KEN'S STORY-Realtor, Father, Coach, Writer, Friend

There is no secret ingredient...

Ken Tracy, Helping clients buy and sell since 2005 (Coldwell Banker Residential) — Wed, 05 Jan 2022 02:46:31 -0800

“There is no secret ingredient…”It was a line from a really cute movie I have seen several times, Kung Fu Panda...A movie of discovery about a hero, a panda named Po, as he learns some of the secrets of life…In one scene, his father, who happens to be a goose, explains to his son what makes his “Secret Ingredient soup” so special…“There is no secret ingredient. To make something special you just have to believe it is special,” his father revealed…That is is true for life. There is no secret ingredient...So many of us look for answers. We read books. We talk to friends. We go to seminars…We go searching for answers.We are searching for something. Happiness? Contentment? Something that will make our lives magically perfect…Something to remove the pain. To give us purpose. To put a smile on our face…But the secret ingredient to life is there is no secret ingredient…We all experience life in our own way, as we walk down our own paths…We all have our challenges. Things we deal with on a daily basis. Things to overcome…For nobody’s life is perfect…We all feel. We feel sadness. Anxiety. Worry…But we also feel happiness. Excitement. Joy…The difference in how we cope with those feelings…Do we let the bad feelings take hold? Become who we are? Do we own them?Do we appreciate the good moments? Do we build on our happiness? Do we live life with gratitude?For feelings come and go. And life ebbs and flows…We can use the challenging times to learn from. To improve ourselves. To do the hard work that sometimes needs to be done…We can use the good times to build momentum towards a happier future…Do you believe you are special? Because you are…You are unique.And we all have our gifts. Sometimes it is hard to see those gifts…But they are there. We just need to find them….Or at least we need to start looking for them. To believe that we are, in fact, gifted…To recognize our gifts when we do find them. To appreciate them...To allow ourselves to experience the hurt, but not to become the hurt…To let the good times roll. To let our happiness gain momentum..To believe…To believe we are special. Because we are…There is no secret ingredient…Ken Ken Tracy-Your Neighborhood Realtor

Walking the world on our two feet...

Ken Tracy, Helping clients buy and sell since 2005 (Coldwell Banker Residential) — Tue, 04 Jan 2022 03:27:00 -0800

Good morning!!I woke this morning early. 4 am. I slept well. It was a deep sleep…But I woke up early. I laid in bed for a bit, as is my habit…I found myself pondering my day. Thinking…I find that those first few thoughts I have every morning can set the tone for my whole day…Usually my thoughts start a bit negative…“What do I have to do today?” “I wish that went different yesterday.” “Why me?”Thoughts like that. Silly thoughts…Yet thoughts that can fester in your mind if we let them…Thoughts of worry. Of doubt. Of shame…Again, silly thoughts…Where do thoughts like that come from? Why do we so often doubt ourselves?Is it because we are always listening to other people’s thoughts? Taking the advice of others? Thoughts that may challenge our beliefs? Question us and our actions?It could be.For we are all different people…And we look at the world differently. And that is ok…But it doesn’t make who we are wrong. Inferior. Any less of a human…For we all walk this world on our own two feet...Making our own decisions. Creating our own destiny…Living our own lives…And it is when we take on other people’s lives. Their thoughts. Their advice…That our minds can get muddled. Who we truly are can get lost in the shuffle…Leaving us confused.Worried. Doubting. Feeling shame…So today, I sit on this comfortable couch. Listening to light piano music…And the thoughts of doubt and worry are gone. Leaving me content…The day is still early. The house is quiet…I have a busy day today, and it will be a good one…For I am confident in who I am. What I am doing. The choices I make…The direction I am going…Because I am walking on my own two feet today…And they are taking me where I need to go…Ken Ken Tracy-Your Neighborhood Realtor

Setting goals, making progress, and moving forward...

Ken Tracy, Helping clients buy and sell since 2005 (Coldwell Banker Residential) — Sun, 02 Jan 2022 05:28:53 -0800

Good morning!!I believe in setting goals…Goals give me something to shoot for. A purpose…I set goals for many aspects of my life. Spiritual. Physical. Business goals. Relationship goals…Each are important areas of my life that I continue to work on…For I am a work in progress.This morning, as I was wrapping up my Coffee with Ken show on the app Tik Tok, I realized I had set a goal last week, achieved that goal, and was excited to set another one…You see, I started on Tik Tok about six weeks ago. I was encouraged to bring some of my videos that I love doing on Facebook, and expand to a new audience…Hopefully, a wider audience…New people to touch. Impact. Inspire. To share with…So 6 weeks ago, I posted my first video on Tik Tok. Not sure it was any good, but that really wasn’t the point…For I had gotten started. I took that first step. I began my little journey…Progress was slow at first. Progress often is…Sometimes progress is almost imperceptible…So last Sunday, I was looking at my profile on the app, and saw that I had 30 followers…Not a big number at all. But it was more than I had started with. And was more than I had the week before…I was making progress.So I set a short term goal of getting to 40 followers within the next week…So here I sit, one week later, and I find myself looking at my Tik Tok profile again…I now have 44 followers. Still, not a great number. I won’t change the world with 44 followers, but that wasn’t my goal…My goal was 40. And I achieved that goal…And it feels good, for I am moving forward.So where do I go now? Do I sit back, pat myself on the back, and stop what I am doing?Of course not. For I am excited. Life is moving in my direction…I have a plan.My goal for Tik Tok is to get to 60 followers by next Sunday. I believe I will accomplish that goal, and have a plan to achieve it…A bit longer term? Well, I want 1000 followers on Tik Tok in 6 months…That will be June 30th, 2022…I believe I can make that happen. I have a plan, and am super excited to see my plan play out, and see where it takes me…So this morning, as I sip my coffee and listen to soft piano music on this Sunday morning in January, I am excited…I feel good, knowing that I am achieving my goals...I am moving forward, making progress...And I am headed in the right direction.Ken Ken Tracy-Your Neighborhood Realtor

Growing stronger, and facing the new year with optimism...

