Stewardship Requires Presence

[Joshua Hardin]

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about tending, care and stewardship. Not just in real estate… but in life overall. 

Why do I say overall?

Because much of what unfolds inside real estate investing... Also applies outside investing.. Calm presence inside pressure. Restraint, even when you're justified to outburst. Expressing empathy but not allowing the weight of the world to sit on your shoulders forever.. 

Amongst our ecosystem, we tend land, animals, relationships. businesses and people. And that had me thinking.. We all should be.. Not necessarily in some grand sense, rather inside our own ecosystem capacities.. Because if there's one thing I've learned that I could pass forward it's that.. People sense who you are and what you do.. Even when they're not spending every waking moment with you.

Something I am realizing, is that many things don’t collapse from one catastrophic event. It's actually much simpler than that and oftentimes... Much, much quieter.. And unless you remain aware.. It'll feel like that HUGE catastrophe that's been brewing..

Things slowly drift due to lack of attention. 

Then suddenly?

A fence weakens.
A relationship cools.
A property gets deferred maintenance.
Communication slips.
Stress compounds quietly.

Then one day people say:
“I don’t know what happened.”

But often… something was happening.
Slowly.
Repeatedly.
Quietly.

Stewardship requires presence. Not perfection. Not the constant hustle. Simply,  presence.

Sometimes the most productive thing we can do is slow down long enough to actually notice what needs care before pressure forces our attention there.

I think investing teaches this quickly.

You can’t endlessly extract from properties, people, partnerships or even yourself… Without eventually feeling the consequences somewhere. And you will.. Eventually..

Lately, I’ve been trying to build with that more in mind.

Less chasing.
More tending.

Curious how others here balance growth with stewardship in their own lives and investing?

-Sarge