Author Archives: Vicki Reed

Discover the IFD Museum

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Did you even know we had one?  I discovered it in November and had the honor to visit it again yesterday.  Located at 748 Massachusetts Ave., Indianapolis, IN 46204 and is housed in the oldest standing firehouse in Marion County.  The Indianapolis Fire Department Museum is a historical treasure trove for those interested in Indianapolis history as well as a great place to take those little boys and girls interested in dedicating their lives in service.

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In addition to the museum, the IFD Memorial stands on the grounds and consists of five descending columns that spiral out from the front of the firehouse to the centerpiece column. Each column is inscribed with the names of fallen heroes and atop the center column sits a Phoenix, the mythical bird of fire..”Just as it rises from its ashes, so too do the souls of our heroes, drawn upward to heaven.”

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You might be wondering why I’ve had occasion to visit this great museum twice in as many months…well, Keller Williams hosted it’s city wide agent Thanksgiving event there and yesterday…was BOLD!!!!  Business Objective:  Life by Design!  Over seven weeks, BOLD conditions agents with powerful mindset exercises, language techniques, business-building strategies and live lead generation activities.  Click here to learn more about this amazing class and the KW culture!

Vicki Reed

What a way to start the year…

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During the wee hours of Sunday morning, at least 2 people (possibly more) took it upon themselves to break into our KW Realty office!  This is not a stand alone building, we are on the second floor of a really nice building at Keystone at the Crossing in Indianapolis!  Ocean Prime is right downstairs and Distinctive Diamonds is in the parking lot!  Our office is really nice – we have Smart TV‘s throughout, shared desktop computers as well as others behind locked doors and the office had just purchased our last Sony Smart TV, 55″ with a webcam…very nice right?

Not much was taken, some cash, a few cameras, an expensive watch…oh and that brand new 55″ Sony Smart TV that was still in the box.  What bothers me the most was the ransacking of the space…every office that was locked was broken in to, chairs were overturned, files scattered, locked cabinets forced open, doors broken, they even took two imported beers from the fridge!  As Realtors, we are in and out of the office all the time, odd hours, odd days, now it feels unsafe.  What a mess!

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My question is…why?  I told my Mom about it and her outraged response was “why couldn’t they just get a job like everyone else?”  I think it is a great question!  Can you imagine our society if those who put so much effort into getting “money for nothing” actually took all that effort and put it into working for a living!  What do you think?  I would love to hear your thoughts.

Vicki Reed

 

Happy New Year!

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Happy 2013 everyone!  As I do most every morning, I read Annie’s Mailbox while having my coffee and today’s column had a reprint of the “Golden Rules for Living” by Miriam Hamilton Keare…I think they are a nice follow-up to a my “12 Wishes” posts and a great way to start the year:

“Golden Rules for Living” by Miriam Hamilton Keare

1. If you open it, close it.

2. If you turn it on, turn it off.

3. If you unlock it, lock it up,

4. If you break it, admit it.

5. If you can’t fix it, call in someone who can.

6. If you borrow it, return it.

7. If you value it, take care of it.

8. If you make a mess, clean it up.

9. If you move it, put it back.

10. If it belongs to someone else, get permission to use it.

11. If you don’t know how to operate it, leave it alone.

12. If it’s none of your business, don’t ask questions.

Remember today that the new has come. It’s a new year with new opportunities, and it’s time for you to be the new you. Let this be the year that you break old habits and addictions. Let this be the year that you move forward into a new life…it is what I wish for myself and for you too.  Happy New Year…

Vicki Reed

Happy-New-Year-Wallpaper-2013

 

 

 

Wish # 12

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Wish twelve…my final wish!  So for my twelfth wish…I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and my wish is that all your wishes for positive change come true.

This exercise has been eye-opening for me, I hadn’t really thought about my wishes other than how my wishes affect my life, thank you all for taking this journey with me, I hope it opened your hearts as well.  Continue to pray for those affected by the tragedies of 2012 and pray for a brighter 2013.

Merry Christmas

Christmas-Decorations-Gift-Thread-Needles-New-Year  Vicki Reed

Wish # 11

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My eleventh wish is that we allow ourselves more spontaneity in our lives and be more lighthearted, it is important to see the joy in your life.  What was the last thing you did on the spur of the moment?  Sometimes, I will go to a movie in the middle of the day…just because I can!  As a Realtor, I work a lot of crazy hours so when I find myself with a couple of unscheduled hours in the middle of the day, I might stop by and catch a flick!

A couple of years ago, a friend and I went to the IU vs. OSU game in Bloomington, IN on New Years Eve.  We had decided on the way down where we wanted to have dinner after the game and made reservations…but as we neared Assembly Hall, we saw signs for the French Lick Casino and I jokingly said since we were already half way there, we should go.  When the game was over, we decided “what the heck”, cancelled our reservations, hit White Castle for dinner and a couple of ATM‘s for cash and headed South instead of North to Indy!

We had a blast, we got home at 6 a.m. after gambling all night (coming out winners – my friend $90 and me $120 – what do you expect, we play the Penny slots!) and stopping for breakfast at a roadside dinner (now that was an interesting experience!).  It was one of my most memorable New Years, it’s fun to be spontaneous!

