Hello to you all. Sorry I have not posted for a while. September and October were difficult months personally….not that this is an excuse, but it is a reason. Which brings me to my question above…“
What is your mindset?” When life happens, it can be great, or not-so-great. We all go through difficult times, whether it is a death of someone close to us, or health issues, or financial issues, marital issues, children issues, work-related issues, or a combination of….need I say more? When you are going through a difficult time, what do you do? Do you climb into bed for ten days and “check out?” Do you do all that you can to “space out?” Do you walk around saying ,”Why me?” Do you have a perpetual pity party? I guess you know where I am going with this…or do you??? Do you pick yourself up and face the day with determination? Or do you completely shut down? OK, I know some of us shut down for a little bit…but do you keep it going for a long while? Well, it is the same in our business life. When things happen….a client stands you up, a client runs you ragged and then disappears….a client tells you they are qualified to buy, and you find out WAY after the fact, that they are not….a client works with you for days, and then ends up purchasing with another agent (ouch) a client lists their home for sale with you and receives a reasonable offer then decides not to sell all-together, and on and on and on. WHAT DO YOU DO?
WHAT IS YOUR MINDSET? Do you shut down? Do you complain, do you play the blame game? Do you become miserable and ‘check out’ for a month? Nnnnooooooo, not you!! My brother, John, going against all of his fears, years ago got into a single engine V-Tail Bonanza plane with my uncle. My uncle was an extremely talented pilot and was a captain with TWA for over 30 years….which is why my brother decided it would be okay to take a quick flight in the small plane. Only minutes into the flight, the engine sputtered and quit. My Uncle looked at my brother and said in a calm , reassuring tone, “Ooooo, this never happened before. I am going to have to fly the plane differently.” Differently. Very interesting. Of course my brother was not happy, but knew that the calmness of my uncle meant that he knew what to do. And he did…..fly the plane differently. The engine restarted and they landed safely. There are new challenges and changing conditions in our lives every day. That means that these challenges and changing conditions require different strategies.
Conditions change. Markets change. People change. Are you prepared for when your engine unexpectedly quits? When faced with change, or a new situation, or a seemingly insurmountable obstacle do you take action and solve the problem? Or do you resist and instead spend your time whining and complaining? What is your mindset? Do you ask over and over “why do we have to go through all of this change?” “When is somebody going to train me?” “Who is to blame here?” “When is this company going to get it right?” WELL, maybe you should change that to “How can I adapt to this change?” “What can I do to develop myself?” “How can I help and contribute?” “What can I do to solve the problem?” Most of us, if not all of us, have heard the saying “Creativity is thinking outside the box.” There is definitely a lot of truth in that, (For those of you that know me, you know that when I teach and train, I have changed that saying to “Thinking outside the bowl.” I wanted to change it up at bit…LOL) It means the same thing….however, I have really come to learn that true creativity is: Succeeding within the box. ( or bowl!) Setting and reaching goals, doing the job well, striving to make your clients experience memorable, with the tools you already have. Right where you are at….right now. How about focusing on the task at hand with the resources you already have? To really make that difference, how about focusing on succeeding within the box, or the bowl…..you get the message. Are you waiting for something new? Are you waiting for that “great lead” to come your way? Are you waiting for your company to give you everything you think you need? You don’t need the “new thing” or the “right tools” or the “right materials” or the “perfect training”…what you DO need is to practice the fundamentals—-like personal accountability –day in and day out. BACK to the BASICS! No matter what we are trying to accomplish in our personal lives or our business lives, there is always going to be some kind of obstacle, wall to go through or around, something to overcome. Many, many times it is something of which we have no control….instead of focusing on those, work to become so good, so strong, that no matter what life throws at you, you will succeed. Don’t complain about things beyond your control…..just do something differently.
Only you can change you. I always tell our agents here at Lang Realty, “it is not what you learn…it is what you put into action.” Maybe instead of trying to change the circumstances, or the clients around you, you should focus on changing you? Don’t look for your manager, your company or your mentor to do it for you. Look for a manager and company to assist you in teaching you how you can do it yourself. THAT is where the value comes in. THAT is what LANG REALTY is all about. If you would like to change your course, come meet with me at Lang Realty. Maybe it is time for you to do things differently.? You can reach me at 561-209-7878 or d.nystrom@LangRealty.com.
