Transform Your Business (and Your Life)

00:30 – Welcome to the Arch MI Podcast! Blaine Rada is back to share some insight and ideas about sales and the mortgage industry, in which he has spent over 30 years. These episodes all have a sales theme to them, and these sales tactics can be applied anywhere to help you stand out as a unique provider in an oversaturated market.

2:40 – Blaine likes to start by giving the foundation of his view on sales, which is: selling is not just about getting the sale. It’s actually about finding if you are the best fit for the customer. Blaine truly believes that if you seek to be of service and value to your clients, you will find that you have plenty of business.

3:25 – Today’s topic is a bit of a departure from Blaine’s norm. The conversation today is grounded in the concept of transformation and how it affects or is applied to our personal and professional lives. Transformation can seem intimidating but it can actually be empowering.

5:18 – Blaine recalls a quote by a motivational speaker: “You don’t ever have to be the same after today except by choice.” 

5:50 – Blaine shares a significant experience – taking the pilgrimage of the Camino de Santiago – that he found transformational. A lot of research, heart, and risk went into this journey, and this is just Blaine’s way of pushing his boundaries, finding out who he is, and realizing his spiritual intention. This really made Blaine think about his why.

11:40 – So, what does this mean and how does it relate to you? Blaine asks you to think about what your intention is, what is your why? How are you pursuing your own transformation in life, personally and professionally? 

12:05 – Blaine is going to highlight some moments in his journey that carry some significant teachings that actually tie into doing good business, because these are universal life lessons. 

13:00 – Blaine dives into Day 1 of Camino de Santiago, the difficulties he faced on this physically challenging day, and the lessons he had to learn as he started his journey. 

19:23 – When Blaine found himself alone and worn down, his strength to keep going was renewed by fellow walkers that he encountered before. From this, he learned that you never know how a comment or random encounter may change a person, but can also change you. It showed how much we as humans really need and depend on each other. Blaine uses this example to ask us: How do you act when you reach the end of your limit? How are you acting as the lifeboat for others when they have hit their end?

23:43 – Blaine skips ahead to Day 12, which he remembers as Sometimes People Are Jerks. Before a 10-mile stretch of nothing (no towns, stores, food, water, etc.), Blaine restocked on all his essentials and had a bad sense from the store owner. On the stretch, he managed to find an “oasis” for travellers to buy supplies and rest, but received an unfriendly welcome there. Blaine’s ugly thoughts of retaliation caught him off guard and made him evaluate his experience. 

28:24 – Fast forward to Day 20, the day that it was Blaine’s turn to be a jerk. After 12 hours of walking and trouble finding a place to stop for the day, Blaine was faced with some family issues that he couldn’t address that night. After finally connecting with his wife, they decided that he should continue on his pilgrimage, even though he later discovered that it hurt his partner. The lesson he took away from this was how we handle adversity can define us or destroy us. How do we react and handle life when it hits us?

33:35 – Blaine recounts a day walking through a mountain storm to get to the Cruz de Ferro. It was a decision he made in order to give himself the space to create a meaningful and encouraging experience that was deeply personal.

35:51 – The last day, Day 25, the end of his journey. The reality of what Blaine had done hit him, but he also realized that the recipe for completing the Camino de Santiago was easy: he just had to do it. This was a huge commitment that made Blaine realize that if you want to accomplish something amazing, you have to subtract some other things from your life. 

37:50 – What did this change in Blaine? First, he actually enjoys walking now. Second, he gained some perspective that only a personal journey can bring. Third, Blaine wrote a book about this experience, which he never imagined would be something he would do. All proceeds from his book, From Sore Soles to a Soaring Soul: Changing My Life One Step at a Time on the Camino De Santiago, go back to taking care of the Camino!

40:18 – This is the point where Blaine usually recaps the takeaways and makes a call to action for listeners. But today, he’s leaving that up to you – you are the one who decides how transformation happens in your life.