Wed, December 15 2010 » Uncategorized » No Comments
Passion and Other Stuff
Lately it’s hit me how few people live in their passion, and it makes me sad. To live in your passion means to actually LIVE life. When you live in your passion, you perform at a level so much higher, it sometimes seems unreal. Trust me, it’s real.
So how do you live in your passion? The first step is to identify your passion. What is your passion? The thing that, when you are doing it, you feel like a 5 year old kid again, playing without a care in the world. I think that is a question that many people can’t answer. I don’t know why people have a hard time identifying their passion – perhaps they have been conditioned by parents, society or some other external force, to put it aside. I certainly meet a lot of people who cannot say what their true passion is – we don’t stay connected for very long, because I’ve found that those people often live the victim life, and I just don’t get along well with victim’s.
If you have already figured out your passion, I congratulate you. If you haven’t, when do you plan on doing so?
I had an email conversation with a friend recently, just catching up with what is going on in our lives over the 18 months since we last saw each other. We both work as coaches to real estate agents, and have been fortunate to have each taught the other some pretty amazing things. After our conversation, though, I noticed one big difference between us, a difference in how we work. My contention is that the vast majority of people who have a coach do not have one for the right reasons. In fact, I believe that many who have a coach love to be able to say they have a coach, as if that autonomically makes them better at their work, yet they are not willing to make the changes and do the work necessary for success.
I mentioned to my friend that I play a game of baseball with my clients – 3 strikes and you’re out of the coaching program. A strike means not doing the required work, not showing up for a call, that sort of thing. I do that for a couple of reasons:
- If they do not show up for calls or do not do the work, they will just think the coaching doesn’t work. They’ll blame everything and everyone except themselves. That does neither them or me any good, so best to end the relationship.
- I cannot, in good conscience, just take their money if they are not achieving the results they desire, or anything close to it. History has proven that those who follow my programs and actually do the work find the success they are looking for, so it’s not the programs. Sure, I’d like the money, but more importantly, I do not want to be one of those coaches I hear agents talking about all the time, saying how they spent thousands of dollars and got no results.
I know I am in the great minority of coaches by choosing to adopt this philosophy, and that’s okay with me. You see, I’ve found my passion and I live it every day.
I’d love to hear what you passion is, and how you live it every day. If you need help figuring it out, word has it that there are lots of books out there on the subject.
Sun, August 21 2011 » Uncategorized » No Comments
Senior’s Housing in Ontario
Pricing is now available for one of the new Senior’s rental buildings in Milton. It’s a beautiful building, not fully-finished yet, located on the South side of town. They have one and two bedroom suites; a one person, 1-bedroom suite that has a kitchenette starts from $2,995 + tax per month. So, that’s roughly $110 per day. It includes buffet meals, on-site nursing care, etc. The web site doesn’t mention whether there is an extra charge for the on-staff chauffeur, etc.
I wonder what percentage of Canadian seniors can really afford that. OAS is approximately $950 per month – that means another $2400 a month has to come from somewhere (more, really, because the OAS of someone who can afford this sort of living expense will be less). This doesn’t include any other costs associated with living – car, insurance, beautician, etc.
This leads me to a few questions for you to ponder . . .
- How many people can afford this now?
- What other options are there out there?
- Could you afford to help out your parents, if they needed your help tomorrow?
Do you think about this, whether in regard to your own family or just the aging population in general?
As I approach the 60′s, I find myself thinking more about these sorts of things. I also notice that so many of my friends cannot afford these sorts of expenses, some suffering in the tumultuous stock market, some suffering from lack of planning.
What will they do? What will you do when time comes to help your parents? If you haven’t started talking about it yet, you’d best get on with it. Times a-wastin’.
Tue, August 9 2011 » Mental Moments, Reality » No Comments
Daily Gratitude
Are you grateful? Do you invest time everyday, thinking about what you are grateful for? Most people don’t, and that is sad. You have so much to be grateful for, every single one of you who reads this, and 99% of you won’t even give it a second thought.
For years now, I have invested time in thinking about what I am grateful for every day. Sometimes I write these things down; I always say them out loud. There’s power in that. Huge power.
In most classes, I have everyone name three things they are grateful for; it’s a real struggle and challenge for them. Because they don’t think about it? Because they cruise through life, not paying attention to all the things they have, things others would, and have, died for.
Here’s what I am grateful for today:
I am grateful that I have Dione to love and to be loved by. I am grateful that my ma is alive, healthy, and enjoying her retirement. I am grateful for all the opportunities that present themselves to me every day, and that I am tuned-in to recognize them for what they are. I am grateful that my son is a smart, serious young man who is full of compassion, love, empathy and drive. I am grateful that my daughter is living a life she loves. I am grateful that I get to spend my time following my passions in life. I am grateful that I see some of the wonderful characteristics of my dad coming out in me. I am grateful for the people who occupy the deepest places in me – for the love they share, the lessons they teach me, they way the challenge me and support me. For all of this, and so much more, I am grateful.
If you do this sort of thing, how does it feel?
If you do this, do you tell the people you are grateful for of your gratitude for their presence in your life?
Try it – you’ll like it. And so will they.
A closing thought – a number of years back I learned te four most empowering things you can say to someone:
I’m Sorry
I Love You
Please Forgive Me
Thank You.
Tue, August 2 2011 » Mental Moments » No Comments
What’s YOUR Plan?
What’s your plan for the next 4 months? Do you have one? Have you had one for the past 8 months?
If you started the year with a plan, did you follow it? Every day?
Did you meet your targets? Surpass them? Fail to meet them? What happens now?
There’s the real question – what happens now?
I read recently of an agent in Washington whose team has closed 302 transactions YTD; he raised his annual goal to 600. Think he’ll get there? I do.
Why do I think he’ll get there? Because success is built on systems, scaleable systems, and once the system is set, it’s a fairly simple step to turn the dial up just a bit. How are your systems doing?
Do you lead generate every day? For how long? How many contacts do you make? How many past clients do you ask for referrals every day? What do you do if you don’t have an appointment on any day? Golf, or lead generate?
What questions do you ask yourself every day about your business?
There’s a reason for the saying ‘Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail’.
Want to talk about where you are at and how to get where you want to go? Email me. No charge for a conversation – we both learn from it.
Sat, July 30 2011 » Mental Moments » No Comments