We recently connected with Angela Mattera and have shared our conversation below.

Angela, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?

I always thought only the famous or the wealthy could have a legacy. I’m not the least bit famous nor am I sitting on top of a fortune. I’m not the next Steve Jobs or rising star of Hollywood.

I’m just me. A twenty two year old with nothing close to what you would consider a “fortune”, I don’t have children yet and I’m not married. So what could I possible leave behind when I’m no longer here?

I feel many people’s responses to this question would relate to being the most successful in their career or to some degree. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, it’s simply not my legacy. When you search the word “legacy,” the Merriam Webster Dictionary defines the word as a gift left in a will or a special status given to someone by familial relation to a member of an organization. While neither definitions are applicable to myself, I was taken back that there was no definition pertaining to impressions left behind. How they treated others or how they impacted other peoples lives. There was nothing about a person’s character.

After seeing what the “official” definition lacked, I knew what I wanted my legacy to be-

“SHE CARED.”

It sounds simple but money can be spent, fame can diminish but your reputation and character will live on through the lives you touched while you were here. I want my legacy to be remembered as caring for myself, my family, my friends, my work family, my business, my clients, and my community. These are in no particular order because I see them as stepping stones for each other. You can’t care for your family or business if you don’t care for yourself. You can’t truly care for your clients if you can’t care for your work family.

It all starts and ends with that four letter word.

Caring is what gets you out of bed in the mornings to workout before work. Caring is what has you prepared before every work meeting, presentation, or meeting with a client. Caring is what gives you pride in your work, knowing you did your best. Caring is to help a colleague meet their deadline on a project they are struggling on. Caring is working after hours for a client. Caring is coming home and cooking dinner for your family because your spouse had a frustrating day at work.

To care is to nurture a fruitful life of positively impacting other people’s lives, regardless of how much money you have or how popular you are. And that is the only legacy I care about leaving behind.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers?

Hey there, my name is Angela Mattera and I’m a licensed Realtor® at The Realty Firm in Cookeville, Tennessee. I help my clients buy and sell their properties favorably with the highest standards and utmost integrity. I am dedicated to using top-notch marketing and negotiation skills to deliver excellent results to my clients. I value my clients wants and needs over everything.

I’m proud to be a part of the real estate industry. From showing homes to meeting new people, and nurturing positive relationships, I love every aspect of my job because I love helping people.

If you are in the market for a home, land, or investment property in the Upper Cumberland area, give me a call!

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

With any inspirational story there’s always the part where the protagonist hits rock bottom, right?

My rock bottom was when I was just barely nineteen years old and I had to make the decision to go out on my own or stay in a very bad situation. Leading up to this dilemma, I was in a poor state of mind from years of invective and abuse from those who were close to me. I’d finally had enough.

When I’d made the decision to leave, of course, I was told that I couldn’t do it or that I wouldn’t make it, among a whole slew of insults. Most importantly, I was told that I would need them before they would ever need me, and I think that’s what lit my fire.

I had to prove them wrong.

It was about to be summer and my college dorm was making everyone move out, so I had to find a place to live and fast. Also did I mention aside from having no place to live, I had no job, no car, and about $300 in the bank?

That summer, I got a job teaching English horseback riding and canoeing at a summer camp where they provided lodging, laundry, and meals for the entire summer, not to mention a salary. My salary from the camp was just enough to put a deposit and first month’s rent on an apartment near my school, and a downpayment on a car. I got a job at a restaurant waiting tables twenty hours a week while full time in school. I had to take out loans for my education but you have to do what you have to do, right?

Looking back, it was definitely a daunting situation for myself because the threat of not succeeding had many repercussions and I didn’t have a safety net to catch me if I failed. I had no choice but to make it work, and I did just that. I learned a lot about perseverance and really what I was made of. Of course I made many mistakes and learned from them too. Whatever obstacle I faced, I faced it head on and I knew that if I had my back, I could face anything. There were occasions where I did feel guilty for walking away, but I don’t regret the peace of mind I got from moving myself forward. And I learned some valuable lessons along the way.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

We always hear that failure is the opposite of success, like hot and cold, big and small. In school, we fear an F on our assignments because F stands for failure. Instead, we always shoot for the A because it means success.

I believe it’s the lesson in getting that F that teaches us how to get the A next time. It may take a few tries before you get the A, but failure is a stepping stone for success. Without failure we learn no lessons or how to better ourselves. We’re human, we make mistakes and aren’t born perfect. If everyone got A’s on everything and never failed, we wouldn’t have inspirational stories!

I’ll leave you with one of my favorite quotes by Albert Einstein who said, “You never fail until you stop trying.”

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/selltnwithangela/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/selltnwithangela
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelamattera931/

Image Credits
TessaCraigPhotography