Hey, friends, and welcome to my little corner of the world wide web. Thank you so much for joining me on this journey. I have never been one for beating around the bush so I thought it fitting, on my first blog post, to dive right into the deep end.
For those of you that I haven’t yet had the pleasure of meeting, please allow me to introduce myself. I’m Tara. I am a real estate agent, wife, mom, Jesus follower, deeply loyal friend, and I don’t really know how to keep my relationships and interactions at surface level. (Surprise: Both a blessing and a curse!) I have a bit of a reputation for being a bit fiery for the things and people I believe in (Sorry…not sorry)! Many think I love to work and I don’t ever stop, but this is the furthest thing from the truth. I love my life, what God has given me, and I am happiest and most successful in all I do when I keep those priorities first. My life motto is this: if you are successful in business yet the rest of your life is falling apart, you are not actually successful. You are, in fact, a slave to what you do. Your identity and worth are not wrapped up in your profession. Do not forget who you are. I decided a long time ago that I had to stay aware, be present and focused in order to hold myself accountable to these goals. My identity and worth are not wrapped up in my profession and I do not want to forget who I am either, which is exactly why I have created this space for sharing my heart and experiences.
As I write these words, it’s important for me to say: I’m not pointing the finger at anyone. I believe when you point a finger, you have four pointing right back at you! It is only the dark parts of me I am exposing in hopes that others might identify and allow the same light to expose the hidden (and maybe not so hidden things) of their own heart. Together, our experiences and the truth can set us free! Wouldn’t it be a shame to get to the end of our life and figure out we have missed all of the GOOD things in life because we were so busy looking for our value, seeking value from others, or watching someone else’s life that we completely missed our own? I ask myself this question continuously: what are my motives? The only way I can do this is by being present and praying, undistracted.
In the age of distraction, and all things social media, it’s easy to get our focus off the meaningful work God has given us and focus on what He has given others to do. It is easy to compare our gifts with the gifts of others especially in the same line of work. It is easy to believe we are not enough and we need to see what others are doing to improve ourselves, after all, it’s just a click away. Then we “fashion” dress ourselves up after something we believe we need to be. If we look like a duck and act like a duck then maybe we will be a duck, right? We lose sight of who we are, looking to see who we “need to be”. Many times, at the high cost of our development of character. I wonder, are we looking for business or identity?
So what are we here for, we ask? Well I believe we are here to Love God, Enjoy God, Serve God, and all those He gave us. That is when I feel free. When my focus and priorities are right. If I start thinking about what others are doing or not doing I feel bound, even stagnant. Bound in fear, comparison, and becoming critical of myself and others. I lose sight of why I am doing the things I am doing and my work and relationships lose meaning. It seems that the very things I was created to do I become a slave to and the world around me suffers because the very purpose I was created has been stolen by the things that keep me bound. You are not the only one to suffer; all who love you miss out.
It all sounds exciting and amazing right? To start to walk in freedom! But I have had to say no to many things. I have had to say “no” to clients I wanted to say “yes” to because I had a toddler, many times being misunderstood as thinking I was too good to help them. I have had to say “no” to looking at others’ production or posting my production when I had a great month or year, because I knew it was a rabbit hole and endless pit for me. I have had to trust God when He told me to leave for a month from work to meet my baby boy when I was just getting my footing in a really hard industry. I have had to be ok with feeling like an outsider to represent my clients well being in a town I’m not from and sometimes losing the approval of others. I have had to say “no” to being liked by others because they have misjudged my motives and not taken time to talk with me. I’m far from perfect and believe me I will call you back and tell you that every chance I get but I pray I always take time to listen to your heart and try to understand where you are coming from. Last but not least, I have had to say “yes” to writing a blog when I wanted to take a nap. We are going to have to do the hard work of the heart if we are going to be used by God. To get the oil from the Olive there has to be a crushing. The beauty that comes from that. “The oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”
Isaiah 61:3 ESV. That’s what WE want!!!
Your obedience will not look like mine, nor mine like yours, but one thing I will tell you….say “yes” to your yes and “no” to your no….you know what those are for you and don’t look at what Suzy Q is doing, you’re not Suzy Q and cannot handle Suzy Q’s responsibility.
Integrity is doing the right thing when no one is looking, and God always sees your heart. So let’s be honest and transparent about our shortcomings and grow and learn together knowing no one can take what God has given you and no one else can ever be you…..you were created for such a time as this.
When we decided to make the move over to eXp it was a 4 year process of prayer. Yep you heard that right: 4 years. God directed my every step. I wanted to create a business that is mine, directed by God, and be involved in all the processes and decisions in all marketing. branding, direction, and creating something that will last without getting bogged down with the red tape. Please feel free to contact me if you are thinking of building your own business instead of building someone else’s, I would love to talk through that creative process. We want Olive + Oak and eXp to leave you better than we found you. We desire relationships with our clients and peers and are open to any questions you have about leadership, life, eXp and of course a relationship with God!
In Love and friendship, The perfectly Imperfect daughter of The One True King, Tara
