Harnessing Confidence for Business Success
Ken DeLeon is a successful real estate broker, entrepreneur and motivational speaker. Photo credit: Tracy Easton.
It’s easy to say confidence comes from within, but it’s not always easy to translate that into actions. From afar, dancing real estate agent and motivational speaker Ken DeLeon exudes a jovial confidence that can lighten any mood. However, his confidence stems from the adversity he’s endured and transformed into a prosperous business and lasting legacy. We sat down with the Silicon Valley real estate maverick to learn his approach to fostering confidence.
Make Bold Choices
When DeLeon was an economics undergraduate student, he learned that most people are risk-averse, so those who boldly take calculated risks are typically rewarded. This struck a chord with the young scholar as his viewpoint on life had shifted in a big way following the recent loss of his sister. She had lost her battle with depression to suicide just a few years before. DeLeon realized she let others interfere in her journey, rather than betting on herself and taking the chances she felt passionately about. To celebrate her memory he committed to being bold and taking all the risks she no longer could, no matter the perceived judgment.
“Losing her made me not care what people thought about me because her fatal flaw was letting other people define her happiness. I said, ‘I’m not going to let anyone define mine,’ and that really set me free,” DeLeon explains. “When you’re not beholden to others, that’s when life really begins.”
He set out to honor his sister’s memory by living an extraordinary life filled with bold choices using the lessons he’d learned from her. And DeLeon did just that. After achieving his law degree and a position at Silicon Valley’s top law firm, he diverted his aspirations toward real estate. Trading in the monotonous yet stable legal work for the ever changing real estate industry energized him.
Helping Silicon Valley’s brilliant minds find their perfect place inspired DeLeon, as did building a business that was uniquely his own. He exceeds the duties of a typical real estate agent by providing financial and legal insight, utilizing his rich background in both, and connecting clients with vetted specialists who can remodel and improve the home throughout its life cycle.
Ken DeLeon is an accomplished motivational speaker, seen here with his dog. Photo credit: Tracy Easton.
Accept and Optimize
Resilience is a trait that DeLeon has mastered. When he was 23, he was struck by a speeding car while walking on a sidewalk with his father. After a lengthy recovery and later two bouts of cancer stemming from complications from the accident, DeLeon adopted the mindset of “accept and optimize.”
“Even at my lowest point, I would envision all the life lessons I would learn from the experience. Instead of focusing on the moment’s pain, I focused on the growth that would come with it, like self-acceptance and a better understanding of myself,” DeLeon says. “I can’t control what happens to me, but I can control my reaction, which in turn allows me to control the outcome.”
He firmly believes in self-fulfilling prophecies and that the more you envision success, the more likely you are to achieve it. DeLeon works diligently to pass that lesson on to his children, employees and community.
“Adversity leads to greater growth, so you want to seek that bold life. Take the risk. It’s the failures that drive you higher and faster. Don’t be afraid to push yourself,” DeLeon says. “Life is so short. If you live for yourself and are willing to take calculated risks, you can live an amazingly great life where every day is unique.”
With a glass-overflowing mentality and a determination to make every day count, DeLeon implores everyone to leave their fears at the door and dance freely and confidently.
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