HOW YOU KNOW YOU'VE "MADE IT".

In my morning training sessions, my newest associate asked me "When do you know you've made?"

MY ANSWER?....I DON'T KNOW THAT YOU DO.

As the old adage goes, "success is a journey, not a destination." Knowing this, the best thing you can do for yourself is to make milestones.

The first building I ever sold was a $2.38M mixed-use townhouse on East 47th Street off Lexington Avenue. My client's name was George Rokkos, a successful Greek restaurateur who was the first landlord to give me a shot in representing him. I leased his building for him, and then sold it on his behalf. I still remember that he was really sick but never told me, and wanted to give his children money instead of the building. He passed away while we were in contract; it was a very surreal experience being my first sale. When we closed, I went back to the office with $71,400 of which 50% was my share. At 23 years old, $35,700 in a single check was all the money in the world. I felt like a giddy child. This was one milestone I will never forget, and changed the course of my life forever.

Make milestones, and each time you hit one, be grateful that you had the opportunity, and remember, the harder the challenge, the sweeter the victory. The more milestones you hit the closer you are to the all illusive "making it".