Happy Friday, everyone. As real estate broker owners, CEOs, staff, and high-producing agents, you’re all too familiar with the chase for the “sure thing”—the guaranteed closing, the proven lead source, the market you know inside and out. It feels safe, but I want to challenge that comfort zone today with a powerful idea:
“If you know something’s going to work, it’s not worth working on… The unknown is the foundry where you forge your chips. Everything important is uncertain.” – Eliot Peper
If It’s a Sure Thing, It’s Not the Work That Matters
Think about your greatest professional wins. Was it the predictable, run-of-the-mill transaction, or was it the deal that almost fell apart five times? The one where you had to invent a solution, pitch a completely new strategy, or dig deep for a resource you didn’t know you had?
If the outcome is guaranteed, the work required is just execution. It’s necessary, yes, but it doesn’t grow your business or your leadership capacity.
True growth—and lasting impact—is forged in the unknown.
The Unknown is Your Foundry
In the world of real estate, the “unknown” is everywhere:
- For Agents: It’s prospecting a new neighborhood, learning a complex investment niche, or trying a radically different lead conversion script.
- For Owners & CEOs: It’s investing in a new technology platform, expanding into a completely new market, or implementing a bold, unproven culture initiative.
The uncertainty isn’t a problem to be solved; it’s the forge. It’s the heat that shapes your skills into something tougher and more valuable—the “chips” you forge are the innovative processes, the resilient team, and the powerful personal courage you develop.
Embrace the Discomfort
This week, my note to self (and to all of you) is this: Embrace the discomfort of uncertainty.
Don’t just fill your time with the easy tasks. Identify one thing on your plate that has a high potential payoff but also a very real chance of failure. Lean into that ambiguity. That’s where you will find the:
- Courage to make the bold call.
- Faith in your own ingenuity.
- Real breakthroughs that change the trajectory of your business.
Let’s dedicate this week to tackling the biggest, most uncertain challenges. That is the work that truly matters.
What is the one uncertain move you’re committing to this week that could create a breakthrough for your business?
This is such a strong and powerful perspective, specially in an industry like real estate where comfort zones can feel like safety nets but often lead to stagnation, like we are learning in class.
I completely agree: the “sure thing” deals, while necessary, rarely push us to grow. It’s in the messy, uncertain moments, when you’re prospecting a new market, testing unproven strategies, or making bold leadership moves, that true transformation happens. Those are the moments that sharpen skills, build resilience, and open doors to opportunities you never imagined. I think this is an important life lesson outside of real estate, as well. To always push yourself to learn and be the best version of yourselves that you can be.