Hmm...perhaps an uncomfortable subject for me, but I'll give it a whirl.
I've been a real estate agent since 1986. It has its moments, although now isn't so much one of them. I got my real estate broker's license last year in order to be totally independent in my real estate dealings. It's a slow start, mostly due to personal inertia, sidetracking, divorce, windsurfing, guitar, etc. I truly was one who saw the writing on the walls in the real estate market back in the mid-2000's, when the disturbing trend of zero down loans, etc., became the rule, rather than the exception. If a R.E. professional didn't see this coming, they weren't paying attention, or attended too many "believe and receive" seminars. I did help many clients make good decisions, or at least make a marginal decision based on what has proven to be, and what should have been more common, prescience. If I don't sleep well at night, it isn't due to my having given people bad, and self-serving, advice.
My mistake (If I wanted to be a heavy real estate hitter) was in not cultivating relationships with the banks that would be foreclosing on the properties where people went in virtually upside down. I knew better, but didn't want to be as busy at that probably would have made me. There are a few people making a lot of money in real estate today. They are the ones who acted on their belief about the health of the market.
Do I enjoy selling real estate? Truthfully, not so much. I got into it because I truly wanted to make my own hours. Many years my personalized work ethic works out well. Some years it does not. I don't get any deep satisfaction in selling something that someone else made, and no real tangible value is created. Do I like giving people honest, professional service? Nice people, yes. Others, well, I owe it to them to give them good representation. Fortunately, most of the people I've represented are in the "nice" category.
If I had it all to do over again, whatever the "it" was that I did, I'd probably finish a 4 year degree, go to law school, and be an attorney. Contracts, more than people skills, are strong point in real estate. I think I've got the verbosity thing down.
Note: I once went for an interview for a job with an advertising company (1988'ish ?), as I was told (still am) that I have a flair for such things. They asked if I new "Mac". I didn't. They went "Next!". I do believe that not pursuing that type of career was one of my big mistakes.
self
I've been to one guitar show in my life. It was at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica, CA. It was a vintage guitar show. I met Tim Page there and bought myself a leather Buffalo Bro's guitar strap and T-shirt, along with a "bootleg-ish" Beatles DVD. It was in '06 or '07, so the recession wasn't yet upon us. Therefore, the prices of guitars completely blew my mind. They're still pretty high, but seem to have come down a bit.
Isn't time really just a process of elimination?