Ken Tracy, Helping clients buy and sell since 2005 (Coldwell Banker Residential) — Sat, 01 Jan 2022 02:59:40 -0800

Good morning!!I woke early this morning. Just a few minutes before 4 am…I had gone to bed very early last night, so, despite the hour, I was well rested…Today is New Years Day. It is 4:14 am, and the house is dark and quiet…As I lay in my bed shortly after waking, I was in relative comfort, but my mind was active…I was thinking of my day yesterday. New Years Eve. A very special day for me over the last 5 years, years which brought me a special new relationship with someone that I loved deeply…I shared those days with her and her family. Very fond memories…But yesterday, New Years Eve 2021, was different…I didn’t feel like celebrating. I was struggling with emotions. With sadness…Sadness for dreams that didn’t work out as I had planned…So most of my day yesterday was spent reflecting on holidays’ past. Thinking of the good times with that special person. Remembering the excitement of those nights we had together…And I knew this New Years Eve was going to be different. And I knew I wouldn’t feel like celebrating…While I kept busy for most of the day, there was an emptiness in my heart. I knew I couldn’t be with the person I wanted to be with the very most…It made me sad yesterday. It makes me sad as I type those words…But sadness is ok. It isn’t a curse or a permanent state of being…It is an emotion. An emotion that sometimes needs to be felt and experienced…So I felt it. I wallowed in my sadness. I cried most of the evening, feeling alone, and certainly not feeling like celebrating…I wasn’t alone, however. I had many friends in the house with me. They were celebrating, having fun, playing games, and laughing. They were doing what you are supposed to be doing on New Years Eve, as you count down the hours until midnight…But again, my day was different. Hearing the laughter of my friends only made me feel out of place. For laughter wasn’t in my heart yesterday…So as I passed the hours experiencing my feelings, healing just a bit with every tear that I shed…I accepted where I was. I accepted the sadness. The tears. The feeling of loneliness…And this morning, the very first day of the new year, I feel better…For I had not denied my emotions. I did not fight those feelings, or try to cover them up in any way, and I let the tears flow…For I realize, strong men cry too…And my experiences over the last several months have made me stronger. I am a better person than I was just a few months ago…I am sober. I am realizing who I really am. My strengths, and my weaknesses…I am facing the challenges as learning experiences. As temporary things. As opportunities for growth…So today, on this first day of this new year, New Years Day, 2022…I am optimistic, and I am excited…I am ready to get started. To continue the work I have done over the last several months. To learn more about myself. To improve…To get better every day.To be the man I was meant to be…Ken Ken Tracy-Your Neighborhood Realtor

Thinking of better things on a Thursday morning...

Ken Tracy, Helping clients buy and sell since 2005 (Coldwell Banker Residential) — Thu, 30 Dec 2021 08:29:26 -0800

They tell you to count the days, but I am not really sure why…Oh, I know how long it has been.It was 9 weeks ago that I had my last drink. I can do the math. That is 63 days…But I certainly don’t count every day. I stopped counting the days a long time ago…I just don’t think about drinking very often.Am I tempted to drink?No. Not at all.If I wanted to drink? I would. It’s that simple.But I don’t want to drink.It is no longer part of my life. It is not who I am. It is not what I do…I have broken up with alcohol, and it feels good…I have the power to do what I want. To be free from the burden that is temptation…I wake with pride. With clarity. With hope for the future…These are the feelings I now have.When I think of alcohol, it is only the joy that I am free from it…That I no longer count the hours until I can crack my first beer. And I don’t count the days either…The temptation is gone.So I don’t count the days. I just don’t think about drinking that much…I have so many better things to think of… Ken Ken Tracy-Your Neighborhood Realtor

Why do I write? Written meditation and the joys of sharing...

Ken Tracy, Helping clients buy and sell since 2005 (Coldwell Banker Residential) — Mon, 27 Dec 2021 12:15:12 -0800

Good afternoon!!So here I sit. Back at my favorite Naperville Starbucks. Back in my very favorite seat…It is Monday, December 27th. It is damp and overcast outside. The high will be 45 degrees today…It feels good to be in a warm, dry place, with a hot cup of coffee by my side…As I sit, I find myself thinking about my writing process… How do I write? Why do I write? Where does my inspiration come from? How am I able to crank out so much content at the drop of a hat? Lets start with how I write…My writing style would probably be considered some sort of free flow self reflection. Some might consider it mindless babble, but I prefer to think of it as free flow self reflection…Beauty certainly is in the eye of the beholder, after all…Anyway, I have spent the last 50 years of my life reflecting on my thoughts…Pondering. Wondering. Often planning my very next step…Some would call it talking to myself. I am ok with that. I am a heck of a conversationalist, after all…My mind has always been an active one. That is ok too. I like who I am, active thoughts and all…So when I sit down at my computer, sometimes with nothing at all to say, I just start typing. Typing the words and thoughts that come to my mind…For me, it is a great release. A form of written meditation. My fingers dancing across the keyboard...So why do I write? I guess I write for me. For the calming effect it has on my mind. The peaceful feeling that goes through my body when I create something beautiful with my words…So I write. A lot. I do it because it feels good, and apparently some enjoy reading, which also feels good…Where does the inspiration come from?Well, I guess I have touched on this above. Armed with my laptop, and an ability to type really well (thanks to Mr. Pyburn, my typing teacher sophomore year), and several cups of caffeinated goodness that we call coffee, I am usually extremely inspired…Ideas will come to me when I am driving. When I lay in bed. When I make a comment on Facebook…Sometimes I will literally pull over the car to jot down a few notes. A few thoughts. "This would make a great post!" I think excitedly, as I veer the car to the nearest parking lot...Ideas come from everywhere. My experiences. My joy. My hurt. All of my emotions are poured into my writing…I also believe what I have been going through over the last two months has allowed me to think at a higher level. Working on my ninth week without a single drink, my mind is working in ways I never thought possible...Removing alcohol from my equation has given me clarity. The desire to do good things. To create…Which brings me to how am I able to write so much at the drop of a hat? Provide so much content for my readers…Well, I guess that has been answered above. My active mind. My joy of writing. My ability to type quickly. And my coffee. They all contribute to my writing…But perhaps I am leaving out the most important part of all…I believe I have a nearly unique willingness to share. To let people in. To let total strangers visit my heart and my mind…Sometimes it puts me at risk. For I lay it all on the line. I put myself out there…I open myself up to criticism. People that lay it on the line probably always have critics. I do my best to ignore the critics, but sometimes, it hurts…So I write.I write because I believe I have a gift. A gift to help others. To entertain. To inspire. To give of myself in a way that most would dare not…To share who I am with you, the reader…And on this afternoon, I thank you so much for reading...From the very bottom of my heart...Ken Ken Tracy-Your Neighborhood Realtor

Following footsteps on a Sunday afternoon...

