Last Saturday, I went to a martial arts seminar in the humongous retirement community in central Florida known as the Villages. I wasn't particularly excited about going due to a vague sense of what it might involve. My subconscious conjured up geriatric karate and an uneasy feeling that I was aging faster than I realized.

Most of the people from my dojo are in their 50's while the majority of the attendees were in their 60's and 70's. My friends and I made numerous geriatric jokes such as, we hoped we didn't break a hip, Geritol breaks and dinner at Piccadilly Cafeteria at 5:30pm sharp to get the senior discount. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find the seminar provided excellent refresher tips and numerous meaningful new take-away techniques from a Grandmaster in my style and other dignitaries. I was also surprised that the "older" participants were very focused, motivated and engaged. These were not baby boomers going silently into the night. They came from all walks of life, business execs, prison guards, teachers and mechanics, everyday people. They were there to learn.

One instructor said that one of his students was battling cancer and he repeatedly told his wife that he was excited and looked forward to going to the seminar, even if it was in a wheelchair. However, he died a few days before the event. They got me thinking about how many things I take for granted. I viewed the seminar with a passing "meh" interest and here's some guy's last dying wish to be able to show up and perform. That got me thinking about complacency, specifically mine. I forgot the sage advice of my sensei, always train like a beginner. Empty your cup.

Fauja Singh recently ran the London Marathon. Not a big deal except when you consider he's 101 years old. He is constantly moving. He started running in his 80's due to a monsoon in 1994 that ripped a sheet of corrugated metal off a roof of a building and decapitated his son. It was a turning point. Mr. Singh began to run as a way to deal with his immense grief. Mr. Singh can't imagine a life without running shoes. Despite his anguish he believes that "laughter and happiness is what life should be about, the remedy for everything."

I recently attended a speech about driverless cars and how quickly they will likely become mainstream.  The speaker mentioned he rode in the back of an autonomous car adjacent to three other self-driving cars when a ball was purposely thrown in the road. The cars quickly adjusted and moved in unison around the obstacle like fish. Driverless cars will certainly have an effect on the auto industry. Do discussions of products like Google Chauffer even apply to the commercial real estate appraisal industry?  I think so, specifically the business of real estate appraising. The auto industry has concluded that affordability and pricing are seen as less important than innovation.  

The fire of complacency can eat you from the inside if you're comfortably numb.  If it has crept into your personal life, I bet it's ever-present in your appraisal work. It's all about movement; standing still is stagnation, a slow death. The seniors practice martial arts to move their mind, body and spirit.  Mr. Singh moves forward to relieve his heartache due to the loss of a loved one. The auto industry recognizes the necessity to move into the future with superior products and innovation.

Fear stifles our ability to move, creating indecisiveness resulting in stagnation. The saddest three statements in someone's life: would of, should of, could of. Bruce Lee teaches us that "a goal is not always meant to be reached, it often serves simply as something to aim at." Is complacency dragging down your appraisal firm? Wake up. Be in the present. Identify a meaningful goal and move towards it.  Live with intention.