Real Estate Information

TRAVELLING AT WARP SPEED?

Familiar with the speed of light? According to science books, light travels at a speed of 186,000 miles per second. That's been common knowledge for years. Now, however, scientists have discovered in experiments that light may travel many times faster. In fact, tests seem to show that light may travel so fast that it arrives BEFORE it even leaves its source.

Business now travels at the speed of the Internet. "Fast Company" magazine reports up-to-the-nanosecond business techniques. You're connected . . . we're connected . . . we're all moving at warp speed!

Whoa! Stop! Put on the brakes. If you're feeling overwhelmed at the breakneck speed of your business . . . and your life . . . take heart. There's a solution, but you must make space for it. Some call it checking out. Others call it meditation. Some describe it as needing "some space" or "quiet time." The name is not important, but the practice is.

Into each day, schedule a time when you can be alone for 15 - 30 minutes. Mornings may be best when the house is quiet. Close your eyes and practice thinking absolutely nothing. If images, worries, or business schedules keep popping into your mind, practice making them go away. Some picture a blank movie or TV screen. If an image pops onto the screen, mentally turn off the TV and watch the screen go blank.

Once you reach this quiet peaceful state, you will notice that your daily family concerns and business challenges begin to resolve themselves. You can attract everything you need into your life by simply spending some time each day with yourself. It may feel awkward at first - thinking about nothing - but you will soon realize the potential of this powerful resource within you.

Go to your Day Planner now. Write in a block of time for each day this week to spend with your alter ego. Now - keep your appointment!

YOU'RE THE PHOTOGRAPHER!

Most people, when they have their camera in hand, take snapshots of other people or things. The focus is on anything and everything outside themselves. What many don't realize is that they also have a super high-resolution camera in their minds.

The words of William James are not new. They've been said before in many forms, i.e. "As a man thinketh, so is he," or "You are what you think about all day long," or "A man is what his thoughts make of him."

By simply framing a picture in your mind of the person you would like to become, then acting like that person - you ARE that person! I believe it was Zig Ziglar who said it this way: "Fake it 'til you make it!" In other words, just by "acting" like the person you want to be, you actually become that person.

Likewise, we often create our own limitations by creating small pictures of who we are. In the words of Michelangelo (1475-1564), "The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it."

Why not take a closer look at the image you've created of yourself? Is it in focus? Does it portray the person you really want to be? Should you "zoom" in for a closer look, or go "wide angle" to broaden your horizons?

Your life is whatever you imagine it to be. Create a masterpiece!

WHICH ONE ARE YOU?

Some of the best minds suggest that when you have a dream, you should keep it to yourself. You should set about quietly achieving your dream, but without sharing it with others. Their reasoning is that when you share your lofty goal, you open yourself up to the ridicule and criticism of those who say, "It cannot be done." This is distracting, and can negate your efforts.

Avoid the crowd who says, "It cannot be done." Instead, spend time alone giving your dream a form. Imagine what it will feel like when your dream has been achieved. Picture it happening. Decide what actions you must take to set your dream in motion. Finally, "just do it!"

You'll find that you don't need the adulation of others when your dream becomes reality. Just knowing that you caused it will be enough. True - others will wonder how you accomplish so much in life, while they seem to struggle for the slightest movement forward. So be it.

As the Disney theme song says, "When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are. Everything your heart desires will come to you!"

HAVE NO REGRETS!

Have you ever made big plans to strike out in a new direction? Maybe you've dreamed of a better education, a new career, or the magic of some far away wonderland where life seems to come alive. You checked out your idea, researched all the possibilities, made plans, told your friends and family, and took the risk.

Soon after beginning your quest, however, maybe you realized it wasn't for you. Guilt or embarrassment may have set in, and you weren't sure what to do. After all, you already told everyone about your grand plans, and now what would they think of you for making a 180¼ turn in midstream?

John Greenleaf Whittier, in his well-known poem "Maud Muller," wrote "For all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these: It might have been!" His message? Take a risk! Strike out on your own if that be your desire. Give it a try! Don't be afraid! In other words, don't let fear rob you of the opportunity to learn what "might have been."

Better to take the chance and have no regrets, than to fear giving it a try. If you later find, to your chagrin, that the new direction is not right for you, try looking, as did Dorothy, in your own backyard. Very often, everything you needed to be totally fulfilled already existed at your beginning point.

Remember - "There's no place like home!"

BE FREE!

In Stephen Covey's "Seven Habits," he talks about focusing on the important to the exclusion of the unimportant. In his own words, "The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing."

See if you recognize which motivational trainer espoused this similar philosophy:

"There are things within your power, and there are things beyond your power. Within your power are opinion, aim, desire, aversion; in a word, whatever affairs are your own. Beyond your power are body, property, reputation, office; in a word, affairs not properly your own. Concern yourself only with what is within your power.

