You're Such a Sponge

“Be a sponge for the sort of knowledge that will make you wealthy,” - Allen Walton

 You’re Such a Sponge

“I like to tell my clients that we no longer live on dry land,” I said to Stacey as we were talking about current real estate market conditions.

She called to talk with me about a conversation she had earlier in the day with new agent, with no market experience, who had been talking with her about pricing.

“We live on the ocean now.” I continued. “You’ve been on the ocean, you’ve seen the huge swells and rolling motion of the water.  That’s what our markets are like now.  It means you have to be able to adapt to constant changes.”

Constant change means you and I can’t just do what we’ve always done and thrive.  Doing what we’ve always done means that when a big swell rolls our way we have a strong possibility of having our “boat” swamped.  I remember having my boat swamped in 2008.

When all markets crashed I found myself much less prepared than I had imagined.  I say imagined because for the first time in my business career I realized that I had been living with assumptions that were proven not to be true and it almost cost me everything, cash, real estate, possessions and health.  It all caused me to look for answers.  I look at everything in my life and decided I needed to change.

That’s when I recognized our world was going through a “sea-change,” a broad transformation in the world.  I had read about such changes in the past such as the Industrial Revolution, where the world’s economy shifted from being an agrarian base to an industrial base, and I had never lived through such upheaval in my own live. I knew I needed help to adapt, to become a new creature.

There are lots of creatures in the sea.  I’ve caught a few of them and others, such as sharks, have assaulted me in their human form, but one stands out to me.  The Sponge.

Sponges are multicellular organisms that have bodies full of pores and channels allowing water to circulate through them. They rely on maintaining a constant water flow through their bodies to obtain food and oxygen and to remove wastes.  They are a great example of a great way to live in an ocean-like environment.

Yes, life in our world is now like living on the ocean.  Conditions are changing constantly and rapidly.  Decide to live life as a Sponge.  Allow the shifting currents to flow through you by learning new and important information as it presents itself and by seeking it.  Then, use the constant flow for nourishment and renewal.  Actively discover new opportunities and obtain needed skills while removing unproductive habits and waste.

Live as a Sponge!  It will allow the world’s upheaval to act for your benefit.