Ken Tracy, Helping clients buy and sell since 2005 (Coldwell Banker Residential) — Sun, 26 Dec 2021 16:08:15 -0800

Good afternoon!!I believe in chasing your dreams…Finding your passion. Going for it…For far too many years, I did what I thought I was supposed to do…I always got pretty good grades. Went to a good college…I ran cross country and track. My whole family did, so I was just following in others footsteps…I have been following footsteps for my whole life. Someone else’s footsteps…Listening to too many opinions and too much advice…So much so, that my mind was often a muddled mess…I have always tried to be like someone else…At first it was one of my older brothers. Then, it was the cool kids in high school…For some reason, I never felt to cool doing that…I felt awkward. Too nervous to talk to women, I didn’t really date until I got to college…Of course I was nervous. I was pretending I was someone I was not…I never thought I was good enough. Like the real me was something to hide. To be ashamed of…After college, I became a stock broker. Just like both of my older brothers…I did ok. I made pretty good money, which was the only way we defined ourselves in that business at that time…I thought I was cool driving around in a fancy car, gambling lots of money, drinking too much, and chasing women…Really a hedonistic lifestyle. All the while, with no money in the bank, and living paycheck (yes, a very large paycheck) to paycheck…Using scripts. Words written by someone else. Again, pretending to be someone I was not…And I hated it. Every day. Cold calling on the phone. Looking to land the next big whaie who would buy my next hot stock tip…I was always looking for praise too. Praise from bosses. Praise from my family. Praise that never would come…These feelings, never before able to discuss, lest I get buried by more advice, got bottled up inside…Growing. The pressure increasing day by day. Year by year…Until it got too much. I became anxious at first. Then depressed. Very depressed...I felt like a bad actor trying to get a starring role. A role which I did not fit…Someone else’s role. A role that I was never meant to play…So I found ways to cope with the feelings I had inside. I drank. I smoked pot…Always a bit of a rule follower, I would often feel guilty for what I was doing, and the life I was leading…I thought I could be more. That I should be more…If I could only figure out what that “more” would look like…So here I sit. I am at a bar in Naperville. The Lantern. Drinking an ice cold water with two lemons. Watching the Bears play the Seahowks in a matchup of two fairly bad teams…There is a nice atmosphere here. A solid crowd on a Sunday…For most it is Sunday Funday…For me? Time for self reflection. Time for thought…Time for writing. I love writing. I really do…I wish someone told me I was good at it when I was younger…Encouraged me a bit. Told me I should “Go for it”.To follow my dreams. To live the life I wanted…So as I sit, here in this bar, typing away my thoughts on my keyboard…I realize, heck, I am 53 years old…And I am just getting started.Ken Ken Tracy-Your Neighborhood Realtor

A grateful Sunday morning...

Ken Tracy, Helping clients buy and sell since 2005 (Coldwell Banker Residential) — Sun, 26 Dec 2021 04:41:17 -0800

Good morning!!This morning I woke thinking about gratitude...I woke fairly early. 5:09 am. It is Sunday, December 26th, the day after Christmas…I had a wonderful holiday weekend…Christmas Eve was perfect. I spent most of the day with my two daughters, Erin and Morgan…We went to church. Exchanged gifts. Enjoyed a good meal…We just had fun together. So much fun that we were all singing Christmas songs on the drive back to their mom’s home…It really was perfect…Christmas was nearly perfect as well…I woke early, and again, exchanged gifts, this time with a friend and his family...I drank lots of coffee. We feasted on a wonderful early dinner…After dinner, I was able to put my feet up, rest and relax as I enjoyed my full tummy and listen in quietly on the conversations that were taking place…I had plans for the evening, and was excited for them. So I rested, happily, waiting for my plans to play out…But, as sometimes happens in life, my plans for my night didn’t work out, and I had been so excited for these plans…And it felt bad. It brought me some sadness. Tears even…So I sat in a warm and loving home, surrounded by people, but felt alone. Alone in my thoughts and emotions…So as the gathering was winding down, I decided to change the direction of my thoughts, and get moving…So I got up, and decided to go see a movie…I saw Spiderman. I thought it cute. A bit silly. Some funny moments certainly…And changing my focus was a good decision.I found the thoughts in my mind quickly changing from the hurt I felt just an hour before, to fun thoughts of fantasy. Heroes climbing on walls and swinging on webs…Thoughts of good people doing good things…So, although my Christmas evening didn’t go exactly as I had expected, it may have turned out exactly as I needed…So when I woke this morning, I found myself thinking of gratitude, my blessings, and all that I am grateful for…I am grateful for my bed, which is warm and comfortable…I am grateful for my friends, and all of their love and support…I am grateful for my beautiful children, Erin, Morgan, and my baby Auggie…I am grateful for the coffee that I will be enjoying very soon…I am grateful for my body, and its ability to take me places that I want to go…I am grateful for this quiet home, which is a perfect setting for me to process my thoughts and put them down in writing…I am grateful for my ability to share my experiences, for that brings me joy and a sense of purpose…And finally, on this day. I am so very grateful for you…You who is reading now...Who takes the time out of your schedule to read my ramblings on a Sunday morning...Who reaches out with love and encouragement...Who shares bits of your own story with me...Who gives me someone to talk to even on my darkest mornings…Thank you. Today I am grateful for you...Ken Ken Tracy-Your Neighborhood Realtor

Being there for others on Christmas Eve...

Ken Tracy, Helping clients buy and sell since 2005 (Coldwell Banker Residential) — Fri, 24 Dec 2021 06:11:13 -0800

Good morning!! It is amazing how many people have so much inside they need to share… The need to share their feelings. Their hurt. Their pain… They want to share their memories. Their experiences… The struggles they face. The dark thoughts they dare not tell others… The loss they deal with. Even the emptiness. For sometimes, that empty feeling is the most scary of all… So many people looking for someone to listen… To hear their stories without judgement… And they don’t know where to go… So, more and more, they are coming to me. For they have been reading my stories. Hearing me talk on my videos… And they know that I share. I share in a way most would dare not… I put it out there for the world to see… My feelings. My struggles. My joy. My excitement… Even sometimes my pain… So people reach out to me every day. Sharing those feelings. Sharing what they are going through… And I feel honored to be the one getting their message. For it means they must see something in me. They look at me as someone they can trust with their darkest secrets… As someone who will get them. Understand. Listen… Sometimes I will advise, but only if they want my thoughts… Because these people are hurting. They have a story to tell, and want someone to listen. And it is an honor for me to be that person… I believe it my calling. My passion is to help. To make people feel better… To spread joy to others. Sometimes, however, these stories I am listening to every day can be a lot to hear. A lot to take on. To absorb… It can be a heavy load to carry. A responsibility that I did not know I would have waiting for me. But God only gives us what we can handle… So here I am. It is Christmas Eve morning… And I know that I am blessed. Blessed with love. Blessed with special gifts... Blessed with an ability to share. To help. To be there for others. So today, I am truly counting my blessings, for they are many… We are all blessed. Each and every day, whether we see those blessings or not… We need to find a way to feel gratitude. To feel loved. To feel appreciated. To be listened to. To be heard… We need to know that there are others who do indeed care… And that we are not alone. Ken Ken Tracy-Your Neighborhood Realtor

