"Hey Stacey! I have a question for you... if there is any chance you could give me a call whenever you have a chance I would greatly appreciate it! Thanks"

This is how it started…a simple text from a neighbor, who happens to teach 8th grade at one of our community schools, looking for some help with one of her students and her 8th-grade project. How it ended, or rather how it is still continuing, is the story I want to share with you.

Carbondale Community School, located near Aspen and Snowmass Ski areas, has a mentor program that every student goes through as a week-long assignment. Some kids want to be ski instructors, other kids want to be forensic investigators; this 8th grader wanted to see how real estate is as a profession. I have to admit, I was a little more than nervous. How in the world would a 14-year-old ever think this is interesting? I push paper, I talk on the phone, I walk through homes giving people advice. I never realized until I saw through the lens of someone new how much impact a real estate agent has on her whole community. ER (she's a minor, so no name) and I had four days together for me to share my knowledge of how to be a successful luxury real estate agent in the Roaring Fork valley. I have an 11-year-old myself so I know some of the lingo but still, it is quite intimidating to have four days with someone else's child and try to be interesting.

Lesson #1 Like many internships we started off with nuts and bolts about the occupation. Topics included: this is what a sales contract looks like, this is how I communicate with others, this is how many times I repeat the same description for a property, this is why social media is important and not so important. I found myself revisiting why I thought these are very important topics to every real estate broker. I also found myself rethinking my business process and fine-tuning it even more.

Lesson #2 As we were driving our 30-minute commute, our plan for the day changed three times. In real estate, you have to be flexible in timing, but still make it all happen. Your initial plan may include doing your accounting or writing a great blog, and ends up doing a comparative market analysis and proofreading a mailing. I hope ER recognized that constant change is exciting, but also exhausting. I know I do.

Lesson #3 Your community and personal interactions make the difference. Little did I know taking four days and having an eighth-grader shadow me would make me stop and think about conversations I have and DO NOT have with people. It made me realize people are listening all the time, even if you aren't talking to them. What you say, and more importantly, what you do, has a huge impact on others. It is amazing what is heard when you do not say a thing.

Lesson #4 Fun can happen anywhere. On our final day, I asked what ER liked the most. I assumed it would be walking through $10 million listings or listening to the banter of an office full of real estate brokers. To my surprise, it was stuffing envelopes. I prepared her by saying, "Money is made in the mundane" in order to give her a sense of purpose to the monotonous task. It turns out I didn't need to--she got it.

If you are ever blessed to be asked to share your experience with others, then share it wholeheartedly. Give them the knowledge they are seeking without promise of payment. It does take time and patience, but it is amazing what you receive from education to others.