Have fun, be open to new experiences and be willing to go with the flow…you’ll be amazed at the joy you will find in your life.

NYEheaderVicki Reed

Wish # 10

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My tenth wish is that we curb our excess eating and drinking and work toward a healthier lifestyle.  As a nation, we live life large – from the portion sizes in restaurants to fast food “super sizes” and even the way we cook in our own homes.  Heart disease and diabetes have become more common in our lifetimes than those of past generations.

I don’t believe that there is a be all end all answer to the issue, some say “eat organic”, but that can be expensive because organically grown foods cost more and budgets are tight!  I Googled “curbing your excesses for food and drink” and got over 10 million results – the information is available, a lot is written about it, but not everything works for everyone.  I believe if we simply eat and drink in moderation that will put us on the right path.

I am an overweight 48 year old woman, and as a Realtor, I am on the road constantly, networking tends to happen over meals so that just adds to it.  I know that I could eat better, but it takes work and it much easier just to grab something on the run!  I am committing to eating healthier and exercising more in 2013, will you join me?

Heart-Healthy-FoodsVicki Reed

Wish # 9

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My ninth wish is that we open ourselves to receiving help from others when we need it and not being shy about asking for help from our family and friends.

How many times have you said to your family and friends “what can I do to help?”  Most of the time the response is “thank you so much, but I’ll/we’ll be fine”…but the reality is that you could really use the help!  Why are we so willing to offer help to others but not accept help for ourselves?

As a Realtor, my schedule is more flexible than most, I can help my friends by meeting repair or delivery people at their homes for them – they all have wi-fi, so I can work there as easily as my own home or office.  But when they have offered to help me, I tend to try to handle it all myself.

So my wish is that we all be more open to accepting help when offered, times are tough and we all need our friends.

helping-handsVicki Reed

Wish # 8

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My eighth wish is that I would win the lottery…told you, some of these will be selfish!  I don’t have to win a big jackpot, a million would do!  What would I do with the money you ask…well, first I would payoff my debts and depending on the size of the win, this is what I would like to do…

1.  Set up trusts for my nieces – with stipulations, no need to spoil them completely!

2.  Set up Charitable Remainder Trusts for my parents and sisters – they get an income stream for their lifetime, then when they pass, what’s left goes to item # 3.

3.  Create the Reed Family Foundation – with my Dad, Uncle Bob and I, our limb of the family tree ends, this would allow me to teach my nieces about giving and create a legacy for my Dad.

4.  Help my friends, make their lives a little easier and their burdens a little less.

5.  Buy a vacation home in South Carolina – probably Pawleys Island – It would be there for myself, my family and friends to use.

6.  Put money into my business – VLR Real Estate – and dream big!

I know you have all thought about it, what would you do?

lottery_20100826113803_320_240  Vicki Reed

Wish # 7

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My seventh wish is that we turn off the television more often and lessen the constant bombardment of advertising, noise and a 24/7 news cycle.  It distracts us from what is important…put on quiet music and read a book, talk to your family, play with your children.

I have found that many people in my age group (I’m 48) are TV addicts and I admit to being one!  If I’m home, the TV is on…as I work, write, read, whatever, it is always on.  I think part of it is because we are the generation that grew up watching ABC, CBS and NBC because they were the only channels available and where I lived we only got NBC and CBS!  Cable came to be as we be grew up and I think somewhere inside us are those kids who had very little choice of television programs and are still fascinated by the overwhelming amounts of programming (good = Criminal Minds; bad = Here Comes Honey Boo Boo) available.

Turning off the TV will also eliminate watching TV news which likely leaves you frustrated and angry about things you can’t control…if you are looking for the weather, look outside and you’ll have a good idea of what it’s going to be like!   If something extreme and newsworthy happens (like nuclear war) I’m sure we will hear about it anyway.  There was a time in our not so distant past that we didn’t know what was happening during a war unless we saw the news reel at the local theatre or had a radio…this was a time when our patriotism was much higher than it is today when we learn about the news as it happens.

I’m going to try to turn off the TV more…we’ll see how it goes!  Can you do it?

No-TV-  Vicki Reed

Wish # 6

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Halfway there!  My sixth wish (goes along with Wish # 5) is that we as individuals work to reduce our debt on a path to eliminating it.  Our society is screwed from top to bottom because of debt. Quit using it, pay it off, and live on cash. It will make your life a lot easier and you will breathe easier because you will be free, personal debt is sufficating and our national debt mounts daily.  We as individuals should set an example for those we vote to run our country.

There are a lot of programs available, the most popular being Dave Ramsey (click here for his website), type “living on a cash basis” into your Google search and there are over 5 million results of books, blogs, news articles, magazines and online tools to help you get started.

As a Realtor, I no longer receive that twice monthly paycheck that made budgeting and life in general so much easier and struggle with making those monthly payments on credit cards I used freely in my past.  I have found that unless I have the cash, I no longer purchase anything – I look around my home and realize I have absolutely everything I could ever need…

Do you think you could live a cash based lifestyle?  Share your thoughts with me!

2031226m5o2fytgr4Vicki Reed