8 weeks of sobriety, and the lessons I have learned…

Ken Tracy, Helping clients buy and sell since 2005 (Coldwell Banker Residential) — Thu, 23 Dec 2021 14:46:05 -0800

8 weeks of sobriety, and the lessens I have learned… Hello. My name is Ken Tracy. And I used to abuse alcohol. I abused the poop out of it… Heineken was my drink of choice. It was delicious. It probably still is… But I wouldn’t know. For one day, 8 weeks ago today, I decided that I had had enough… Drinking was no longer fun for me. I no longer felt like I was “partying” when I drank… I would usually open my first beer early in the afternoon if my schedule allowed it, and sometimes even when it didn’t… I took so many pictures with a Heineken in my hand, I started hiding them in pictures… I probably averaged 8 drinks a day for the last 35 years… I laugh as I type that. Sounds funny now. But probably wasn’t so funny at the time… And I doubt my liver thought it very funny either… For those counting calories, that was an average of 1200 calories a day. Almost half my daily intake of calories came from alcohol… That is just gross. So why did I stop? Why did I give it up? Well, like I said, I wasn’t enjoying it any more. It had become a bad habit. Just something I did to cope with the emotions in my mind and in my heart… Sadness. Depression and anxiety at times. Loneliness perhaps? It became a crutch. Something I leaned on… But it also was a burden. For every day, I found myself wondering when I would open up my first green bottle of goodness… Plus, I always wanted to be the life of the party. To be funny. To be outgoing… What I didn’t realize at the time is that I am funny. I am outgoing. I don’t need to drink to be those things… Drinking wasn’t making me cooler. It was just making me drunk… I was born with certain gifts, and the alcohol was numbing the very best parts of me, just as it was numbing the pain I too often felt… 8 weeks without drinking has given me clarity. Clarity I didn’t know was possible… It has given me optimism. It has set me on a new path. It has allowed me to dream of doing great things. Doing great things today, tomorrow, and in the future… Dreams that were dying with me at the bottom of every bottle I drank… Heck, 8 weeks ago I didn’t even believe I had a future… Sad and ashamed of the life I was living, I think I had decided I was going to die a slow, early death. Probably 10 years from now, my liver would have had enough. It would have quit on me. Just as I had quit on myself… So what have I learned? What would I tell those that are perhaps drinking too much? Those that suspect they may have a problem? Those that soothe today’s fog from last night’s drinking with a cold beer? A glass of wine? Perhaps a mixed drink? The question I would ask is why do you want to quit? You must be very clear on this… I believe this is the ultimate question that will determine success or failure… If you give up drinking for the right reason, you will celebrate your sobriety. You will realize the blessing that is sobriety. That you deserve not to drink today… For the wrong reason? You will struggle every day until you fall off that wagon… So what is the right reason? I think you have to quit for you, and you alone… I quit for me. For nobody else. Not for my wife. Not for my kids. Not my friends or anyone in my family… It was for me. It was my decision. It had to be. I pass liquor stores and bars a hundred times a day. If I wanted to drink, I would… Yet there is no temptation. Not for me, at least… The power is mine. The power of choice. The power from my decision. The knowledge that I am doing this for me alone… Not because someone in my life thought I should stop. Maybe they did, but I didn’t care… It was my choice to make. And until I made it, quitting was never an option. Certainly not an option that would last… So, I made the decision. I had had enough. I decided 8 weeks ago that I was worth it… You know why? Because I am worth it. And if you think for a second that you might have a problem, I will promise you… You are worth it too… Ken Ken Tracy-Your Neighborhood Realtor

Waking from a deep sleep filled with dreams...

Ken Tracy, Helping clients buy and sell since 2005 (Coldwell Banker Residential) — Thu, 23 Dec 2021 04:20:43 -0800

Good morning!!I woke this morning thinking about dreams…I woke fairly early. 5:09 am. I woke from a deep sleep...And this morning, as I woke from my deep sleep, I woke startled from a dream…Dreams can seem so real. Stir up emotions that we thought were gone…Remind us of memories good and bad…Remind us of someone or something. People and things from our past…So when I woke, I felt some sadness. I woke, wishing things were different…I am sure, at least at times, we all long for things from our past. We all wish for things to be different…Perhaps dreams are our minds way of releasing the thoughts and feelings we have that need released?Perhaps dreams heal us in some way I don’t understand…But they happen for a reason.A reason beyond my knowledge. A reason that, at least to me, is undefined…But surely they must have a purpose? For everything has a purpose…So here I am. Still laying in my comfortable bed. Well rested from a good nights sleep…And the feeling of sadness I felt just a few minutes before is beginning to fade…And that feeling is being replaced by other emotions.Feelings of happiness. Accomplishment. Positivity...For my day has started on a good note…I was able to write down my thoughts and experiences. I was able to release those thoughts in a healthy way...I was able to share my feelings…And when I write, I am setting my day up for positivity. Everything else seems to fall into place...My day goes smoothly. My day is filled with excitement. With happiness. With fun. With new and exciting experiences...And this morning, as I finish up my writing, I am excited to get started.To brush my teeth. To make my bed. To stretch my body. To make the coffee...To begin. Fresh. Well rested from my deep sleep. Filled with happiness in my heart and soul.To share that happiness with others.For today will be a great day...And it is time to get started.Ken Ken Tracy-Your Neighborhood Realtor

Finishing up a busy day at my favorite Starbucks...

