Regardless of your career or life goals, carving your own path in life to accomplish what you love should be a part of the process. In our first episode of the Be Better Podcast, Kim and Donald are joined by the founder and broker of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Central, Josh McGrath, to discuss his unusual career journey.

Josh took a nontraditional approach with his career path.

• When Josh graduated high school, everyone asked him where he was going to college.
• But Josh didn’t necessarily want to go through four more years of something like high school.
• When his parents sold their home his junior year, he was intrigued by the process. Remembering this, he decided to go into real estate. And when he told mother, she cried.

He used his graduation money to pay for real estate school.

• After graduating from real estate school, Josh interviewed with, and was subsequently rejected by, the largest broker in town.
• They told him to get his feet wet with another brokerage and come back later. To this day, Josh remembers looking the executives in the eyes, saying, “if you’re not willing to give me the opportunity now, I’m not coming back.” And he never did.

You have to be willing to reject others’ expectations of you.

• We get shoved into expectations to go to college, graduate, and get a job. But the reality is, you don’t have to go down this linear path.
• We’re pushed to believe you need higher education to succeed, and that’s not the case.

Does it take a particular type of person to pursue a different path in life?

• You can’t put others’ thoughts about you above your own. If Josh had done that, he wouldn’t be where he is today.
• As a teenager, he worked for a pharmacy, and realtors would come to purchase balloons for open houses. He would ask them what it took to be successful and was told men don’t do well in the real estate business, he was too young, and it wasn’t for him.
• But Josh loves what he does, and he now educates young realtors to help them realize their careers in the industry.

Josh’s final takeaway? Follow your gut. When you’re trying to make a decision, you know the answer. If needed, take a pause, let yourself think, and the direction will find itself. Almost every time, that gut feeling will be the right decision. For more content from Josh, find him on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, or brokermcgrath.com. 

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This episode is brought to you in part by Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate.

Looking for a new role that allows you to become your own boss, create your own schedule, and have excellent income potential without the headache of starting a new business? Become an agent with Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate, an American icon trusted in all things related to the home. Explore career options at bhgrecareer.com/