One of my favorite songs from a favorite band of mine (that’s not Pearl Jam) is “Once in a Lifetime” by The Talking Heads. The first verse ends with a powerful question: “You may ask yourself, well, how did I get here?”
When I reflect on that question and my personal journey, I think about all the little things that have become big moments in my life. The greatest achievements are the results of small beginnings. This is discussed in one of my favorite books, The ONE Thing, by Gary Keller. A domino on its own, standing two inches tall and weighing in at about the same weight as a box of matches, isn’t much. However, the force that domino creates when pushed can knock over one that is one and a half times its size. This chain reaction of force can compound into knocking over the equivalent of the Eiffel Tower in its twenty-third iteration – all from the small beginnings of a two-inch domino.
As I reflect back on this past year as the president of CAR, my biggest takeaway has been that we are all that two-inch domino. The way we treat each other, our clients and our industry will set off a chain reaction of force that will compound into something big. The power we have is the choice of positivity or negativity; we want our energy to compound and ultimately set off a chain reaction. I empower all of us to remember this next time we interact with each other, whether it’s during negotiations or a showing. We are each other’s first domino.
I’m grateful for the opportunity to have been that first domino as the 135th CAR president, and for all the dominos before me who paved the path that led me to this “Once in a Lifetime” opportunity. #growththroughgratitude
Best,
TOMMY CHOI
2018-2019 President
Chicago Association of REALTORS®