Ken Tracy, Helping clients buy and sell since 2005 (Coldwell Banker Residential) — Wed, 22 Dec 2021 14:45:41 -0800

Good afternoon! I sit here, at my favorite Naperville Starbucks, at the very best seat in the house… My feet up on the table in front of me, I have a large coffee, a water, and some note cards all begging for my attention… “All in due time,” I say aloud to the inanimate objects that I have on the table in front of me… Half expecting an answer or an objection from my coffee, I decide to please my hot drink and take a sip… Mmmm. Delicious and warm on a cold late afternoon in December… What a day it has been. It feels so good to have my feet up. To be resting, yet somehow still at work? The life of a real estate agent is a strange one… One never knows quite what to expect, or when to expect it… As I type, I am receiving texts from a buyers agent interested in one of my listings… He tells me his buyer will be holding off for now, and looking at other properties… Bummer for that buyer’s agent. I am sure he doesn’t want to go back out to look at more properties, especially with just a few thousand dollars separating his buyer and my seller… “We shall see,” I think as I take another sip of my coffee… Again, what a day. It feels good to take some time for myself… We all need it. We need to take a break from the chaos that can be our lives around the holidays… Still finishing up work we need to do before years end. Last minute shopping. Dinners to prepare for. Big family gatherings that sometimes can prove stressful as well as joyous… So here I am. 4:19 pm. Enjoying some me time… And how do I choose to spend it? Well, certainly with a hot cup of coffee at Starbucks… My earbuds are in, and I am listening to my playlist on Apple Music… Time for me to Fly, by REO Speedwagon, has just started playing… A great song, but sort of ironic at the moment, as I have no plans to go anywhere for the next couple hours… I am at rest. At peace. And I have a large coffee in front of me with endless free refills… So I enjoy. I enjoy this moment after a very productive day… Yes, there is still work to be done. I will be writing several hand written notes, moving along a little paperwork, and following up on a couple of leads… However, that work will be done at my pace, and for the rest of the night, that pace is certainly not an urgent one… A smile crosses my face. I am happy. The day has been a good one. The night ahead of me is mine to do with it what I want… And tomorrow? Tomorrow is a new day… Ken Ken Tracy-Your Neighborhood Realtor

Spreading joy, making money, and loving life...

Ken Tracy, Helping clients buy and sell since 2005 (Coldwell Banker Residential) — Tue, 21 Dec 2021 17:59:02 -0800

Good evening!!I was having lunch this afternoon…I was eating at my favorite local watering hole, The Lantern, right in the heart of Downtown Naperville…As I was finishing up my sandwich, a poor boy with a side of onion rings, an old friend walked into the bar, along with two female colleagues…I hadn’t seen this friend for a few years, but we used to work together when we were both at RE/MAX some years ago, and have had a deal or two together since that time…We started chatting, as if no time had past since we last saw each other. It was nice.Anyway, as we were chatting, my friend asked me, “So, how is business?”Such a common question that people ask agents. Everyone is curious about real estate, as everybody lives in a home, and eventually hopes to buy or sell another home. I am asked that questions several times each day…On some days, I am more excited to talk about business. Some days, I just don’t feel like talking shop…Anyway, today was a day I wasn’t that interested in talking shop. This was, after all, a fellow agent who certainly wasn’t going to buy or sell a home with me…So I answered, “Good!” with as much pep as I could muster, given my mind was more on the onion rings than it was on work…My friend, never one to be easily put off by a quick answer, dug deeper…“Good? Or good good?” He must have smelled that I was being evasive…Cornered, I decided to come clean…“Well,” I said to my friend. “Work is honestly really good. I had a closing on Friday, just put one of my listings under contract two days ago, and have been negotiating an offer on another listing as this morning…”But I didn’t stop there…“But honestly, work really isn’t my primary focus right now. I have been so excited over the last two months with my writing and shooting videos. My priority right now is spreading joy. I am excited to get up and get started every day…”My friend, certainly from the old school of sales, responded, “Well, have fun with that. But you got to work to make money. You can’t make money spreading joy,” he concluded…I finished up my lunch, paid the bill, and said good by to my friend and his two female colleagues…But that conversation still hasn’t left me. Obviously, I am thinking about it right now…Can one make money spreading joy? I believe you can…Not if making money is your primary focus, of course. It is hard to be truly joyous when you are thinking about the almighty dollar all the time…But I wonder. If I wake up every day to spread positivity, love, and good feelings, I wonder what will happen in three months? Six months? Over the next five years?I bet good things. Very good things. I think I will truly love what I do. I will feel excited almost every day to get to “work”, as my definition of work has changed…My job suddenly looks different. Selling homes suddenly looks different.My career will be different. New. Fun. Exciting...I will have passion for what I do. Excitement every day. And, if I were a gambling man, I bet my business will benefit as well…Spreading joy has been my focus over the last two months. And I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon…I do wake up with excitement every day. I do feel every day is a new adventure. I do feel great about the impact I am making on others, and hopefully, on the community as a whole…So I will move forward. With energy in my body, and joy in my heart…With love for my family, my friends, and the new people I meet every day…Can you make money spreading joy? I don’t know for sure... But I sure am excited to find out...Ken Ken Tracy-Your Neighborhood Realtor

Finding joy in the simple things...

Ken Tracy, Helping clients buy and sell since 2005 (Coldwell Banker Residential) — Tue, 21 Dec 2021 10:06:30 -0800

Good morning!!I woke this morning with a hint of sadness…I woke early. Just before 4 am. Athough I was comfortable in my bed, I started thinking about two conversations I had had the night prior…The first was with a buddy. He and some other old friends want to go out this week to watch a big basketball game. Our alma mater, The University of Illinois, will be playing Missouri on Wednesday in their annual rivalry game…I have found that over the years, I have grown less passionate about sports. Perhaps just the natural occurrence of time and aging. Perhaps just other priorities?Either way, I didn’t find myself as excited to watch the game as the others. Being in a bar cheering for a game just doesn’t sound quite as fun as it used to…The second conversation was with my daughter, Erin.She is my oldest. She is 15. She is beautiful, sweet, and kind…She has a big heart. She feels things. She is emotional…She is a lot like her dad.I felt I may have let her down yesterday…You see, we usually get together on Wednesdays, go to Starbucks, do a little shopping, and grab some dinner. Just simple little things, but sometimes the simple things are most important…While she works on her homework at the coffee shop, I will sip my coffee, and just enjoy being in her presence…Time with both my girls is precious to me. And that time is more limited than I would like. They live with their mom out in Oswego, which is about 40 minutes or so from my home…They are also getting older. Morgie is 12, and Erin is 15. Both are active in school, in sports, and in life...So last night, due to the busy and shortened holiday week, I asked Erin if we should skip our Wednesday get together…We had, after all, seen each other the day before, and I would be with them both on Friday for Christmas Eve…Honestly, she seemed totally fine with it. I hope that she is…But I didn’t feel fine. I felt I may have let her down…For what we do together isn’t the important thing. It is that she knows her dad is always there for her. Committed to seeing her…For fatherhood is a commitment. And just by cancelling this one Wednesday on a big holiday week, I felt I may have violated that commitment…I went to bed last night with both of those conversations on my mind. Unresolved feelings for me. Feelings that I needed to work through, but didn't...So when I woke this morning, they were still on my mind. Needing worked through. Needing, at least for me, to be written about...So here I lay. It is a few minutes now before 5 am, and I am wrapping up my thoughts and my morning writing. And I am feeling better…I have told my story. I have shared. And my tiny bit of sadness that I woke with has faded…So I lay here pondering. Wondering, “Do I have more to say, to write, to share?”No. I don’t think I do. Not on this morning. For I have already told this morning’s story…And today, I will be excited about the little things. The moments. The everyday experiences that we so often take for granted…For sometimes, it truly is the simple things that are most important…Ken Ken Tracy-Your Neighborhood Realtor

Do I have to be out of my house during the home inspection?

