Christmas is about to pop up as reality once again. All of us at Linda Miller Real Estate want to wish you the very best holiday season. Jim and I are very blessed with energies for business, family and volunteer projects. Further, we are grateful for all of our friends and clients that have made our business year a success once again. Thanks also to Mike our photographer and IT guy, the office staff at the north Prudential office… and the list goes on. Merry Christmas everyone!

Where does technology take us? I have been thinking a lot lately about all the tools I have to communicate with my clients. Of course, family is included too. The web camera that lets me see my grandchildren is very precious!

While I’m sitting in a class and absorbing all the new legal requirements of my profession, I can still communicate with closers, title people and clients via text messages. When I am teaching a class I watch some of the class members’ thumbs – busy, busy thumbs! At that point I hope they’re having business conversations. Today in an education committee I listened to the discussion about our need to understand all the social networking opportunities. Facebook, Myspace, Youtube, and what is Plaxo, Autorain, etc.?

In my office we have a very successful agent that is still grumbling about the fact that he doesn’t think “that the Internet thing will really catch on”. Of course it’s tongue in cheek – he’s sitting at the computer as he continues to mutter his disdain. I won’t go that far, but I think there is a limit to all the conveniences of communication. It can consume much of my time. So there it is again, taking control of my business and my life. Setting priorities – how can I truly serve you, my client. What do you need from me? One of my philosophies of business that I teach is this “to be successful in business, find a need, AND FILL IT.”

I’m working on staying current and filling the need of all my clients. No time to stop. Yes, Jim and I are glued to three PCs, two laptops, palms, phones, digital this and digital that, but we’re having to ask ourselves; how much time are we really saving?

I had the opportunity to speak to and share a few of my ideas with a business women’s lunch group yesterday. It’s always encouraging to see people excited about business enterprises. I have focused on ethical issues and personal character development for many years, and I fear that some days I think and talk a little outside of what others have stopped to consider about our lives. Speaking seriously about how we make decisions, why we respond with certain behaviors, and how it impacts our future is rather heavy stuff!

I’m looking inside myself this morning – of all my priorities – my desire is to be respected for my willingness to be held accountable in all areas of my life – business and personal. By no means am I perfect. Jim and I sat this morning commenting on the aging and growth process – why do we still do things that in hindsight, we wish we hadn’t?  Some might refer to it as the human experience. But as we serve in the business community we grow. Every opportunity I have to serve others is a blessing. We are blessed.