Check Out Ruth Catchen’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ruth Catchen.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I grew up in Pennsylvania, went to college and grad school in Washington, DC, then spent some time in Italy and moved to New York City. New York was influential in shaping my values and work ethic. Starting out as a performing musician taught me much about discipline, deliberate practice, and most of all the standard to which I became accountable. I married, had children, and ended up in Colorado, but the bucket in which I collected many experiences along the way came with me. By this time, I knew I loved teaching and helping people do what they do and be their best selves. I went back to school and got a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction.

Then, I fused my education and life experience in the arts while developing STEM and STEAM curricula for PK-12.

From that space, I came to real estate and learned how the training needed to be more deliberate. In getting my license and the successive training experiences, I learned what was lacking and set out to make it better by raising the level of professionalism, knowledge, and training needed for new agents. My goal is to make the criteria meet the needs of the tech age and 21st-century capabilities.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
As in all lives, it is never a smooth road. We learn from our failures and every experience makes us better. I have diverse experiences in learning and bring my past performing experience and all that discipline to everything I do. I also believe in being authentic and using what I have that is different to help others. I listen which I believe to be an essential skill needed in many jobs, but especially in real estate.

I have had people try to ruin my endeavors, lying about my abilities and knowledge. All of this made me more determined to succeed. At the same time, I am grateful for the opportunities and much of the appreciation I have received from students and those I have coached or taught.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Ever since I was a small child I focused on doing whatever I chose to do and being the best. Call it impossible, excellence serves as my core mission. At the same time, I realize that there is always someone better, someone to motivate me to go a little bit further.

I see fear or risk aversion, or risk-taking as essential in pursuing one’s dreams. As I see it, risk-taking has various manifestations. Taking physical risks by skiing the hardest course, riding your bike, or running on the steepest trail is definitely not my thing. I am a seat belt, mask-wearing kind of person. I was never that comfortable with physical risks. My only competition was always myself.

However, you can’t excel if you don’t take risks. My risk-taking is for the most part intellectual. I challenge myself to learn new things, practice them, and always improve. I never shy away from trying something because I won’t be good at it. I learned very young that practice is essential to becoming better. Malcolm Gladwell and his 10,000 hours to mastery are how I live. I probably have made a fool of myself more times than I can count…

I see risk-taking as a “why” v. “why not?”

When I think about the concept of failing well, fast failure, or risk-taking, I recall this famous speech from President Kennedy foretelling the mission of the United States to expand the space program and dream big. It is a call to action.

He said: We choose to go to the moon,” the president said. “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.

In recent years, there is so much more “why?” than “why not?” This cynicism has become an appeal for inaction. We have corralled children in classrooms keeping them prisoner to their desks and facts to memorize to succeed on the next test. We (not everyone, of course) don’t encourage them to go outside, explore the world, ask questions and seek answers. I believe it takes courage as a teacher or parent to encourage REAL hands-on learning from experience, to try things we may not be good at, and not give up. Critical thinking happens by using your knowledge and applying it to something new. Learning comes from tangible experience. There is a need to take a risk and encourage others to take risks as well. Risk-taking need not equate with safety.

In addition to that, there is practice and persistence, what we have currently labeled as “grit.” It is essential to personal success. There are no short routes to mastery. There is no substitute for hard work and thoroughness.

Attention to detail is required!

That is my philosophy for both myself and those I teach. I come to this as I pursue my third career. Each one informs and influences the next. Currently, my passion is to help real estate agents to do their job better and raise their level of professionalism and knowledge in the industry. My why is to help others do what they do, and be better. It is about pushing the boundaries of what you can do. It is making the vision in your head a reality. It may not always work, but lessons are learned, and strides to being better to happen.

My life has been an exercise in risk-taking. I try new things without fear, or at least not to be intimidated by fear. I encourage others to test the limits of what they can do. It comes down to something pretty basic. If you don’t try, you will never know. And for sure, things will not change. I have always said: Make crisis an opportunity. Be the best you can be and make the world a bit better for you having been here.

What was your favorite childhood memory?
For some reason, it was hard to think of one childhood memory. Several things stand out in my mind. I loved going to the ocean and riding the waves. I still find peace and inspiration in this to this day. Similar feelings to that, as I didn’t grow up near the ocean, and was riding my bike all over and exploring nature.

I loved the stillness and peace and quiet of that time to think. Believe it or not, I used to play “school” and loved pretending I was teaching. A good friend recently commented to me that no matter what I choose, I always end up wanting to teach others and help them. True. I am lucky to have found my why so young and grateful that I ended up back where I started.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ruthcatchenrealestate.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ruthcatchenrealestatecoaching/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ruthcatchenrealestate
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUUvBotKpL9zTKDMsPZOi-A