(This blog post is really for my internal team, but everybody is welcome to peek inside.)

We talk alot about right thinking. It occurred to me this morning that when right thinking is obviously displayed, then we need to capture it and make a big deal of it. Here are a few cases of it I’ve seen in the past few days.

#1.Elijah: A lady wanted to rent a house, but pointed out a couple of minor repairs that she wanted done. She was right. They needed to be done. So, we said we’d fix it. She blew up into a rage jabbering about “bait and switch” and “unprofessionalism.” Two hours later she is back in our office saying that maybe she misunderstood, and that she really would like to rent the house anyway. Elijah said, “I don’t think renting to her would be a good idea. She is likely to become a ‘tenant’ instead of a ‘resident’.” He was right! Good thinking Elijah!

#2. Brian: The #1 homebuyer in America recently went off on a boys weekend with some of his buddies from college. While at the lake he saw a beautiful view of the setting sun and it inspired him. He appreciated it so much he snapped a photo and put it on Facebook with a comment about the beauty he’d seen. Meanwhile one of his college “buddies”(?) commented on his Facebook post calling him a “fag” and challenging him to “grab a beer and get loaded.” (There’s that maturity thing that men are famous for.) Ignoring the buddy, I’m grateful that Brian noticed the sunset, allowed it to inspire him, and I hope it caused him to reflect on who makes the sunsets and to give thanks accordingly. Good job Brian!

#3. Phil: Phil and Justin were in a conversation about repairing a house and specifically “where to stop.” Phil advised Justin to “Make it funcitonal. It’s a lived in house. We don’t freshen the paint after every move out. We repair what isn’t functional.” That was wisdom. I call it “right thinking.” Good job Mr. Long.

#4. And finally, there is Justin. He’s been struggling for a while with his duel career path. I’ve been haunting him about the fact that at 29 he can produce a volume of work and effort that he won’t be able to at 49, and his work is already taking a toll on him. He came in this week and told us about some decisions he’d made that will allow him to focus on developing one professional/career area. It’s scary. His income is likely to dip temporarily. But my guess is that in 18 months he’ll be making 150% of what he earns today. But like the trapeze artist, he’s got to let go of the bar behind him and fly through the air for a bit before he can grab the bar ahead of him. Realizing that. Being willing to do that. It’s a demonstration of right thinking. Good job Justin!