Last week, I challenged you to stop hiding. This week, I’d like to explore why so many appraisers hide in the first place. I wonder if, somewhere along the journey, they’ve forgotten that they matter.
We all know this Austrian icon. A bodybuilding champion, a movie star and a governor. His accent, once seen as a limitation, became his brand. I bet right now you’re subconsciously mimicking his accent right now. “Ahhhnold!”
In his late 70s, he still wakes up every day asking, “How can I help?” Through his newsletter Arnold’s Pump Club https://arnoldspumpclub.com he shares research, encourages people to move, challenges them to become healthier and reminds them that it’s never too late to improve. He keeps showing up because he knows he still matters.
Psychologists recently found that the strongest predictor of a meaningful life is “mattering” more than purpose. It’s the belief that your existence makes a difference to someone else.
That resonates with me because so many experienced appraisers quietly underestimate the value they continue to create. They think they’re writing reports. They’re actually creating confidence, protecting institutions and stabilizing markets.
As we get older, perhaps the question changes. Instead of asking, “Am I finished?” maybe we should ask, “Who still needs what I’ve learned?” I suspect the answer is far more people than we imagine.
The appraisal profession needs more expressive wisdom. More mentoring. More conversations. More experienced professionals willing to publicly share what decades have taught them. Because wisdom only compounds when it’s passed on.
The report is only the receipt for your thinking. They’re the byproduct of something far more valuable: decades of pattern recognition and judgment. The real return comes when that knowledge makes the next appraiser, lender, or leader better.
Last week was about visibility. This week is about something deeper. Visibility is the outcome. Mattering is the cause.
How can you help someone else?