What Could You Be Proud Of?

Yesterday we talked about pain. About the financial reality of this market and the importance of naming it honestly. We talked about how you cannot heal from what you refuse to see. You recover from gallbladder surgery not because you pretended everything was fine, but because you acknowledged something was broken and needed to be fixed. You close a wound with stitches by admitting first that it's there.

This is something Jordan and I write about in Letters Unsent, the book we're working on together — a collection of literary essays about naming the things that happened to you that you may be too ashamed to say out loud. The pain that's hard to articulate. The kind of hurt that lives in a room full of people telling each other how well they're doing.

But today isn't that conversation. Today's conversation is about what you do with the time you suddenly have.

The Question Nobody Is Asking

When the market slows, we talk about what we've lost. Income. Momentum. Identity. And those losses are real and worth grieving.

But there's a question on the other side of that grief that doesn't get asked often enough: What could you do right now that you'd actually be proud of?

Not proud of in a LinkedIn-post way. Proud of in a quiet, private, this-is-who-I-am way.

Because here's the thing about a slower season — it strips away the noise. The back-to-back showings, the frantic offer nights, the constant performance of busyness. And what's left, once that's gone, is time. And time is the one thing that cannot be purchased at any price.

What You'll Actually Look Back On

I want you to imagine, for a moment, you at the end of your life. You are lying on your deathbed with minutes to spare, reflecting on the life you could have had. What would that look like?

Would you wish that you had spent more, posted more? Would you wish you had driven a nicer car or worn a more expensive suit to more listing presentations?

Or will you look back on the kind of person you were when it mattered? Would the kind of person you could be proud to be one that shows up for your kids, your friends, your neighbours? Would you be proud to reflect on a life where you were genuinely present, where you took a minute, every once in a while, to actually enjoy the life you were living?

That is what accumulates into a life you're proud of. And right now, in this slow market, you have something that the busiest version of yourself never had enough of: the space to actually do those things.

The Abundance You Already Have

Before we get into saving money (that's tomorrow), there are a few things I'd like to point out. The Lower Mainland has an abundance of free swimming pools, beautiful parks, biking trails, and playgrounds — all of which can be enjoyed immediately, with no effort and even less cost. It's summer and it's beautiful outside. Everyone wants to go on a vacation, but we live in one of the top vacation destinations in the world and practically everything is free to do. Think of your own childhood — if you grew up in the Lower Mainland, you likely have vivid memories of spending the day looking for starfish and shells on the beach or wading through a creek. That abundance is still here.

We also have access to some of the best cooking ingredients in the world, and affordably. You can visit a local farm and pick up what you need for just about anything. Cooking a real meal has never been easier — you don't even need a cookbook anymore. Try this: take a few photos of your pantry, upload them to AI, tell it what types of food you enjoy, and ask it to write you a recipe and step-by-step directions. You'll be pleasantly surprised.

Picking up a hobby you set down ten years ago never hurts either. Getting good at something is more satisfying than most people expect. You could be in the best physical shape of your life right now. The best mental shape. You could read the books you bought and never opened. You could call the friend you keep meaning to call. And you don't need a budget line for any of it.

I wrote this blog, and I feel pretty good about it. It didn't cost me anything. It took time — the one resource that right now, many of us actually have.

The Invitation

So here's what I want to leave you with today. Not a productivity hack. Not a strategy for the recovery. Just a question to sit with:

What could you do right now — today, this week — that you would genuinely be proud of?

Not impressive. Not monetizable. Not content.

Proud of.

Because the market will eventually recover. The busy season will come back. And when it does, this window — this strange, uncomfortable, oddly spacious window — will close.

Don't spend all of it waiting for it to end.

Tomorrow we'll get practical: how to be hilariously cheap, why thriftiness is actually a core realtor skill, and how to spend less without feeling like you're losing.

Co-Authored by

Jordan Penner, MAA, RCC

Jordan Penner, MA, is a Registered Clinical Counsellor with twenty years of experience helping individuals, couples, and families navigate mental health challenges. His career spans work in provincial mental health integration programs, behavioural intervention with children and families, substance abuse recovery, and clinical intake coordination. He holds a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology from Trinity Western University and is trained in CBT, DBT, EMDR, Narrative Therapy, and Solution-Focused approaches. Jordan practices in Surrey, Langley, and Delta, BC, with a particular focus on resilience and working with people in high-pressure industries. 

Site: https://jordanpenner.com

Book Session: https://jordanpenner.janeapp.com