Ken Tracy, Helping clients buy and sell since 2005 (Coldwell Banker Residential) — Mon, 20 Dec 2021 07:36:04 -0800

Question from a real estate client???Do I (the seller) have to be out of the house during the home inspection?That is a great question, and one many sellers have for me just after their home comes under contract…The home inspection is done within the first 5 days after the home comes under contract…It is the buyer’s chance to go through the home with a licensed home inspector, and look for any potential issues that may be unnoticeable to the untrained eye…Potential issues can range from big and small…Issues with outlets, roofs, the heating and air conditioning systems, problems in the attic, and foundational issues are just some of the many issues that the home inspector will be looking for…During the home inspection, which typically takes about two hours, depending on the size of the home of course, the seller should not be there…It would make the process much more uncomfortable for everyone, and could be interruptive to the whole inspection…Have a great day!!! Ken Follow me on Facebook! Ken Tracy-Your Neighborhood Realtor

The paths that we are on...

Ken Tracy, Helping clients buy and sell since 2005 (Coldwell Banker Residential) — Mon, 20 Dec 2021 04:57:08 -0800

Good morning!!I woke this morning thinking about the paths that we are on…I woke early. Just a few minutes before 5 am….I woke from a deep sleep. I woke, not in a panic, but feeling relaxed….So rather than jump out of my bed, ready to start my day as is often my habit, I chose to lay in that relaxation. Enjoy it. Let it cover me in peace, just like the warm blanket I had covering my body…And during that relaxation, I started thinking about paths…There are all sorts of paths in this world…Paths through the woods. Windy paths. Paths that criss cross…Mountains paths. Muddy paths…Paths through hell. There is a pathway to heaven…Good paths and bad…What path are you on?For we certainly are all on our own paths…Sometimes our paths cross. For whatever reason…Reasons often unknown at the time, but there always is a reason those paths meet…And we never know how long our paths might stay together…I have many lifelong friends. And we are all on our own paths, but for some reason, our paths have remained close. And so have we…We touch base often. See each other as often as we can…Sometimes we may go on vacations together that last a whole week…For whatever reason, our paths never separate by too much or for too long…Then there are the people we meet every day. Strangers. Often those meetings are just a blip in time…Just a moment. Sometimes that moment is full of meaning. Sometimes that moment is the start of something new…Perhaps a new friend? Perhaps a new relationship? Perhaps a soulmate?Or perhaps just a moment. A moment that causes pause. Reflection…But even the briefest moment is significant…For it causes a bend in our path. Perhaps that bend is imperceptible. Often we won’t even notice…But our paths do bend. They do change. They do go in different directions…New directions.So what path are you on? Are you happy the way it is headed?Or does it need to change. Do we need to shift our path?For every day, it will shift.Every day is a new moment along our path. A new direction…And a new beginning…Have an awesome day!!Ken Ken Tracy-Your Neighborhood Realtor

Accepting life as it comes...

Ken Tracy, Helping clients buy and sell since 2005 (Coldwell Banker Residential) — Sat, 18 Dec 2021 05:04:38 -0800

Good morning!I woke this morning after a good nights sleep…I was well rested. It was 6:21 in the morning, and I was at peace…I woke today thinking about accpetance…Acceptance for the way things are…In my life. In my relationships. And with who I am…And it felt good. Very good…You see, I have faced a lot of turmoil over the last couple months, most of it was probably self inflicted…I found myself in conflict with people in my life. Conflict with the situations I was going through. Sometimes in conflict with the world…But then, after talking at length with a few new friends I have made, I realized that I needed to feel differently…Make different choices.Being in conflict isn’t good for me. It probably isn’t good for anyone…And it isn’t my job to fix the relationships in my life. The situations that I face. And it certainly isn’t my job to fix the world…So I decided, just last night, that I would accept things as they are…For I can’t fix these things. These relationships or situations I find myself in…For they involve other people. And you can’t change other people. They are who they are, and they probably like who they are…So today, I am choosing a path of acceptance…By saying that, I don’t mean submission. I won’t be submitting to bad relationships or hanging in a bad situation too long…I mean letting go. Giving space. Allowing everything some room to breathe…Accepting things as they are today. Moving past those struggles…Getting back to the things I can control…And at the end of the day, the only one I can control is me…I hope you have an awesome day!!Ken Ken Tracy-Your Neighborhood Realtor

Facing the morning with confidence...

Ken Tracy, Helping clients buy and sell since 2005 (Coldwell Banker Residential) — Fri, 17 Dec 2021 03:42:58 -0800

Good morning!!I woke this morning thinking about confidence…I woke early. 4:15 am. I may have to revaluate my definition of early, as most of my days start around 4 am…I believe I rise early these days as I have made several changes over the last two months...Changes that give me more energy, and require less sleep. Changes that have given me clarity. And changes that give me confidence...Confidence is a good thing. It is following your gut. Listening to your inner voice…It is the ability to make a decision. It is the ability to move forward amidst chaos…It is knowing the difference between right and wrong, and choosing the best path for oneself with the facts that are in front of us…Leaders have confidence. They make decisions for themselves, and for others…I have always considered myself a leader.I listen to my gut. My inner voice. I make decisions that others often wouldn’t make…Decisions that others doubt. They question. They disagree with. That others think are wrong…They would make different decisions. Or often times, no decision at all…And that is ok. We are all different. We all choose different paths in our lives…Different ways to be. Different choices…The world would be an awfully boring place if we all thought the same, after all…Our paths would all align perfectly. And it would be a very crowded path…So my path is a different one. My path can be a lonely one at times, because I do look at things differently than most. I do make different decisions…I am an open person who share his thoughts in ways most would not…I share my thoughts with friends and family. With people I meet…I write out my thoughts for you, the reader…To interpret. To think about. To do with those thoughts whatever you choose to do…But I don’t share these thoughts as some cry for help. I am not looking for help. I am not looking for any advice…I laugh as I type that.For over the last two months, as I have committed myself to being more open, and writing my morning posts, I have been drowning in advice…It comes from friends. Coworkers. Acquaintances. Even total strangers…Perhaps well intended, even if unsolicited…All of that advice muddles the mind. Confuses…Gives me pause. Even worse, makes me doubt…Doubt myself. Doubt my decisions. Doubt my path…And doubt is the opposite of confidence…So I move forward this morning with confidence.My writing for the morning is nearly complete. I have shared my thoughts. Written them out for others to do with what they want…I look forward to my day. It will be an exciting day with experiences that I have never had before. People I have never met. Moments that I have never had…It will be a day filled with clarity. A day filled with confidence...And it will be a great day.Ken Ken Tracy-Your Neighborhood Realtor

Excitement for my day...

