This is the infamous I had an idea for a newsletter newsletter. Anybody who has attempted to be creative in their lives have “written” this newsletter. The one where you wanted to regale the world with your brilliance using some original insight, but you did not write it down because it was “too pure to forget”. Well here we are and here we go!
My original newsletter was not going to change the world, so don’t feel bad you missed it. Besides, I have this belief about creativity that ideas are collective and we act as conduits for their manifestation, which is why it is so important to decidedly act on gifts from the creative spirit. If you don’t, someone else down the road will and they will be awarded credit for capitalizing on that thought. But, I digress, the point is you will be treated to that idea at some point by somebody.
Let’s chat about creativity. Even if you think you are not a creative type, you certainly create. Did you put together the agenda for that meeting? Did you carefully craft an email explaining those numbers? Did you package those numbers in a meaningful way? Did you converse with a loved one this morning? All simple acts of creativity. Why does this distinction matter? It matters because creativity is a precursor to ideation → action → innovation → creation.
In order to innovate you need the chops to ideate and the resolve to act on your ideas and bring them to a state of innovation. I have had lots of ideas that proved true, but I had no ability to turn them into anything worthwhile. Over a decade ago it occurred to me that broadcast TV and the internet would essentially become the same thing. This may have been obvious to most and I am sure many media companies were spending their R&D dollars focused on being able to take advantage of that merge, but for just a lay person like myself to have this thought is interesting, but it meant nothing.
I like to write. About a year ago, I had the idea to write a newsletter that I would send to my brokers as a means to have them know me better and potentially learn something that would be helpful with their independent contractor careers. So, I started writing. Later on, I thought, why not change the subject matter slightly and expand the audience to clients. Finally I decided to make this a public facing blurb. These were all actions on ideas.
Be Realty was started on the premise that we were going to change the game. Game changers do not become so without that belief even if it is hubris. A tech company that sold real estate. So, what did we do? We took action by bringing people together to try and innovate something meaningful. I’ve learned recently that until telepathy becomes a reality, no one is capable of sharing in your vision until it exists.
Alright, so I have this newsletter. If not one sees it, no one will care about it. And posting a link to the repository of all my newsletters on my website won’t do a thing. Hey, come check out my blog! No thank you, people will say. I will stay in this digital fiefdom called Facebook and consume what it shows me. Well, thankfully, the creators of LinkedIn and now Microsoft have innovated for me. Maybe this is a bit too long for a LinkedIn Newsletter, but it’s a space for this type of idea to be shared.
Do not get me wrong, I am proud of what we have built at Be Realty. Three strong divisions and a parent company headed by very smart, dynamic, interesting, and caring individuals who are great to work with as business partners. We have survived many market cycles and learned about business and real estate at every turn. And we used to have killer parties especially when the Cubs were doing their thing. But, our most creative days are still ahead of us. And sometimes in order to create something meaningful the best place to start is to post a newsletter in a public sphere.
