It’s important to pay attention to which path you are walking on. You are either walking forward to the light or walking backwards in to the darkness.

To me you take the actions and then turn over the results. I have a friend named Chellie Campbell who has written some excellent books on money and they have many positive affirmations in them Chellie talks about sending out ships – so to me all the things I do to get business is like sending out ships and just like real ships they could be right out there on the horizon about to come back in but I can’t see them yet – they may be here tomorrow. Just because I can’t see them today does not mean they are not coming in – they could all be coming at once - but I must send out the ships and believe that the ones that are supposed to come in will and the others won’t. I have pictures sometimes on my screen saver on my computer of ships to remind myself that as I send out the ships they are coming in at the perfect time.

You are either going with the with the flow as it unfolds quite painlessly all at the right time and place or sometimes it seems that everything you do is just a fight where one door after another gets slammed in your face and when that happens I have to really question and evaluate if I am in the right place and on the right path,

Slamming doors or delays may be a sign to go back on my main course or it just may be a delay. Believe me nothing happens as fast as I would like it to. So I have to be conscious and pay attention.

It is hard sometimes to know which direction to go to there are so many wonderful opportunities out there but I can easily be distracted and that is why I have a coach that I am accountable to and why I have a business plan. 

If you are a realtor and do not have a plan - you need one.

More than ever you need to keep your head in the business of being a realtor and act accordingly. Do not give up.  Please know that besides selling real estate I also do coaching – it could be four sessions to get you on track – it could be for one.  

Sometimes a coaching session is better than seeing your psychologist – one realtor talking to another there is a certain bond – I am in the same trenches you are. If you have another set of eyes to look at your plan or help you create one I may be the person that can help you. If not I can direct you in the right direction.

We all get the same 24 hours a day and we all get to choose how to use them and who to spend them with. We all make different choices and sometimes we have to be willing to “bob and weave” thru out the day as in this wonderful real estate business of ours you just never know what is going to happen. I always try to get caught up each day or night as I honestly never know if I am going to have two or three listing appointments that next day – have to write an offer – you just never know.

I just know that as the hours go by if there is a change in my schedule I cannot afford to get upset or be thrown off by it.  I choose to believe it is for a reason. I need to let it go and move on.

I have the choice to make each day a good one or a bad one in my head and by telling myself each day ( and sometimes many times a day) in the form of affirmations that today is going to be a great day – it is. I don’t’ like the word problem and when I catch it coming out of my mouth I change it to the word challenge.  I have found that if I focus on the “solution” not the problem I don’t have to worry about things I can not change anyway.

Many times a day I may have to say the Serenity Prayer which I have written out in a small poster by my make up mirror but after this many years I know it by heart:

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change (and then I add - people places and things) , the courage to change the things I can ( and then I add myself and my attitude) and the wisdom to know the difference.  

One of the young realtors that I mentor asked me the other day what I thought about the current market.  I told him I don’t.  I don’t waste time thinking about the current market. Everyday I tell myself that there is someone out there that has to buy and someone that has to sell.

I evaluate how the market has changed, review my business plan and work with my business coach and I make adjustments.  I think about how to be a more effective realtor in the current market, but I don’t sit around and think about the market. I also do not engage in negative conversations with other realtors about how bad the market is. Many realtors especially the ones that got in the market in the last five years never developed a business plan. They did not spend the dollars that I did to create lead generating websites and they did not leave the big corporations like I did where I am now the boss and can make up my own mind as to how I run my business. Negativity is not allowed in my office. This is not to say that we are not aware of in denial we just choose to focus on the good not the bad and as a result the right people are drawn to us like magnets. When a Seller becomes difficult I may choose to cut my losses and get out of the contract.

As gas prices rise, the stock market goes down, and the economy suffers, the real estate market is facing a new low. Foreclosures are happening everyday, and many people are forced to rent instead of buy until their financial situations improve. Consequently, we as agents are also facing a challenging times not only with our own homes, but with our businesses as well. As the people at the center of this economic situation, it is important that we spend everyday remembering to focus on the solution, not the problem.

