This week my 2.5 year old, Cecelia, finally got over the hump with potty training. No accidents in her big girl undies, and she has actually started taking herself to the bathroom without anyone prompting her. If you have raised a toddler, you know that is a big deal. Jenn and I caught each other grinning about it like she had just walked across a graduation stage.

And right behind her, our 4 month old, Elizabeth, is doing her little supermans on the floor, spinning in circles, kicking her arms and legs like she is revving an engine and getting ready to crawl. Cecelia crawled and walked early, so I have a feeling we are about to be outnumbered and out run very soon.

I share this because these little moments have been on my mind a lot lately, and not always for easy reasons.

The hours I almost missed

I am going to be honest with you, because the whole point of this column is that you get to know the real me. For the last couple of months I have been working almost around the clock. Business has been busy, which is a blessing I do not take for granted, but somewhere in there I looked up and realized I was missing small moments with my girls that I will never get back. First steps and first words do not wait for your inbox to be empty.

That realization did not make me want to work less for the families who trust me with their move. It made me want to work smarter, so I can be fully present at home and still take great care of the people who come to me. So lately my focus has been on building systems that buy back some of that time.

Building a clone of myself, sort of

Here is where it gets a little nerdy, and honestly a little wild. I have been diving deep into AI and finding ways to put it to work in my business. In a way I have been building a clone of myself and my processes, so the repetitive tasks that used to eat my evenings get handled, and the time I save goes back to Jenn and the girls. It is genuinely amazing what is possible now. It is also a little scary, if I am being real with you.

One of the things I built is a custom home search website for Southwest Florida, wired directly to the MLS. The big national search sites are built to be broad and universal. This one is built specifically for our area and the way buyers and sellers here actually search, with filters and tools you will not find on the major sites, because I designed it around the questions I get asked every single day.

A little gratitude, and a lot ahead

I also found out I am up for the Best of Florida award again this year for real estate agents and teams. You all have voted me best in 2022, 2023, and 2025, and I would be honored to earn it again in 2026. Thank you does not feel like a big enough word for that kind of trust, but thank you.

On the personal side there is plenty to look forward to. I am getting ready for Tony Robbins' Unleash the Power Within in November, which I am genuinely excited about. And we are planning Cecelia's first trip to Disney World. She is deep in her princess era, and Belle from Beauty and the Beast is her favorite, so you had better believe we will be at the castle for the fancy dinner. I have already made peace with the price of those little plates.

Paying now instead of later

The other thing I am finally doing again is working out. That might not sound like much, but for me it is. Before kids and this career I spent years as a personal trainer and a gym manager. I was a three sport athlete my whole life and even played football in college. Then life got full, and after two years away from consistent training, getting back into it has humbled me more than I expected.

The way I see it, we either pay for our health now with good food and a little sweat, which mostly costs us time, or we pay for it later with cheap shortcuts today and expensive medical bills down the road. I would rather pay now, while I still get to chase two little girls around the yard.

Thanks for letting me pull back the curtain a little this week. I am just a husband and a dad trying to be present for the people I love, same as most of you.

Your neighbor,
Rick