What motivates us? What is the driving force behind our daily positive attitude? The main question is always the same, but the answer is different for everybody. Staying motivated takes hard work, and a positive attitude can easily slip out of your focus.
“As an immigrant family, fleeing from war-torn former Yugoslavia to the US, we had to pick up with our lives as quickly as possible,” Amela Smailbegovic shares her traumatic life experience. “It wasn’t easy at all, but we were happy to be alive in a country that allowed us to thrive, the lifetime opportunity many didn’t have.”
Amela Smailbegovic is a successful entrepreneur, businesswoman, and one of the real estate industry’s top performers. Smailbegovic made a name for herself in all of them, from timeshares to commercial and residential branches. She currently leads a team of ten producing between 30 to 40 million dollars in sales annually.
After achieving great heights, apart from continuing to conquer the real estate industry, Smailbegovic wants to extend her success to other people through mentorship programs.
Passion For Mentoring Others
Being a mentor means a lot of things. It means leading others while helping, guiding, and supporting their personal development. But as Amela Smailbegovic points out, it means putting yourself in a position to be a role model for the younger generation, which is a big deal.
“I am America Americanized,” says Smailbegovic. “My family is Americanized, and even though we spend every summer in Croatia, our life has been here for the past 20 years.” The great thing about this aspect of her life is that she can bring new perspectives and unbiased advice or opinions that could benefit others.
“Hundreds of people reach out to me in terms of mentoring. Mentoring is something that I’m passionate about. I love that part of my life, as I could always envision myself coaching others,” she adds.
Although Millennials have often been labeled disrespectful and lazy, Smailbegovic is solid proof of non-existing millennials’ entitlement. “Unfortunately, I sometimes feel that my generation has lost themselves in need to prove themselves to others,” Smailbegovic admits. “The most important lesson life can teach you is that you don’t need other people’s approval. Your straight lays in you.”
Smailbegovic has always helped people throughout her career. She needed to be that well-balanced force of change with compassion for others. Through her work in the real estate industry, she gained a lot of experience and knowledge, especially being one of the few successful women in a typical male industry such as real estate.
As she points out, the ability to mentor others was an eye-opening experience. The older she got, the more she appreciated her straight in her core beliefs. “Making changes in other people’s live somehow fulfill mine even more. In particular, single moms who have my deep admiration,” says Smailbegovic. “It can be hard to go through life’s challenges alone, and that’s why I want to be there for everyone who asks for my help.”
