A couple years ago, I was out skiing with my boys, something I try to do once a week during the winter. We had a great time, but at one point during our trip I found myself going off a jump, and landed badly. I didn’t lose my footing, but I didn’t jump far enough and came down hard on my feet. The shock of the landing traveled up my spine and hurt my back. I knew immediately that something was wrong, but I didn’t pay much attention. It wasn’t until a couple days later that I really started suffering; I had a hard time sleeping, walking was becoming more difficult, and the pain was almost constant. Only when I started really feeling it did I start taking it easy and treating my injured back.
I’m surprised by how long it took me to give my injury the attention it needed. I can’t help but think that if I had taken better care of myself earlier, my injury wouldn’t have been quite as bad. Similarly, how long do we wait to fix things in our appraisal business? Are you ignoring the warning signs?
If you see that something needs to be changed or taken care of in your business, don’t wait around to fix it. Just like my back, it will be much harder to deal with the longer you wait. Sometimes you just don’t have time – but don’t let that excuse become the standard. The sooner you can take care of any issues that crop up, the better off you’ll be.
For more information on this subject, please listen to The Appraiser Coach Podcast Episode:
Recognizing Small Problems Before They Become Major Issues
