The BravoTV cable show Million Dollar Listing New York follows the trail of people who are trying to make it big in the extremely competitive world of New York real estate. There is plenty of money to be had, and in many cases you are watching people trying to go from zero to hero. But even if you have zero interest in New York or the real estate market, there are many things you can learn by paying close attention to the show. Here are five of those life lessons.
1. Networking is essential for big time success
People define success in many ways, but when it comes to the show Million Dollar Listing New York the measurement is definitely found in the Benjamins. To rise to the level of elite requires the essential skill of socializing. Extreme introverts needs not apply. One has to know not only the art of socialization but also the art of negotiation. The only way to hone these skills is to start small and just get out there and do it. In the featured clip, it is clear that the elite networks don’t necessarily have large get-togethers but the people who are there are extremely influential and can make or break your rise to the top. The old adage of “it’s not what you know but who you know” applies here.
2. It can be a cold, cruel business world waiting for you
The opening statement in this clip references Matthew McConaughey from the biopic The Wolf of Wall Street. In one of the early scenes, he takes newbie stock broker Jordan Belfort, played by Leonard DiCaprio, out to lunch to show him the real world ropes of making money. The idea of moving the money from the client’s bank account to your own is at the heart of the discussion, supplemented by the concept of keeping as much of the client’s money active in the market as possible. You cannot care about the client, only his money and potential profit. The more he makes, the more you take. A simple but harsh reality is that business is all about money, and you need to keep your concern for others limited to your personal life as much as possible.
3. Marriage does not always end up as a distraction to your pursuit of a career
Viewing marriage as a distraction or encumbrance to your business and professional goal is not always the case. In fact, it can bring much needed stability and provide a co-partner in life that will help guide you to better decision making. Naturally, it depends on the person you marry and the timing of the marriage. There are definite tax advantages to being married. If you take your own personal survey of the number of successful married people, you will be surprised at how many there are over the age of 40. The women aren’t mindless gold diggers, and the men aren’t just mega lottery winners. They have a common bond and manage to work together separately. Understanding this concept is difficult, since the majority of people view marriage as a joint partnership where everything is 50-50. However, there are times when both people are better off doing separate things that will benefit the relationship.
4. Be prepared to do stupid people tricks
Stupid people tricks are required in achieving your personal and professional goals. It is likely you have already done some of them, but may not have known it. It doesn’t have to be to the degree exhibited in the clip, but people will require you to do something that makes you feel extremely uncomfortable in order to rise to the top. The question for each person is what they are willing to do to take it to the next level. But a similar and very important question is whether there is an alternative route to the top and minimize the number and degree of stupid people tricks you will have to perform. Just because you perform the stupid people trick is not a guarantee of success. At the end of the clip it is important to notice that the “performer” sees himself as a whore, while the “requestor” is laughing his head off. Of course, you will have to watch the show to find out how it all ended up.
5. Be prepared to do anything and everything to achieve your goals
This is to be taken in the context of work without compromising your moral or ethical values. There are millions of college graduates who get a degree, but when they enter the real world they discover they are not going to have a starting salary of $100,000 a year and have some type of cushy job. One of the most obvious reasons for this is that the people who hired you or the executives you are working for didn’t have it any easier. As they say, they paid their dues. Unless you happen to be born into money you will have to start somewhere, and that somewhere is not likely to be where you expected. The sooner you realize this in life, the greater the potential for you to succeed is available.
While these five lessons apply to most people, there are those who have the savvy or the experience to recognize the short cuts that exist. But it is almost impossible to make a list of these short cuts because the road to success in life is different for everyone. Million Dollar Listing New York focuses on real estate, but there are thousands of other professions and careers that have the potential to make you healthy, wealthy, and wise. Shape these five life lessons into your own life, if possible.Matthew McConaughey
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