Enhancing Lives through Learning
Have you ever felt like you don’t belong in a new country? There are always a lot of challenges waiting for us such as rejections, mistakes, setbacks, and failures. I have found that the best way to fit into a new environment is by working hard, enjoying the learning process and facing all the challenges.
Before I talked to my first client, I read the contract more than twenty times. I practiced presentation skills 2-3 hours every day but I was still too scared to see a client by myself. I was too worried. I didn’t want to make any mistakes or talk to anyone in the office. Self-doubt is always the first challenge you need to face. I started questioning myself. I couldn’t do this by myself. My English wasn’t good enough. Should I give up? Excuses will always be there for you, opportunities won’t.
I finally had the courage to start asking people for help. Sometimes you will get help, sometimes you won’t. So what? You can’t expect people to always be nice to you. I was lucky to be surrounded by a lot of good people and learned from them. One of the people I asked for help was Scott. He is one of my best friends from McGrath. He was always very generous and friendly to me. At first, he didn’t understand the questions I asked but he still tried to help me. He also took me with him to see his clients. I’m so grateful for his genuine friendship. Thank you mate.
Was I lucky? Yes, but I had to work very hard. I spent almost one year studying the Gold Coast real estate market and visited all the suburbs. I also spent a lot of time in international communities to help and learn from them. I talked to more than two hundred agencies and agents and learned from them. Meanwhile, I also had been rejected a lot and had setbacks. I asked my wife for help. “Why are people so hard on me? I don’t understand and feel like I don’t belong here.” She said, “I know this is hard, but this is it. This is your challenge now and in the future no matter how hard you work. If you can’t handle it, you can choose to go back to Taiwan. I will go with you. Period.” She was tough on me but she was right. If I can’t face all the challenges how can I live here normally? I decided to stay and face all the challenges.
There is a line, “Don’t ever let someone tell you that you can’t do something. Not even me. You got a dream, you gotta protect it. When people can’t do something themselves, they’re gonna tell you that you can’t do it. You want something, go get it. Period.” The Pursuit of Happyness. Dir. Gabriele Muccino. Perf. Will Smith, Thandie Newton, Jaden Smith. Columbia Pictures, 2006. Film.
This is the choice I made and I love it. How about you? “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.”- Steve Jobs.