“Meditations” by Marcus Aurelius is my go-to book any time of the day.

 “Meditations” by Marcus Aurelius is my go-to book any time of the day.

As some of you that know me well are aware, I keep the book “Meditations” by Marcus Aurelius within hand reach on my desk.  I find inspiration, solace and peace whenever I read a few quotes or chapters from this book.  You may or may not know that this Roman Emperor had no intention of publishing his great philosophical diary; instead, Marcus Aurelius wrote this for himself.

It reminds me of being on our Active Rain platform.  We write for various reasons, sometimes to get future business and sometimes to get recognition from our fellow realtors on our achievements.  We also write to build connections and form referral relationships.  Over the years I have noticed that in spite of how the platform changed, friendships have remained which is a benefit above and beyond any of our professional reasons for being members.  I have reaped the benefit of many referrals from this platform when members got to know who I was, namely not someone with an Internet persona different from the real me.  I really am the pet friendly, gourmet cooking wine and coffee snob, the Los Angeles Realtor who will go the extra mile and make the clients' needs the top priority, the Landman who carved out this niche market 26 years ago when I landed in California, and the international realtor with clients from around the globe; the realtor who gives the straight talk and advice directly.  I didn't get these referrals and make these friendships by posting standard robo-comments to max out daily allowance points or private posts, instead every word has been public, meaningful and thoughtful for all to see to decide if they want to do business with me.

Getting back to spending time with "Meditations", I look to Marcus Aurelius not as an Emperor but as a philosopher that everyone should read and learn from, the “Stoic” who emulates Socrates. Again, it reminds me of being a Realtor with our unflinching commitment to virtue, courage and justice all while providing quality service to our clients.  Just as with Marcus Aurelius, his writings and philosophy were therapy for his soul, in this sense his "Meditations" is therapy for my soul.

Let me leave you with a passage clearly meant for procrastination: “.. remember how long you have been putting this off, how many times you have been given a period of grace by the gods an not used it . . . if you do not use it to clear away your clouds it will be gone and you will be gone, and the opportunity will not return."

So, with that said, Active Rain is a great platform to be a member of if you use it properly and sincerely to get your message out and what type/s of benefits you want to achieve.  If you agree, feel free to comment below - and even if you do not agree, leave a comment as I am open to opposing viewpoints.

Wishing you a safe and healthy life and I look forward to your comments. If you are looking for a knowledgeable, focused and goal-oriented Realtor in the Beverly Hills area who will help you achieve your Real Estate goals, please reach out to me directly! If you are looking for a pet friendly Beverly Hills Realtor who can handle and sell the most difficult properties that no one else could, please reach out to me directly!! If you are considering buying or selling a home, a luxury home, luxury investment real estate, luxury vacation homes, or luxury beach properties in Southern California, Los Angeles, Century City, Westwood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Marina Del Rey, Venice or Malibu, feel free to contact me at 310.486.1002 ( m) homes@endrebarath.com or visit one of my websites at https://www.endrebarath.com I contribute a portion of my commission to local animal rescue organizations. Endre Barath, Jr. Realtor at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties DRE#01238708