When Orville and Wilbur Wright flew at Kitty Hawk in 1903, neither of them had a pilot’s license. There was no such thing. Nobody had ever flown a powered airplane, so there was no one to ask.
They had creativity, persistence and a willingness to be wrong in public. That turned out to be enough.
Most of us are waiting for someone to say yes
I see it everywhere in our business.
- Students waiting to feel ready before they schedule the exam.
- New agents waiting for a broker to hand them leads before they start prospecting.
- Experienced agents waiting for the market to come back.
- Affiliates waiting for the right introduction before they reach out to an office.
- Broker-owners waiting for the perfect time to launch the idea they’ve been talking about for two years.
None of those people need permission. They need a decision.
Waiting feels safe. It isn’t.
Waiting feels responsible. You’re being careful, doing more research, letting things settle. But the market doesn’t hold your spot while you wait. Someone else takes the listing, signs the agent, launches the idea.
The cost of waiting never shows up on a report. It just shows up as the year you didn’t have.
Innovators find a way
Bill Bowerman was a track coach at the University of Oregon, not a shoe engineer. He wanted lighter shoes for his runners, so he poured rubber into his wife’s waffle iron and made a new kind of sole. That idea helped build Nike.
He didn’t wait for a design department. He used what was in his kitchen.
Give yourself permission this week
Try this. Write down one thing you’ve been waiting on. Then answer three questions:
- Who, exactly, am I waiting to hear from?
- What’s the smallest step I could take without them?
- What will it cost me if I wait another 90 days?
Most of the time, the answer to the first question is “me.”
You don’t need anyone’s permission but your own. Take the first step today. That’s how we win the day.
When something feels out of reach, remember: difficult doesn’t mean impossible.
Framework: This post is part of Action Produces Data, the coaching framework for consistent production: take the next right action, track it and let the results, not opinions, guide what you do next.
Want help applying this in your brokerage? Book a 30-minute conversation with Mark at calendly.com/mjsession.
Ask seek and knock. All 3 get the job done ✔️
I really enjoyed reading this post. The Wright brothers and Bill Bowerman both show how important it is to take action instead of waiting for everything to be perfect. Sometimes you just have to start with what you have and figure things out along the way. I think this applies to school, sports, and future careers because you are never going to feel completely ready for every opportunity. As a soccer player, I can directly relate to this. Taking that first step can make a big difference.