Show Notes
Merlin Lipin is a Realtor in Billings, Montana. In today's episode, we sit down with Merlin Lipin in Billings, MT, a dual citizen who chased a golf scholarship from Belgium to Montana and built a career as one of the state's top real estate agents. We talk jack of all trades versus master of one, the ego inside passion, and trusting your gut instead of white knuckling life. Merlin opens up about the best round of golf he ever played, which felt like relief instead of joy, the year he burned out on real estate the same way he burned out on golf, and why he refuses to set a single sales goal anymore. Key Moments and Highlights: Growing up a dual citizen between Belgium and America The golf scholarship that brought him to Montana Realizing golf was tied to his ego His best round of golf ever, and why it felt like relief, not joy Jack of all trades versus master of one, on purpose Passion versus obsession, and the line between them The identity crash when sports, or any title, gets taken away Burning out on real estate the same way he burned out on golf Why he skips sales goals and focuses on daily inputs instead Defining intuition as a connection to your higher self
This conversation kept circling back to one idea, that when something you love starts controlling you instead of the other way around, it's time to step back. Merlin has lived that twice now, with golf and with real estate, and catching himself faster the second time was my favorite part of this one.
Thanks for listening.Be Where Your Feet Are.
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From the Episode: Dr. Bob Rotella on the mental side of golf: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJa553fS75Y The Last Dance, ESPN's official trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9Z9JtNcCWY
Episode Chapters: 0:00 Intro, growing up a dual citizen between Belgium and America2:20 Traveling through Europe and Costa Rica as a kid7:12 Sports and entrepreneurship, where his curiosity took him9:19 Jack of all trades versus master of one9:57 The golf scholarship that brought him to the United States10:49 Realizing all his eggs were in one basket14:32 Passion versus obsession, and the Kobe and Jordan comparison18:03 The pressure of chasing a golf scholarship as a teenager21:23 Landing in Montana and falling in love with it24:12 A sports psychologist's lesson on why you need new goals29:08 The identity crash after sports, or any title, ends32:25 His best round of golf ever, and why it felt like relief38:26 A friend's story about making it and never asking where he was going46:02 Wrestling between self reliance and trusting something bigger51:01 Defining intuition as a connection to your higher self57:13 Letting go of the pressure to meet other people's expectations1:05:41 Reframing every failed business as one piece of a bigger build1:11:34 Repeating the golf pattern with real estate, and catching it faster1:18:34 Recognizing burnout before it turns into a full crash1:23:00 Being intentional with inputs, detached from outputs1:29:08 Having compassion for who you were with what you knew then1:31:48 What to ask yourself to check if you're on the right path
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