Ken Tracy, Helping clients buy and sell since 2005 (Coldwell Banker Residential) — Thu, 16 Dec 2021 04:02:41 -0800

Good morning! I woke early today. Just a minute or two after 4 am… I woke in a state of discomfort. I wasn’t sure the cause at first… So I lay in bed, feeling somewhat agitated… Thoughts were going through me head. Thoughts that weren’t bringing me peace, relaxation, and certainly not happiness or joy… After laying in my discomfort for a little bit, I started looking within… Analyzing the thoughts and feelings in my mind. And in my heart… I realized I was upset. Maybe even a little bit angry… So I lay for a few moments, pondering my feelings and my thoughts… “How do I break away from these thoughts?” I wondered. “What will make me feel better right now?” I quickly realized I needed movement. Movement in the body will often lead to movement in the soul… So I got up. I brushed my teeth. I made my bed. I did my morning stretches… I began my morning routine. And in routine, we find comfort… And I started feeling better… As my body moved, and my muscles stretched, my thoughts that I was experiencing just a few minutes earlier began to fade… A very calming feeling. A good feeling… A feeling that reminded me that life is good. That although life may have some challenges lurking behind some far away corner, it is a blessing… For my whole day is ahead of me. It is a new day. A day that I can make of it whatever I want… It is a novel yet unwritten… There is so much to do. Or perhaps, I can do nothing at all? Either way, my day will be filled with new experiences. New people to meet. Hands to shake. Love to give… And now, as I finish my morning writing, my feelings are filled with anticipation… For good things. For good experiences… And for excitement for my day… A day which is just beginning… Ken Ken Tracy-Your Neighborhood Realtor

Facing today's struggles and going with the flow...

Ken Tracy, Helping clients buy and sell since 2005 (Coldwell Banker Residential) — Tue, 14 Dec 2021 05:23:58 -0800

Good morning!I woke this morning thinking about struggles…I woke early. Just about 4 am. I have been waking up at that time a lot lately…I lay there for about 30 minutes, trying to relax, trying to find some deeper comfort…Trying to fall back asleep…After a little while, I realized the harder I tried, the less likely I was to fall back asleep…It made me think of bigger things…Made me think of relationships. Challenges at work. Life in general…We all struggle from time to time…Sometimes over big things. Sometimes over very small and nearly meaningless issues in the bigger picture that is our life…I certainly have faced my share of struggles. I usually call them challenges, but today, for the sake of this post, I will call them struggles…I believe, for me at least, that how easily we overcome today’s struggles is in direct relationship to how we react to them…Do we fight the issues in our lives? Always try and come up with a solution?Always trying to fix things? To make things better?Or do we take a more relaxed, calmer approach?Accept the challenges we face. Even embrace them…Struggles are, after all, an opportunity to learn. To become better…For these challenges are really just a part of the ebb and flow of life…These speed bumps are just a natural part of our daily experience…Something to go over and move beyond, but not battle for any period of time…So this morning, as I write this post standing up while going through my morning routine, I vow to go with today’s flow…Accept what I am feeling. Accept life as it presents itself to me today…For, as we all know, it is much easier to swim with the current, as opposed to struggling against it…To be more accepting. Forgiving. Loving….For I believe that God does have a plan…For me. For you…And for this day…Ken Ken Tracy-Your Neighborhood Realtor

Spreading love, one hug at a time...

Ken Tracy, Helping clients buy and sell since 2005 (Coldwell Banker Residential) — Mon, 13 Dec 2021 04:42:16 -0800

Good morning!I woke this morning thinking about hugs…Hugs are great. Hugs are a special connection between two human beings…A moment of intimacy. Of love. Of understanding…A moment of time where our guards come down…Where it is ok to be who we are, where we are, at this exact moment.They let us know that things will be ok…I love hugs, and I give as many as I can...And after the last two years, I hope to bring the hug back.I hope to break down some of the barriers that have grown between people…The funny thing is, hugs used to make me a bit uncomfortable. Awkward…For I was guarded. Perhaps awkward myself…Not confident with who I was or what I offered…But, as my place in the world has become more clearly defined in my mind, I give them whenever and wherever I can…Sometimes with reckless abandon. I am sure it makes some a bit uncomfortable…That is ok. I do make some people a bit uncomfortable, but I usually am coming with a hug either way…So I woke today, thinking about hugs. And my hope for the day is that it will be a day filled with hugs…I hope to bring a bit of joy to the world. A bit of intimacy...Perhaps some warmth on this December day…And each hug will mean something different...“Good morning!!” “I am here for you.” “Are you ok?” “So happy to see you!!” “How have you been?”Or perhaps, maybe even, “I love you…”For today I will spread love, one hug at a time.Ken Ken Tracy-Your Neighborhood Realtor

A quiet morning and memories of Mom...

Ken Tracy, Helping clients buy and sell since 2005 (Coldwell Banker Residential) — Sun, 12 Dec 2021 03:47:30 -0800

