33 Years & 33 Lessons: Jay Marks’ Path Back to What Matters
You couldn’t blame anyone who follows Jay Marks on social media and around Flower Mound for thinking his life couldn’t be going any better.
After all, the former Army paratrooper is headed into his 33rd year as a real estate agent, and his personal and professional success has long been rooted in one simple truth — people genuinely like him. His ever-expanding circle of lifelong friends and family will tell you it’s because he’s real, vulnerable, and deeply caring — and that he gives everyone nothing less than his absolute best.
His life is, by all accounts, the kind of success story people point to with admiration. Heck, even the photoshoot of Jay featured in this article is authentic and picture-perfect. But scroll back just a bit, and you’ll find something hidden among all the perfect photos.
Jay … in a hospital bed … realizing it is time to make some changes.
“Life isn’t picture perfect. I could certainly make you believe that on social media and when we meet in person, but that wouldn’t be me,” Jay said with a humble smile. In January of 2024, he had an anaphylactic reaction and found himself clinging to life at Flower Mound Presbyterian Hospital. It was one episode in a series of hospital stays, minor procedures, and one very significant foot surgery.
“When you wake up in the ICU hooked up to a ventilator, you realize there are more important things in life. The truth — I was spread too thin, and I wasn’t focused on my health. I realized during that hospital stay that God was giving me an opportunity to start fresh.”
The good news is that our lovable Jay is fine. He’s also still as committed as ever to being your resource for literally anything — whether it’s for a complex real estate matter or lending a helping hand when it matters most. Jay Marks Real Estate still sells about 100 homes a year and earns quite a living off repeat business and referrals, thanks to a new and growing team of agents by his side.
But he’s also learned over the past year that it’s also OK to make himself a priority.
For Jay, it’s not how long you live — it’s how you’re able to live while you’re living. So, as he winds down 2025 and looks ahead to an even more promising 2026, he came up with 33 lessons and simple reminders that will continue to shape him moving forward.
- Make time for family.
- Make everyone you come into contact with feel important.
- Schedule your work and work your schedule.
- Never make a decision based on fear.
- Create your own market conditions.
- Don’t do anything just because the cool kids are.
- Be your best every day — or take the day off.
- Save your money; pay your taxes.
- Never make an emotional decision.
- People will disappoint you — forgive them.
- Remember that people have seasons.
- Good people will leave and follow their own paths.
- Quickly dismiss those not in alignment.
- Leadership is key.
- Taking initiative matters because most people won’t.
- “Next” is the answer for everything.
- Listen more than you talk.
- You can learn more by asking good questions.
- You can do anything you want.
- Think big.
- You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.
- Fear is of the Devil, and he is failure.
- Ask for referrals.
- Always tell the truth.
- Have a growth mindset.
- It’s OK to lose if someone else is better.
- It’s OK to fail.
- Celebrate others when they win
- Be magnanimous in victory.
- If you can sell one, you can sell 10.
- Be grateful in all things.
- Live your faith.
- Always, always make time for your family and God.
“Life isn’t perfect, and you know what … it doesn’t have to be,” Jay said. “We’re all trying to do the best we can, and the key to succeeding is to live life intentionally. I want to be authentic and intentional with how I want the next 30 years of my life to look like.”
