Peter Thomas, founder of Century 21 Real Estate Canada, Ltd., grew that company into the largest real estate company in Canada, and spearheaded billions of dollars of real estate development in the United States. Throughout the years I had heard of his charitable giving and his foundations, LifePilot and the Todd Thomas Foundation, which he founded in honor of his son, who tragically committed suicide while still a young man…

And so recently, when I had the opportunity to meet him, at a reception celebrating his new book, Be Great, hosted by good friends, Vince and Michelle Poscente,  I jumped at the chance. Based on his reputation, I expected a giant of a man, and in fact he is, but in demeanor only. He exudes compassion and integrity. When Peter spoke about his new work, Be Great, he did so with a quiet humility that grabbed one. I stayed up later that night, reading his book from cover to cover.

Real estate magnate that he is, he reminds us, “…like (the) skyscraper, before you can reach the sky, you must be prepared to dig deep and make your foundations strong.” He said, “the most important place to start building is on your values… what you value, you become.” He told us of his first Young President’s Organization meeting in Hawaii, where he signed up for a workshop, and was led to the beach with the rest of the participants. The speaker asked the group, ” Are you living lives that honor your values?” The speaker asked each one to write down their values, and then on a separate sheet of paper, all of their daily activities and then check their activities against their values.

Surprise! When he compared them, Peter realized that the activities he spent his time on were not related to any of his values. He shared with us,  “I had an epiphany; it was like being hit over the head with a universal two by four.” He knew major changes were in order.   That epiphany led to his starting Century 21, and changing his life. He reminded us that “when we focus on our values life is easier, we are more focused, you spend less time wondering what you should do, how you should act, what’s right and what’s wrong.” He asked us to consider our happiness or lack of it, “Is there a gap between the way I’m living and what I believe in?” He said, if yes, maybe we need to change, either what we actually value or what we spend our time on. Peter believes, “It’s easier to change what you’re doing than to give away your values.” He reminds us, ” Computers and toasters come with manuals. Human beings don’t… With no operating manual to guide us, it’s not surprising that so many of us wind up feeling off-balance, unfulfilled or just plain lost.”

And so I too ask you- what are your values? Are you living them, day in, day out? Or  are you a tad lost? As Peter points out in his book, “Aristotle said, we are what we repeatedly do.” Thanks Peter. So I took out my sheet of paper that night and started writing- my values and the  time I spend on  daily activities. And while not the epiphany Peter had all those years ago- change is a coming. Thanks Peter for being a two by four.  Be Great is a must read. It builds giants. Humble ones.