Reciprocity

Reciprocity is when somebody performs a worthwhile action benefiting your livelihood, and you decisively return the favor and beneficial camaraderie their way. A former public relations, political mentor once told me this wise phrase, that if someone scratches your back, you ought to scratch their back too.

In a physical analogy, reciprocity is the 2 sided outdoor see-saw fixture from your childhood playground youth. You sit on one side and bounce your friend equally, as they remain on the opposite side see-saw to bounce joyously back with you.

Personally, in my economic and consumer spending, I consciously choose to support clients, friends, local businesses, and the community that supports me. The big box national corporate retailers, don't need my extra money. The big chain fast food, coffee, and grocery stores, do not need my hard earned, local independent money. My childhood ex-friends whom hire other real estate agents besides myself, aren't worthy of my money, time or business. Life should be a two way street. Do you agree? Equality always seems to be a major & common theme in society.

Reciprocity is a conscious, chosen lifestyle decision. It is a delicate balance.

In another example, during romantic relationships, you seek forth an equal and loving partner. If just one particular partner is giving all of their diligent effort, time, love and affection, while the other is doing zilch in return, that is just simply not right or fair. An unbalanced relationship is not the correct way to live.

In a personal example, I one time stupidly repeated an unintelligent dating action. Yes, I've done some stupid things in life. Have you? In this truthful example, I kept asking the exact same pretty girl to go out with me. Oddly, she kept saying yes to the date requests. In total, I probably took this specific girl out on 9 real, paid for, authentic dates. Dinners, Movies, Concerts, Music Festivals, etc. They were all real traditional dates, that counted. This girl never loved me back. It was a disheartening attempt at courtship. Rarely, she would flirt and twinkle back a little bit. I genuinely felt financially and socially used during our brief dating experience. This girl never genuinely liked me back. It was not a reciprocal relationship. Thus I finally just deleted her phone number, forgot about her, and moved on.Relationships should be reciprocal.

In my personal real estate and writing business, try to make conscious efforts to support the businesses and clients whom support me. For example, LuLu.com, Amazon.com and the BookPeople store have all carried, sold and helped me promote and sell my 1st original book, "Open Mindful, Philosophy on the Fly." Thus I heavily support those aforementioned websites and commercial retail store. They help me, so I try to help them. It just makes sense.

In my real estate business, I get to happily encounter people working throughout THE SAMPLE SPECTRUM, of working industries. From doctors, to lawyers, to techies, to food truck owners, to disc-golf course designers, to bartenders, spec builders and more. The wide variety of business representatives I encounter daily is vast. Thus, if a client hires and supports me financially with my entrepreneurial endeavors, I make a conscious effort to promote and help theirs too! Reciprocity just makes sense. Do you agree?

My current place of residence and hometown of Austin, Texas, promotes a very independent, local economic environment. When I was just a kid, growing up in the back seat of my mother's silver Volvo station-wagon, she would sometimes takes us to this small, weird, green, retail store on Lamar Boulevard and 9th street, where they didn't give out actual grocery bags, and all of the food was organic. This unique, hippy, funky place of business was called, WHOLE FOODS. As a local Austinite, I am amazed at the massive success Whole Foods has garnered throughout the entirety of America, and beyond. I am proud of them. Whole Foods was the little, local business that could. It just kept growing and growing. When I first moved to New York City, there were major retail Whole Foods stores all over Manhattan. They had prominent stores situated in Columbus Circle, the Lower East Side, Chelsea, Tribeca and numerous other fantastic NYC neighborhoods. We Austinites, consciously choose to buy local, and improve our community's economy. Perhaps buying local, is the footprint to being recession proof? The rest of America can support national corporate chains and urban sprawl. We locals, support independent home grown entrepreneurs. I, myself, am a local entrepreneur X 2. Our local independent real estate brokerage company is family owned, and my independent self published blogs & books are self created too.Thanks for reading and for the reciprocity. I'll try to bring it your way too, fellow readers.