the hat to Jay Thompson. His blog post is where I first saw the link).

Lessons learned

• Clint Miller didn’t remind me death can happen. He taught me how to make life happen.
• I lost the better part of 140 blog posts this year. I learned about backing up stuff the hard way. In truth, I did have most of those blog posts backed up. Unfortunately, that backup was on a drive that wasn’t backed up :-(
• One of my most popular posts this year had nothing to do with home loans. It was about one of my favorite apps. Apparently, people don’t always want to read about the exciting, fast-paced world of home finance all the time ;-)
• I learned that even though sarcasm doesn’t always come across in type, I don’t always need to use emoticons to let people know I’m weisenheiming :-/

Dammit, did it again.

A short note about something that’s decidedly non-sardonic: the title of this post was not crafted acerbically. I did feel obligated to write a “year in review” post because so much happened this year.

I felt that if I neglected to write this, I may forget things that I want to remember.

The journey ahead

Having talked to many folks in the Real Estate industry, there seems to be consensus that 2012 will be an exciting year.

That means we all need to step our game up a bit. We need to provide “mo’ betta” information, service, and professionalism.

I pledge to do that.

I solemnly swear...

I further pledge to remain douche-free in my online activities. If I ever fall short of that pledge, please slap me upside the head and accuse me of being sales-y.

After spending several hours in the fetal position, I will likely rise up with new purpose.

THANK YOU!

I want to thank you for reading this blog, watching my videos, etc.

But more importantly I want to thank you for connecting on Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, email, the comments, and most importantly in person.

Relationships matter. The rest is busy work.