We may not be able to change a person’s personal finance situation, but we can change how we handle our businesses. We can spend more time helping our selling clients with tips and tricks properly market their home in today’s economy. We can help our buying clients discern which properties are most likely to appreciate while so many others depreciate. We can educate them as to what looks like the best investment until the real estate market turns around. We can remember for ourselves that the real estate market has made turns back and forth from buyer’s market to seller’s market in the past and it will turn around again. Ultimately, our job is to be positive and stay in the solution, not the problem.

Now more than ever we see real estate agents giving in to the Buyer’s market and the changing economy. More and more clients are coming to the realization that they can’t make the easy sale on their house that they may have been able to four years ago, and the very practice of “flipping” has ended. As more people give in to this new and different market and seek other careers, now is the time for the dedicated real estate agents to rise to the occasion.

It’s important to remember the rules of gravity and the pattern of history: what goes up must come down, but what goes down will eventually rise again. As agents, it is our responsibility not to fall in the first place. Gandhi said we must be the change we want to see in the world, and this is where we must begin. We don’t want our selling clients to give up, and it is our job to tell them the truth. We have to help our Buyers get what they want. We are in a service business. I don’t want my clients to over pay and if they do I let them know. To me honesty and integrity and my word are all I have. We all want to see the market rise again, and so we must remember that the market starts with us.

Everyday we find ourselves facing another test: Can we succeed today? This isn’t just a matter of succeeding at our careers, our families, or our personal goals. This is a matter of succeeding at life. You must first succeed at life before you can succeed anywhere else.

Succeeding at life means believing in and taking care of yourself. Remind yourself that you can achieve anything as long as you believe you can. The test starts with you. As you face the individual challenges of the day—schedules, jobs, kids, clients, the world—repeat to yourself just how capable you are. You can handle the fast-paced schedule, the difficult client, and the challenging family as long as you remember that every morning you answered, “Yes, I will succeed today.”

At the end of the day, you answer your question not with what you achieved but with every time you didn’t quit. Look at what you did accomplish and what to be grateful for. Did you sell that house or condo today? That is quantitative thinking. Think instead in terms of quality. You may not have sold the house but did you give up? Did you do what is best for your client and not yourself? Now to me that is a great day and a big success when so many agents out there thing only of themselves and it shows. 

When you couldn’t make the schedule you set for yourself, did you cancel everything or reschedule as needed? Did you merely accept that it was not supposed to be that way and move on? By rising to the requirements of the world without giving up, you have assured that at the end of the day you can answer again, “Yes, I succeeded today.”

by Coco Clayman-Cook

There’s nothing wrong with wishing.  People wish for things all the time, and sometimes their wishes come true. There’s nothing wrong with that either.  What isn’t effective is when people wish for something and then become angry, depressed or despondent when the wish doesn’t come true.

There is a great deal of misunderstanding currently about the power of positive thinking.  Thinking something over and over, no matter how positive it is isn’t a guarantee that you will get results.  It’s a good start but no where near a finish.  To really harness the power of positive thought you need to make sure that you take action that is in alignment with your positive thinking and that you aren’t doing anything to sabotage yourself.

For example, if you are wishing to be healthier, you can sit and wish it and wish it and wish it and you may feel slightly better just from the stress relief of meditation but if you continue to smoke cigarettes and eat unhealthily it is unlikely that you will see a big change.

Let’s take a moment and think of it in reverse.  Imagine that you stop smoking and start eating better, but your every waking moment you are thinking about what you don’t have – the cigarettes. This is a thought that will eventually bring you back to smoking – believe me I was a smoker and this thought is negative, “I’m so unhealthy.  I can’t stop smoking.  I can’t eat this way….ect,etc,etc.  How long do you think you can keep the positive changes up with such a negative mindset? 

