Real Estate Information Archive

ARE YOU A MARKET MAKER?

From well-known author Napoleon Hill ("Think & Grow Rich") comes this story about Napoleon Bonaparte. It seems that he was called the "100,000 man" because despite the size of his army, it seemed to the enemy that he had 100,000 men going into battle with him every time. Just before one successful battle, Napoleon called his officers to discuss the impending clash. One of them told him the battle would have to be delayed because "the conditions were not just right." Napoleon's answer was, "The conditions are not right? I MAKE the conditions - ATTACK! ATTACK! ATTACK!"

Napoleon, you see, was a "market maker" - someone who created the situations required to be successful. He was proactive rather than reactive. He acted upon others, instead of re-acting to them.

No matter what your objectives, your success is as close as your ability to act upon your "market." In business, that means choosing to cause others to be attracted to you, rather than waiting for them to call. In your personal life, it means acting upon your family and loved-ones in such a way that peace, harmony, and love are the result.

Want to lose weight, have more energy, enjoy greater stamina? Maybe it's time to act upon your own body. That can mean grocery shopping for fruit and nuts rather than snacks and sodas. It can mean treating your body to a brisk walk or strength training rather than more TV (and snacks & sodas).

As has been said many times, "Think you can, think you can't - either way, you're right." It's your choice: financial success or failure, stressful living or family peace, low blood pressure and trim body or . . . well, you get the picture.

It's not necessary to suddenly become a human dynamo. Choose to act in favor of small changes at first. Watch what happens. For every action, you will see an "equal and opposite reaction." Try delivering a cheerful "Good morning!" to the first person you meet today. Chances are they'll return the gesture with a smile. Go ahead, make your day happen the way you've imagined it!

SOUND FAMILIAR?

How many times have you told a friend or associate about a bold new idea for succeeding, only to have them shoot down the idea? How often do you hear a parent tell their child, "You can't do that!" or, "You're too little (or too short or too ugly)." With just a word, a child's future can be stunted. The alternative is to believe in yourself. Take a look at a few of those "You'll never amount to anything" comments made to the wrong people:

"You have a perfect voice for broadcasting, but you should get a job as a secretary. We're not using women." - What announcers for NBC told Sally Jesse Raphael when she applied for a job after graduation from Columbia University.

"It's a cutthroat business and you've got no chance of success." - So said an accountant for Estee Lauder, founder of a multibillion-dollar cosmetics empire.

"You have a nice voice, but it's nothing special." - That's what a teacher told Diana Ross after she auditioned for a part in a high school musical.

"It's too hard to crack into the late-night ratings. Television isn't ready for a black talk show host. This is America and you can forget it." - That's some conventional wisdom offered to Arsenio Hall prior to his acceptance of Paramount's offer to host a late-night talk show.

A dream, an idea, a vision of greatness - all can be shattered by a word or two from a total stranger. If you are the one with a dream, keep it to yourself as you methodically achieve all that you desire. If it's another who tells you theirs - encourage them to nurture it to fruition. Remember Thoreau's thoughts on this: "If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them."

September 1, 2008

"I CAN'T" IS DEAD!

There is a wonderful story in "Chicken Soup For The Soul" about a 4th grade teacher and a funeral. The teacher had her students fill a sheet of notebook paper with all the things they could not do. They wrote furiously for quite a while filling their paper with "I can't do ten push-ups," or "I can't kick the soccer ball past second base," or "I can't get Debbie to like me."

The students were then instructed to fold their papers and place them into a shoebox at the front of the room. The teacher then tucked the box under her arm, and invited the students to follow her out into the playground. There, they each took a turn at the shovel and dug a hole four feet deep. The box was placed in the hole and quickly covered with dirt.

The students then held hands while the instructor delivered a eulogy in memory of "I can't." In it, she noted that "I can't" was survived by his brothers and sister, "I can," "I will," and "I'm going to right away."

"I can't" is a close relative to most of us, yet maybe with a little extra effort we can finally let him go. It will not be easy since he has been such a close relation, yet maybe by dwelling on his brothers and sister and their importance to us - we can!

Remember the unforgettable line from "The Little Engine That Could"? "I think I can - I THINK I can! I THINK I CAN!" Do not forget the last line of our quote for the day. "Worry about the chances you'll miss when you don't even try!"

