The market is shifting.
Agents are anxious.
And the conversations feel heavier right now.
Not one conversation.
All of them.
Fear about listings.
Fear about income.
Fear about what happens next.
I was sitting in my garden this week after a long day thinking about all of those conversations when I suddenly remembered a man I met almost 40 years ago.
A man who taught me one of the most important lessons of my life.
Honestly…
it may have shaped my entire career.
The Lesson That Changed How I Think About Success
It was the mid-1980s.
I was a young college student working as an usher at an education conference. After we finished our duties, they told us we could sit in any empty seat for the remainder of the event.
I sat beside a man named Dr. Bridges.
Within minutes, I knew he was different.
He had a calmness about him.
A presence.
At the time, he was leading a major public school system in the South and held a PhD in education — something that was highly unusual for a Black man from eastern North Carolina during that era.
I was fascinated by him.
So eventually I asked:
“Was there one thing that most contributed to your success?”
He leaned back in his chair.
Closed his eyes for a moment.
And then he told me a story I’ve never forgotten.
Catching Poisonous Snakes
Dr. Bridges grew up in a very poor part of eastern North Carolina.
His mother was raising six children by herself, and every child had to work to help put food on the table.
His job?
Catching poisonous snakes with his brothers.
I remember immediately thinking:
“What?”
But then he explained how they did it.
Every morning around 10:00, they would walk down toward the river because by then the snakes had eaten and would be stretched out on rocks in the sun digesting.
The boys carried only two things:
- A long stick with a carved fork on the end
- A burlap bag
That was it.
No protection.
No backup plan.
No room for mistakes.
He said they would slowly and quietly approach the snake.
Then, at exactly the right moment, they would pin the forked stick directly behind its head.
And that’s when the chaos started.
The snake would thrash.
Twist.
Strike.
Do everything possible to distract them.
But then Dr. Bridges said something I’ve never forgotten:
“The only thing that mattered was the head.”
Because if they lost focus for even a moment…
they got bitten.
Eventually, after enough consistent pressure and focus, the snake would finally stop fighting.
And they would slip it into the burlap bag.
Then he looked at me and said:
“That’s how life works too.”
Most People Get Distracted by Movement
Dr. Bridges told me that catching snakes taught him something most people never learn:
People lose focus because they react to movement instead of concentrating on what matters most.
I’ve thought about that lesson hundreds — maybe thousands — of times over the course of my career.
And when I look back honestly, every major breakthrough I’ve had came down to that exact principle.
Not doing more.
Not chasing everything.
Not reacting emotionally to every shift.
Focus.
Especially when things get chaotic.
Why This Matters in Today’s Real Estate Market
Maybe that’s why this memory came back to me this week.
Because this market feels a little like the snake.
There’s movement everywhere:
- Headlines
- Fear
- Uncertainty
- Distractions
- Noise
And many agents are losing focus on the things that actually matter most:
- Relationships
- Communication
- Skill development
- Pricing strategy
- Consistency
Here’s link to my Shifting Market blog series
Here’s a link to my Pricing Strategy blog series
Here’s a link to my Strategic Communication blog series
The agents who come out stronger from this market won’t be the ones reacting to every movement.
They’ll be the ones who stay focused on the head.
This Is a Skills Game Now
Easy markets hide weaknesses.
Shifting markets expose them.
That’s why this moment matters so much.
This market is forcing agents to decide whether they’re going to operate emotionally or strategically.
Whether they’re going to chase activity…
or build actual skill.
Because the agents who grow during difficult markets usually aren’t the loudest.
They’re the most disciplined.
The most focused.
The most consistent.
And those skills don’t just help you survive this market.
They position you differently for every market that comes after it.
Here’s a link to my website containing information on all classes
The Bottom Line
I still carry that lesson from Dr. Bridges with me.
And honestly, I probably always will.
Because focus is easy when things are calm.
The real test is whether you can stay focused when everything around you is moving.
That’s true in life.
And it’s absolutely true in real estate.
Thank you, Dr. Bridges.
I still carry that lesson with me.