Probably not long. To stop smoking think of all the positive things about it – that you are not poisoning your body, that your are cleansing your soul, that you are taking care of yourself, that cigarettes are poison and if the urge comes up then breathe and walk away from what ever you are doing that is making you want to smoke.

To really make our wishes come true we need to stay positive, take appropriate action and make sure that we don’t sabotage ourselves.

by Coco Clayman-Cook

Having a plan isn’t hard, but it is essential.  I always remember a story that one of my college professors told: the story of the two Mr. Browns.

The first Mr. Brown decided to go on vacation; he planned his trip and knew exactly what he wanted to do.  First, he went to Japan.  He spent two weeks in Japan soaking in the culture, seeing the sights and enjoying the people of Japan.  At the end of two weeks it was time for him to leave and go to the next destination which was Australia.  He didn’t really want to leave, in fact some of his newly found Japanese friends encouraged him to stay and he actually considered it.  In the end he decided to stick to the plan and visit Australia where he stayed for 2 weeks again soaking in the culture.  At the end of two weeks he reluctantly left Australia and journeyed to his final destination, Scotland.  The first Mr. Brown had a wonderful time visiting Scotland and touring the Moors when it was time for him to leave he was once again reluctant to go, but finally he returned home and got on with his life.

The second Mr. Brown also planned for his vacation.  He too arrived in Japan with a plan to stay for only two weeks but at the end of two weeks when friends invited him to stay, the second Mr. Brown decided to stick around for a while.  After five years in Japan the second Mr. Brown felt that he had enjoyed Japan and that it was time to get on with his trip, he journeyed to Australia where he planned to stay for 2 weeks.  When it was time to go the second Mr. Brown decided to stay and learn all he could about Australia.  Five years later he felt a restlessness to finish his planned vacation so he journeyed on to Scotland where he fell in love with the castle and moors.  The second Mr. Brown stayed 10 years in Scotland and then finally returned home.

The professor asked the class who had made the wisest choice.  I remember one student raised his hand and said the second Mr. Brown was to be commended because he had lived out his passion.  The Professor smiled and said “Really? He planned to go on a vacation, which became his entire life, now twenty years later he has returned home to finally pursue his passion of owning his own business.  The first Mr. Brown had a plan to go on a vacation, and even when there were attractive offers that could have side tracked him, he stuck to the plan.  He had his vacation and then returned home to open his own business.  Twenty years later he is a millionaire and is now able to travel at leisure.  Who do you think made the wisest choice now?”

Having a plan is not hard.  Sticking to it can be, but it is worth it.

Are you the best realtor you can be?  Are there things that you wish you could accomplish but you constantly find yourself at the end of the day thinking there just isn’t enough time?  I am a huge fan of Timothy Ferriss’ book The Four Hour Work Week.  While the book isn’t specifically written for realtors there are so many principles that apply – it is certainly worth reading. In fact I sat and highlighted it and then gave it to one of my favorite clients as he has a four hour work week every week. I need a new copy!

One concept in the book that changed my life and my business was really taking a look at what areas of my business actually needed my hands on attention and what areas I could pass off to and outside source.  That’s right; I outsource an enormous amount of my office work.  I don’t outsource it far.  I use virtual assistants that live in the Los Angeles area.  But once I was able to let go of the idea that I needed to do everything myself, or directly oversee it, suddenly I had more time to do the things that I excel at, the things that ultimately make my business stronger and more lucrative.  It also leaves me more time to do the things I enjoy.  This past week I started golf lessons and loved it!

Being the best realtor you can be means being able to outsource and also making time for yourself to do what you do best.   I highly recommend it!

The power of positive thought is about learning how to focus your mind on what is possible instead of focusing on negative things.  It doesn’t mean being “Pollyanna” and pretending that everything is always “hearts and flowers” wonderful.

Whenever you are faced with something difficult – acknowledge it as a challenge and then ask yourself, “What can I do?” When you open your mind to the possibility that something can be done then you are harnessing the power of positive thought.  You will be amazed what can occur when you allow your thinking to come from the place of possibilities.