Walking Down Stairs – Part 9
Course Correct Without Melting Down
Not everything is meant to last.
Not every direction you chose a year ago will still serve you today.
Not every version of you should be preserved.
But here’s the problem: most people don’t pivot until the pain becomes unbearable.
They wait until the foundation cracks. Until the numbers fall apart. Until the opportunity dries up or the silence gets too loud.
Why?
Because somewhere along the way we were taught that changing direction = failure.
That quitting = weakness.
That leaving the plan = losing the plot.
But what if changing course isn’t failure at all?
What if it’s actually a sign of maturity?
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When You Know It’s Time
You don’t always see the cliff ahead.
Sometimes it’s just a feeling: something’s off.
The rhythm is gone.
The spark is dim.
You keep showing up, but it doesn’t feel alive anymore.
It could be your business strategy.
It could be a partnership, a product, a project, even a daily habit you once loved.
And at first, you might ignore it.
You double down. You try harder.
You tell yourself it’s just a rough patch.
But the truth lingers.
You’ve outgrown the track you’re on.
And you know it.
You Can Pivot Without Panic
Here’s the thing they don’t tell you:
You’re allowed to change course without making a scene.
You can adjust quietly.
You don’t have to light the whole system on fire to start again.
You can move with calm.
With clarity.
With composure.
But you do have to move.
Because once you feel the nudge… once you hear the internal signal… the only real mistake is staying still and calling it loyalty.
The Ego Problem
Most people don’t fail at course correction because they lack options.
They fail because their ego is too tangled in the current version of the plan.
They don’t want to look flaky.
They don’t want to start over.
They’re terrified of what people will say if they walk away from the thing they once shouted about.
So they stay.
In the wrong place.
Doing the wrong thing.
Telling the wrong story.
All to protect a public image that stopped being true a long time ago.
But here’s the truth:
The longer you stay misaligned, the heavier it gets.
The longer you fake it, the further you drift.
The longer you delay the pivot, the more radical the reset will have to be.
Real Life: You Can Feel Off Track Even When Things Are Working
I’ll be honest—this happens to me.
Sometimes, more than once a year.
We’ll have just closed $30 or $40 million in a single quarter, and I’ll feel it. That internal pause. That quiet tug.
Did we treat our clients fairly?
Do they love us?
Do they know us, like us, trust us, respect the work we did?
And when I sit with that, I realize:
Money isn’t the measure.
Volume isn’t alignment.
Skills don’t mean much if they aren’t pointed in the right direction.
So we check in—me, Gayle, Miranda, Ariel.
We challenge each other.
What are we doing that’s not working? Let’s throw it out.
What is working? Let’s do more of that.
And what are we not doing that we know we should be doing?
It’s a checkpoint.
Even when the numbers say “on track,” we ask if we’re actually on track.
And in that reflection, we gain renewal.
We serve our clients better.
And funny enough—our goals come back into view, without effort.
We walk down the next stair without thinking.
We throw the paper in the trash can—no aim, just trust.
That’s course correction without chaos.
That’s motion rooted in awareness. We do not get lost in the achievement of ego…..there are teams and agents that do more volume than us…..but well…do they retain clients? or do they go elsewhere?
Small Corrections Now Prevent Big Collisions Later
Changing course doesn’t always mean a full reinvention.
Sometimes it’s subtle:
A small shift in your messaging.
A refined client filter.
A change in your daily rhythm.
Saying “no” to things you used to chase. - Even today I declined the offer to present for a listing. The match was not proper and I knew it. Walking down stairs…is an instinct.
Letting go of something you once thought you’d need forever.
Tiny adjustments compound.
Realignment doesn’t have to be dramatic—it just has to be true.
The Staircase Doesn’t Spiral
Here’s what I love about the “walking down stairs” metaphor:
It assumes you’re still in motion.
You’re still going. Still grounded. Still progressing.
But the direction can shift.
You might stop on a landing.
You might pause, re-center, and take a new stairwell entirely.
That’s not quitting.
That’s navigating.
That’s growth.
Try This
Get still and ask yourself:
What part of my life feels off-track right now—no matter how small?
Where have I grown past the system I’m still operating in?
What am I holding onto just because I used to believe in it?
What did I let go of that I might have held onto?
Then ask the real question:
What’s one small adjustment I can make today to realign—without drama, without delay?
And take that step.
Just one.
No overhaul.
No burn-it-down energy.
Just a clean, steady pivot.
Because growth doesn’t always shout.
Sometimes it just turns the wheel, calmly, and keeps moving forward.