BETTER TO ATTEMPT AND FAIL...

In an old "Peanuts" cartoon, Sally is making a list while Charlie Brown looks on. Sally says, "I'm making a list of all the things I've learned in life..." In the next panel she continues with, "Well, actually, I'm making two lists." Charlie asks, "Why is one list longer than the other?" Holding up the much longer list, Sally explains, "These are the things I've learned the hard way!"

It is easy to chuckle a little at the part about "learning things the hard way," isn't it? We have all done that. There is really a more revealing message though in this simple cartoon.

The short list of things we have learned generally contains lessons that required no effort, or lessons we learned passively, while just listening. For instance, we learned simple courtesies from our first grade teacher. We learned historical names and dates from our history teacher. We learned to tie knots from our scout leader. Our parents taught us to share. The list goes on.

The important list, the one that is much longer, contains the things we have learned from experience. These lessons are endless, and no matter how trifling the lesson, we learned one every time we took action. We dared to try a two-wheel bicycle and crashed - several times. We tried out for the school play - and made fools of ourselves in front of friends.

By attempting - at the possible expense of our pride, our self-esteem, or our physical well-being - we either succeeded or failed (and learned a lesson). It is our actions that produce results and teach us those valuable lessons. Teddy Roosevelt said it right: "Far better to dare mighty things..."

LIVE WITH PASSION!

When you are ready to ride, don't wear your Nikes. Put on your boots and spurs, and let your horse know you mean to ride hard. Then, ride with passion.

How many times have you thought of achieving a dream - only to spend more time in the dreaming and planning than in the doing? No problem - we all do it from time to time. The old nemesis - fear of failure and the unknown - haunts all of us occasionally, keeping us from reaching our objective.

Think back to the last time you took action with a burning passion! Were you competing for a gold medal, fighting for your life under adverse circumstances, or vying for the heart of your beloved? Something was motivating you to the limit, and you refused to quit.

So, what is your passion right now - today? Maybe it's an education, a new career, getting in shape, having more freedom, money & status, or closer family ties. Whatever your desired direction in life, put on your spurs, mount your horse, and hit the trail! There is no greater joy in life than putting everything you've got into an achievement - and then realizing you've overcome all the obstacles.

Ride hard, buckaroo!

 GOING UP?

Are you successful? Just average? Struggling? Before you respond, consider where your response is coming from. Like everything else, your reaction depends on your perspective.

These judgments are relative to where you are on the ladder. Feelings of success come from comparisons to those who have accomplished less. Likewise, feelings of failure arise from looking at those who have accomplished more. Where you stand right now can affect your perspective even more than where you have been or the steps you are planning to take.

Comparing your work to that of others often introduces doubt. The wisdom of Lao-tsu's Tao Te Ching tells us that "whether you go up the ladder or down it, your position is shaky." You might assume that a job promotion would raise one's confidence and sense of worth, but studies have found that "nearly half of recently promoted managers... express uncertainty and doubt about themselves and their new position." (Cassirer and Reskin, 2000)

The trouble is that a promotion places you in a position where you are no longer the best among lesser performers (a big fish in a little pond). Now you feel like a little fish in a big pond, measuring yourself against those who have already arrived. The big fish enjoys more confidence and security, while the little fish frantically fights to maintain against his larger competitors.

Once you realize, however, that it is only your own perspective that is holding you back, you can begin to take action. Again, it must start from the inside out, because you cannot cause change around you until you have effected change within you. Remember that it is not the size of the fish or the pond that matters - it is how much you enjoy being in the water!

Thanks for sharing Coffee with me!
Join me here Mondays for a little inspiration and motivation to start your week!

January 14, 2008

INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:
"The spirit, the will to win, and the will to excel are the things that endure.
These qualities are so much more important than the events that occur."
~ Vince Lombardi

 WINNING ISN'T EVERYTHING!

Good old Vince Lombardi - always good fodder for motivating words! Success on the football field was the result of the spirit he had and developed within himself, not the other way around! Sometimes we have a tendency to put the cart before the horse, thinking that we become better people through achieving success. What a near-sighted notion! We really achieve success by becoming better people!

