Real Estate Information Archive

LIGHTEN UP!

Ever feel yourself getting perturbed by something that happens during your day? Ever have the urge to say something about it, when silence might be the best approach? Perhaps you feel the need to make a judgment about each situation that arises

Maybe it's time to slow down a bit. As the song says, "Don't worry - be happy!" The truth is - none of us have the right to judge others, nor their actions. We can control only one thing - our own actions. If there is something to be judged, it would be our reaction to things that happen, not the events themselves.

In Stephen Covey's "Seven Habits," Habit #5 says, "Seek first to understand, then to be understood." In explaining, Covey states that "People do not see the world as it is; they see it as they are - or as they have been conditioned to be." He goes on to make the simple statement that "When you understand, you don't judge."

Once you take the time to understand each situation, there is no longer a need to judge. Interestingly, when others realize that you no longer make those judgments, you will find that they no longer judge you either.

Want to free yourself from being disturbed about the events of the day? Just follow the advice of Epictetus, who said, "When considering the future, remember that all situations unfold as they do regardless of how we feel about them. Our hopes and fears sway us, not events themselves."

WHEN THE WIND BLOWS!

From the book "Wellsprings of Wisdom" comes this story:

A sturdy but diffident young man asked a farmer for a job as a farm hand. "What can you do?" inquired the farmer. "I can do whatever needs to be done, and I can sleep when the wind blows," replied the applicant. Although mystified by the phrase "sleep when the wind blows," the farmer did not press the question but hired the young man.

Some nights later a violent storm awoke the farmer. He got up and tried unsuccessfully to arouse the farm hand, then with considerable annoyance went out himself to see if all was well. He found the barn locked, the chicken coop properly closed up, a wagonload of hay covered with a tarpaulin that was securely battened down, and all else in a condition of safety from the elements. Then the farmer realized what his new farm hand meant when he said, "I can sleep when the wind blows."

Think how often the storms of life give us a wakeup call. How many times have those storms caught us with our guard down and our barn unlocked? The hired hand knew that simple precautions practiced on a daily basis could render impotent the howling winds of uncertainty in life.

Stephen Covey, in his "Seven Habits," talks about being proactive - heading off problems before they arise. While the hired hand never read the book, he understood the practice of closing up the chicken coop every evening. So, how are YOU sleeping when the wind blows?