On this edition of “Keeping It Real,” a recurring podcast series on Inman, Peter Lorimer discusses the need to always keep learning.
It’s time to start focusing less on the ROI and more on investing in yourself. And I don’t mean bubble baths or fancy new toys (which are of course not a bad thing). I mean knowledge, research and education.
Think of a football team. Their work, from the outside, looks like loads of training and games. Although that’s true, there’s a piece that many of us never see. They spend countless hours staring at screens and researching strategies. They watch old games, pour over the competition and strategize.
When I’m not out on the field, I’m consuming as much data as possible: YouTube, podcasts, subscriptions.
Don’t wait to be fed this information with a silver spoon. Go out, and hunt and forage for what you need to grow and succeed. Like a predator, keep your eyes and ears open for what can feed your insatiable hunger.
You might find insight in knowledge lurking in areas that are completely unrelated to this industry. That’s called creativity, friends. Make it yours, and devour it.
Don’t think you have the time? You have the time — you’re just spending it somewhere else. Start investing your time in things that are going to pay back tenfold later.
For example, we are in the age of social media; we are a generation that rode in on the edge of something this world has never seen. We should be cherishing this, staring at every nook and cranny of the platform — memorizing and learning its ways.
Get out there, and consume as much information as possible. This podcast is a great place to start. And don’t worry about failing — because you will. The good news, though, is every single success is built on top of failures.
Peter Lorimer is the CEO of Beverly Hills, California-based PLG Estates.