Achieving your goals is like finally arriving at your destination after a long journey that you have taken. How many times have you heard it said that it is not the destination that's so important - it is the steps that you take along the path? It is not so much what you do, but how you do it. Regardless of success or failure, it is your efforts that are remembered and define who you are. Maybe you are a football fan and maybe you are not, maybe you are aware of Lombardi's record and maybe you are not, but we all know of Vince Lombardi's ideas about work and motivation, don't we.

Even the most menial jobs and tasks can be elevated simply by caring enough about doing them well. You can learn to respect any job when it is performed by someone who respects himself. Again, it is not the "events that occur" so much as it is the "will to excel" that impresses us. We should not worry so much about getting a better job so much as simply doing our job better!

It is also that "will to win" that drives us to keep trying, even when we do not achieve our goals. As long as you have that drive and ambition, you WILL succeed. As a matter of fact, you have already succeeded right there. Big or small, you have dreams, you have goals, and you have the spirit and confidence to carry you. Along the way, chances are that you will also inspire others with the will to succeed. That is what gains the respect of your colleagues. It is not what rung of the ladder you are on.  It's that you simply have the will to climb.

Successes can be fleeting, but the will to succeed is timeless. What will you be remembered for?

INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:
"A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable
but more useful than a life spent doing nothing."
~ George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)

 MAKE SOMETHING OUT OF NOTHING!

When is the last time someone told you it is okay to screw things up? Well, unless you are a neurosurgeon or ballot counter in Florida, it is okay! For most of us, a mistake is an action that can be corrected - it is not usually the end of the world, although we are sometimes made to feel that way. Everyone makes mistakes, so do not let someone else tell you that your mistakes are any worse than theirs.

Of course, we all prefer to succeed rather than to fail. Just remember that most successes actually are the result of at least one failure, if not dozens. Just imagine the realm of scientific discovery - almost every step forward in the name of science really came from taking a lot of steps back! Although trying does not always mean you will succeed, you will obviously never succeed without at least trying.

Our mistakes are at least a sign of effort (and of room for improvement!). We just have to keep going until we get it right - study harder, pay more attention to details, listen more carefully. There is honor in persistence - you cannot be faulted unless you just give up. We are taught from an early age that mistakes are acceptable as long as you learn from them.

By focusing only on successfully reaching our destination, we tend to overlook the journey and all we can learn (and teach) along the way. Every mistake is an opportunity from which either we or our peers can learn something. In "Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun," author Wess Roberts observes that "every hun is useful, if only to serve as a bad example."

We all know the adage about "nothing ventured, nothing gained." If we do nothing, then we teach nothing, learn nothing, and gain nothing. If we are afraid of failure, then we are ultimately doomed to experience it. Embrace life's challenges, do the best that you can do, and be willing to accept the consequences! Make mistakes, but at least make something!

INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:
"I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody."
~ Bill Cosby

 WHO'S GRADING YOUR EXAM?

Ah, the concepts of failure and success.   Our perspective on each has an effect on nearly every aspect of our lives - work, play, and relationships.   How do we define our failures and our successes, or our potential for each?   If you are taking a multiple-choice exam, then the answer is pretty easy - it is how many correct answers you mark versus how many incorrect answers.   The more you mark correctly, the more successful you are on the exam.

Although life too can be seen as a series of "multiple choice" problems, there is not necessarily an instructor giving us the answers from which to choose, or who can "grade" our performance once we have decided.   No, it is really up to us as individuals to evaluate our choices and our actions.   Yet so many of us look to others to measure our success.  

Who is the top producer in your office?   Who has the most base hits on your league's softball team?   You have got to be careful not to define success by a single aspect of one's performance.   Every person is an individual, who needs to decide for himself or herself how to define his or her success.   If you are simply measuring yourself against everyone else, or what you believe everyone else expects of you, you may be cheating yourself out of true happiness.

Do not try to please everyone, because it simply cannot be done.   But pleasing yourself is easy when you do the best job you can do - at work, at the gym, at home - and know in your heart that you have succeeded according to the goals you have established for yourself.   Do not let anyone tell you that you are a failure because you have not "measured up" against someone else or their definition of success.  

You are a winner every day that you believe you are a winner.   Start telling yourself today that you are a success, that you will be a success, and follow your ambition as far as it will lead you - that's all there is to it!