Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Paula Sluder. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Paula, appreciate you joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

Risk is often associated with change that affects the trajectory in how you see living your life. Surgeries and unknown health struggles from the past five years has refocused my attention and pushed me to change my perspective in how I needed to move forward. Did my career (then) fulfill me and support me? It absolutely did, but having to choose health over work was the biggest battle I had to face. Prior to the culture shift on career and life balance, the term “work hard play hard” was my norm, until my health reminded me that I needed to prioritize myself. While I was too busy competing in the culture of what “success” should look like, I was failing in the other.

I had to figure out a way to find balance, still be a part of my community, help people along the way, while devoting time to my health was a long, lonely journey. Over a year ago, I spoke with an acquaintance turned mentor about changing my career. He convinced me to start my real estate business. As we all know, starting a new business, any business includes risks. While I’ve established a name for myself in my previous careers, it’s the opposite in my new line of work. I have to start from scratch. I needed to reintroduce myself (even to the ones that already know me). Also realizing that I am now my own boss, my own marketer, my own management, I NOW OWN THIS felt daunting. I now call myself a businessowner, sometimes it sounds so foreign to my ears. So far, my business has reintroduced me not only to those who already know me, but also to the community I grew up in. I now see things in a different perspective. It has opened doors that I didn’t realize existed, I have the ability to grow my community, give back to it, and more importantly, I am giving back to myself. Putting time and effort into my health and finding an overall balance that works for me.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Paula Sluder, and I am a licensed Realtor for the State of California, my business is mostly metro San Diego. For the past decade I worked with our Military families. My background and career qualifications are in adult education and social services. I obtained my Military Relocation Professional Certification, as a realtor; I can help military families find their home in Metro San Diego or refer them to a fellow realtor to their next duty station within continental United States. I am a part of the Keller Williams San Diego North Inland family. My social media Instagram handle name is KEYINREALESTATE.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
The best resources that I was able to tap into are books, and the following has helped me:
– Harvard Business Review: Changing Your Career
– The Millionaire Real Estate Agent by: Gary Keller
– The Mountain Is You: Brinna Wiest
– Who Says You Can’t, You Do: Daniel Chidiac
– The 7 Habis of Highly Effective People: Stephen R. Covey
– Principles: Ray Dalio
– Everyone Communicates, Few Connect: John C. Maxwell
– Motivational Quotes To Get The Blood Moving: Markus Almond
Additional resources that I am utilizing and learning from are the people I work with, realtors who’ve seen various market shifts and have their business survive those shifts and concerns are the best resource to learn from. I work with realtors who’s been in this business for more than 5, 15, 25, even 40 years and I am fortunate to have them as a great resource.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Unlearning anything is always hard, what’s even harder is unlearning a behavior that becomes a coping mechanism. My coping mechanism was perfection.
Whether it’s a project proposal, presentations, even doing extra work beyond what is required – I had to learn to let go and accept certain things will not be perfect. Each mistake, rejection, sting is part of the process – each serve as a steppingstone in this new journey. New career, balance, and journey comes with new lenses, shed the old behavior and begin anew.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.keyinrealestate.com
• Instagram: Keyinrealestate
• Facebook: Paula Sluder

Image Credits

Images by: Diana Baltazar