Good morning! I woke early this morning… Perhaps it was waking in a strange bed? I had, after all, woken at my sisters house in Roscoe, Illinois… I had driven out the night before to celebrate my dad’s birthday… We went out for a nice meal. Nice restaurant. Nice ribeye… Anyway, dinner was delicious. When we got home, I relaxed on the couch, the kind of relaxation one can only have after a big meal… My sister sat on the opposite couch, working on things unknown to me… I lay quietly, enjoying her company without needing to speak. And I found myself drifting off to sleep... So when I woke this morning, I found myself comfortable in my bed. A bed made so lovingly the night before by my sister, and I enjoyed the warmth of the soft covers surrounding me, and my head resting on the perfect pillow… Yet I found myself wide awake. Despite the comfortable settings and the silent, dark, yet warm and loving home, I was ready to go… Ready to start my day. Ready for my first cup of coffee… So start I did, and here I am, typing away at my computer, savoring those first few sips of coffee… And life is good… Listening to soft piano music, the home is silent outside of the tic tock sound that an unseen clock is making in the kitchen… And I am at peace… Perhaps it the soft music? Perhaps the early hour? Perhaps the knowledge there is plenty of time to retreat back to my comfortable bed and get some more sleep if the need hits me? But peace is what I feel. My heart rising up and down with the music… My eyes lift up from my computer screen… Across the kitchen, I see something very familiar, yet somewhat distant… It is my mother’s china cabinet. Filled with Mom’s china… Limoges China. Honestly, I just Googled the spelling of Limoges to make sure I got it right… Anyway, my mom was always so proud of that china… Rarely used, except on special occasions. I remember us eating on it on many Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners… Honestly, I always found the china a bit gawdy. Filled with colorful and floral patterns, I have always preferred the simplicity of a clean white plate. Anyway... The memories bring a smile to my face as I type… Mom was always a linguist, and at least partially fluent in several languages… I can still hear her pronouncing the word with overemphasis, as if to let us know that this china was special. “Limoges.” Good memories. I miss my Mom. We all do… She was certainly a unique woman… Passionate. Tough. Smart. Very competitive… She ran several marathons in her 40s, and competed and trained with great pride… She actually finished one marathon in just under four hours, which is quite an achievement for a woman who was in her mid 40s at the time… 3:59:59. She broke four hours by exactly one second… That was so Mom. Kicking in fiercely after 26 grueling miles. Passing younger men who were exhausted and hobbling in to the finish… Because to my mom, that one second mattered. Achieving her goal mattered… I think it did too. I am proud of Mom… Proud of that one second. Proud of her passion and emotion. Proud of that determination and fighting spirit… Traits I believe she has passed down to me. Traits that make me who I am… The proud son of a Scottish immigrant. The proud son of a coal miner’s daughter. The proud son of a sub 4 hour marathon runner… The proud son of Margaret Young Tracy. A woman who always believed she could... Ken Ken Tracy-Your Neighborhood Realtor

Saturday Morning Coffee with Ken: A cup of coffee and inspiration...

Ken Tracy, Helping clients buy and sell since 2005 (Coldwell Banker Residential) — Sat, 11 Dec 2021 07:32:41 -0800

Ken Tracy-Your Neighborhood Realtor

Drawing inspiration from my father on his birthday...

Ken Tracy, Helping clients buy and sell since 2005 (Coldwell Banker Residential) — Sat, 11 Dec 2021 04:39:16 -0800

Good morning!! December 11th, 2021. 5:37… I woke this morning thinking about my dad… For today is his birthday. His 81st… My dad is a good man. He is honest. Hard working. Loyal… Dad is far from perfect. Certainly all of us are… But his imperfection, especially in his younger years, is what makes my Dad’s story so inspirational to me… Dad was raised on a farm, in a little town in Central Illinois named Ivesdale… Dad was born in 1940. A simpler time for sure. But a hard time… America was just getting out of the depression, and on the date of his birth, we were less than a year from entering World War II… Dad had two parents, Joe and Norma Tracy. To me, they were Grampa Joe and Gaga. He also had two brothers, John and Bob… Growing up on a farm in 1940, Dad and his brothers learned early that life was about hard work. Life on a farm is often that way, I imagine… School was important too, and good grades were certainly a must… He and his brothers enjoyed playing sports, and being kids of course… But at that time, and certainly in this family, Dad learned that kids were meant to be seen and not heard… The days were long, and the joyous, silly times were probably few and far between… Emotions were kept at a minimum. Men were hard back then, and my guess is Grandpa Joe was probably pretty hard on his sons… So that is how Dad was raised. And in many ways, that is how he raised us… Stern. And certainly, if love was expressed, it was expressed in a very subtle fashion. A subtle fashion that to this day I am yet to understand… Somewhere along the line, however, my dad learned that things could be different. That he could be different. That he could be better… He began to smile more. Be silly on occasion. Enjoy deeper, more personal conversations… Enjoy time spent with his third son… I am sure having grandkids had a big impact on my dad. He also took great care of Mom, as she struggled with Alzheimers for the last 10 years of her life… So he started changing. Slowly, for change usually takes time… But change he did. He became more outwardly loving. He still struggles expressing emotion, and for him to say “I love you” is quite rare… But he shows it in his way. Not always the way I hope for, but he is trying… For he realizes that he is a work in progress, and does his best to be a better man every day. He chooses to smile more. To listen better. To understand others in a deeper way. To show his love… So today, as I drive out to Roscoe Illinois to celebrate Dad’s birthday, I will be thinking of my father… And how he inspires me. For I too am a work in progress… I can be a better man, just like my dad. Ken Ken Tracy-Your Neighborhood Realtor

Facing rejection and opening a new door...

Ken Tracy, Helping clients buy and sell since 2005 (Coldwell Banker Residential) — Fri, 10 Dec 2021 13:37:22 -0800

Good evening!! I received an email this afternoon from the program director over at NCTV17… As many of you know, I have been hoping to put myself out there in front of a larger audience, whether it be by my use of video, or perhaps even with my writing… I have learned over the years that I am very comfortable in front of the camera. It gives me an opportunity to just be me, and it seems people enjoy watching… So, the other day, I stopped by the office of NCTV17 (Naperville City Television) here in Naperville, hoping to meet some people and shake some hands… I also followed up my visit with an email, detailing my interest in any possible opening at the station, and I shared a recent sample of my work… Apparently, the program manager was underwhelmed… Her email was a rejection to my inquiry… She was actually quite nice in her response. Honestly, I was pleased to get a response at all: “Thank you for your time and interest in NCTV17! Unfortunately, this type of programming isn't something we would be interested in for NCTV17 at this time. However, I can definitely see how online would be a great place for this type of content and I like your enthusiasm! So keep doing what you're doing! Best of luck to you and keep creating content and sharing your joy! “ Again, very nice. Even encouraging… The toughest rejection, at least for me, has always been no response at all. I find myself wondering, “Is anybody out there? Is anyone even listening?” Often, no one is… So now, at the very least, the program manager has opened up a line of communication with me. A dangerous position to be in when facing someone who has spent their entire life overcoming objections… I have already responded to her email with a friendly and sincere reply. I also have reached out to her on Facebook, and a hand written “Thank you” note will be in her mailbox soon… Furthermore, one can’t get down when a single door closes. There are many doors in life, behind each is a new possibility… So I move forward. Excited about today. Excited about tomorrow… Excited about my goals. Excited about my dreams… I will finish out this year on a high note, and face the upcoming new year with great excitement and enthusiasm… Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful evening!! Ken Ken Tracy-Your Neighborhood Realtor