The essence of good consists of things within your own power; with them there is no room for envy or emulation. For your part, do not desire to be a general, or a senator, or a consul, but to be free; and the only way to do this is a disregard of things which do not lie within your own power."

If you guessed Zig Ziglar, Howard Brinton, or Anthony Robbins, guess again. Its author referred to it as a "field manual for soldiers." It was carried by Frederick the Great on all his campaigns. It was written by the Stoic philosopher Epictetus.

Stephen Covey conveys a similar message when he suggests drawing two concentric circles with a dot in the middle. He equates the dot in the middle to you, the first circle as your area of influence, and the outside circle as your area of concern. He suggests that you concentrate only on the circle of influence, things which you have the power to influence or change. He advises that you disregard those in the area of concern over which you have no influence or power.

Watch young children on the playground and you will notice them trying to duplicate each other. One hangs upside down on the monkey bars, and soon everyone is doing the same. Check out a pre-teen with a punky new hair-do, or a new style of "radical" footwear, and soon their friends are following suit.

It continues in high school too, with "tricked out" hot cars and cell phones. So . . . is it any wonder that we attempt to duplicate each other as adults as well? We look at our desk mate's approach to getting new business, then we do the same - regardless of the fact that said desk mate is getting no results.

Is there an alternative to this senseless copy-cat approach to life? Yes - but making the change may not be so easy. You begin by looking inside rather than outside. With all the distractions competing for your attention, this may be the most difficult step. Nevertheless, take a look inside to determine your best talents and skills. Ask yourself, "What do I do well? What are my strengths? What do I enjoy doing most?"

Next, write yourself a plan that incorporates your answers into a personal action plan. Remember, you were born an original, so put that originality to work. To help the plan work, avoid distractions from those who question your new direction, and learn to "duplicate yourself".

To avoid distractions, consider moving your desk, working from a home office, or avoiding the social scene at your office. Focus your time and attention on achieving your new-found objectives. To duplicate yourself, hire assistants to prepare direct mail or update your website. Avoid all tasks that you can hire someone else to do.

In short, live and act the part of the original you really are!

Watch young children on the playground and you will notice them trying to duplicate each other. One hangs upside down on the monkey bars, and soon everyone is doing the same. Check out a pre-teen with a punky new hair-do, or a new style of "radical" footwear, and soon their friends are following suit.

It continues in high school too, with "tricked out" hot cars and cell phones. So . . . is it any wonder that we attempt to duplicate each other as adults as well? We look at our desk mate's approach to getting new business, then we do the same - regardless of the fact that said desk mate is getting no results.

Is there an alternative to this senseless copy-cat approach to life? Yes - but making the change may not be so easy. You begin by looking inside rather than outside. With all the distractions competing for your attention, this may be the most difficult step. Nevertheless, take a look inside to determine your best talents and skills. Ask yourself, "What do I do well? What are my strengths? What do I enjoy doing most?"

Next, write yourself a plan that incorporates your answers into a personal action plan. Remember, you were born an original, so put that originality to work. To help the plan work, avoid distractions from those who question your new direction, and learn to "duplicate yourself".

To avoid distractions, consider moving your desk, working from a home office, or avoiding the social scene at your office. Focus your time and attention on achieving your new-found objectives. To duplicate yourself, hire assistants to prepare direct mail or update your website. Avoid all tasks that you can hire someone else to do.

In short, live and act the part of the original you really are!

Ever dream of becoming a U.S. Senator? Want to become an anonymous benefactor of youth programs in your community? Want to rise to the top 1% of your profession? Inspirational artist D. Morgan puts it this way: "The impossible dream . . . isn't!"

So - how do dreams become reality? Once your dream becomes your passion, you can begin building the foundation that will support the eventual structure of your dream. Begin by reading and studying how others have achieved similar dreams.

For politicians-to-be, there are plenty of biographies that reveal the long road to election. For those who aspire to achieve peak earnings, mentors are plentiful. Hang out with, attend courses with, and "shadow" the real stars in your chosen field. Ask how they began their rise, how they blend their work and family, how they attract and retain clients and customers.

In most cases, you will find that the models you choose have also made hard choices. They have first adopted certain principles upon which their decisions are made. Their actions are congruent with those principles. They are not duplicitous in their dealings with others. Their "word is their bond." Their foundational character sets the tone for the structure of their dreams.

Finally, with the foundation in place - they just build. They create plans, they implement strategies to achieve those plans. They understand that their final success does not occur in one fell swoop. It is the result of many footsteps in the direction of their dreams.

So . . . go ahead and dream! Remember - destiny is not a matter of chance . . . it's a matter of choice!