The Most Useful Thing I Learned As a Paramedic

Before mortgages, I spent nine years working as a paramedic.

People always ask, “Did you see some crazy stuff?”

Of course.

But honestly, one of the most valuable things I learned had nothing to do with emergencies.

It was a sentence my old boss Glenn used to repeat:

“You didn’t cause the mess. You’re just there to help.”

You didn’t cause the car accident.

You didn’t cause the heart attack.

You’re just there to help.

At the time, I didn’t fully appreciate how powerful that mindset was.

Then I became a mortgage broker.

And oddly enough, I found mortgages more stressful than being a paramedic.

A client comes to you with late taxes, maxed out credit cards, a collapsing closing date, missing documents, and a deal hanging by a thread.

And because you want to help, you absorb all their stress.

You overpromise.

You overcommit.

You lose sleep trying to solve problems they created.

Meanwhile, the client is asleep at 11 p.m.

And you’re staring at your laptop wondering how to save the file.

That’s when I remembered Glenn’s advice.

You didn’t cause the mess. You’re just there to help.

That little bit of psychological distance changes everything.

You think more clearly.

Communicate better.

And stop emotionally drowning in every deal.

Ironically, you often become better at solving the problem because you stop panicking about it.