Thursday, August 30, 2007

CHANGE IS GOOD........BUT YOU MUST DO THIS TO GET THROUGH IT:

Embracing Change

By Dirk Zeller

As I speak to, and coach, Agents across North America, one constant surfaces. There is apprehension about the radical changes that are constantly going on around us. We have seen more changes in the last five years in real estate than we had seen in the previous thirty-six years. We have seen massive consolidations. We have seen the strong influence of technology in our business, such as the Internet, stronger contact management software, and the advent of one-telephone-number systems that follow us anywhere. The changes have only begun. We need to embrace these changes and act upon them in the six inches between our ears. I think that RD Lairing describes this current time exceedingly well, even though he died in 1989. RD said that we live in a moment of history where change is so sped up that we begin to see the present only when it is already disappearing. Let me give you a few steps to help ease the process of change.
1. Create your future:

Some people make the future…most people wait for the future to come to them. We have to create the future. If we are waiting for the phone calls of life, they will never come. We have to break down what we need to do each and every day in order to move up the mountain of success. Then we must go do it. Too many of us are waiting for other people to participate in our success. We cannot afford to wait. The measure of a truly successful person is the ability to evaluate and to act decisively. Let me repeat that, so it sinks in – The biggest waste of time in life is the period between the moment you know a decision must be made and the moment when you finally make that decision and act on it.
Create your future by adhering to your daily disciplines of business. The daily disciplines include prospecting, lead follow-up, listing appointments, showing property, writing and negotiating contracts. If we do these activities, and are really diligent in prospecting and lead follow-up, we will always create the future we desire.
2. Enhance change:

If you’re not riding the wave of change, you’ll find yourself beneath it. Spend time daily, weekly, and monthly evaluating and analyzing the changes in your industry. We need to invest time in new technology that we can implement into our business. How effective are you with your contact manager (i.e.…Top Producer, On Line Agent, Goldmine, ACT!)? Do you have the ability to use these tools at full capacity? Do you have a website that generates activity, or is it just an electronic business card? We must spend time daily to embrace and master the technology curve.
3. Envision the future of your business and life:
Invest time in planning for your eventual success. We have to conceive what the future will hold for us. We must create the target at which to take dead aim.
Walt Disney said, “The future is not the result of choices among alternative paths offered in the present. It is a place that is created - created first in the mind and the will, created next in the activity.” Walt had the vision for Disneyland and Disney World long before they were even built. When you look out ahead for your life and real estate business, what do you see? If you see nothing . . . that’s what you will get. If you have a sharp picture of the future and where you are going, that’s what you will get. The first step is the picture. The next is to do the activities that will make the picture a reality. Change is a major part of creating that picture; embrace it, enjoy it, and attack it. Implement the mindset of change, and you will implement a grand future.


Dirk Zeller is an Agent, an Investor, and the President & CEO of Real Estate Champions. His company trains more than 250,000 Agents worldwide each year through live events, online training, self-study programs, and newsletters. He's the widely published author of Your First Year in Real Estate, The Champion Real Estate Agent, The Champion Agent Team and over 300 articles in print.
Real Estate Champions is a premier coaching company. Training covers a wide spectrum from new agents, to seasoned, as well as those interested in real estate marketing or real estate investing.
You can get more information by visiting
Real Estate Investing, Free Resources For Realtors, Realtors-Build Your Skills

Saturday, August 25, 2007

CHANGE IS GOOD........IT'S YOUR CHOICE

Your Choice Matters!
By Harold J. Duarte-Bernhardt

Several years ago I found myself totally absorbed by the reading of "Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl" (Doubleday and Company, 1952). This last week, my son Hansel had to read the book for his English class. We talked about the book together and my afterthoughts gave birth to this article.
Anne Frank was a German-Jewish girl who wrote profusely while hiding during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. The published book was composed of extracts from her diary. Anne Frank began to keep a diary on her thirteenth birthday, June 12, 1942, three weeks before she went into hiding with her mother, father and sister and four other people in the sealed-off upper rooms of the annex of her father's office building in Amsterdam. With the assistance of a group of Otto Frank's trusted colleagues they remained hidden for two years and one month, until their betrayal in August 1944, which resulted in their deportation to Nazi concentration camps. Of the group of eight, only Otto Frank survived the war. Anne died in Bergen-Belsen shortly before its liberation in April 1945. This young 15-year-old girl wrote a statement that has remained lodged in my memory since I read it.
"The final forming of a person's character lies in their own hands."
Anne knew she faced death at the hands of a horrific evil regime. But she also KNEW that no external power could ever force her to become good or bad. She knew she had choices, including her response to the circumstances beyond her control. She died believing that CHARACTER is what matters in a person's life. That's Anne's legacy to us! What do we make of her statement?
I believe our culture has consistently, encouraged us to shift personal responsibility to entities and people outside of ourselves, which simply leaves us as mere victims of circumstances. It momentarily feels good to believe one is a victim, but the consequences at the end are massively toxic and destructive. We see the results of this tragic trend all over! Kids in our culture learn early on, that depending on how they get treated is how they will respond. Respect for respect's sake? That's "old school" in many circles! Man and women give themselves the luxury to break up a marriage and a family just because they don't get what they want. What's the role of character in the midst of troubled relationships? "The devil made me do it" or "I didn't have a choice" symbolize the attitude of many. Even God shrugs his shoulders while listening to religious people saying, "God did it. I had nothing to do with it." These are deceptive statements that contradict the human reality. The only way God can manifest Himself in any imaginable scenario is through human choice! The same applies to the forces of evil.
Whatever happened to recognizing that we have a free will to choose in spite of the worst circumstances we face in life? Whatever happened to personal responsibility and accountability? Whatever happened to our choice of words, deeds and attitudes? Any room for that? What do we do with the Helen Keller's of this world? Was she an "anomaly" by displaying such an outstanding attitude as a blind person?
Whatever happened to saying: "I am sorry, I was wrong! I will change because I choose to be a better person!" Whatever happened to our ability to create good habits and good disciplines in all areas of our life? Too much thinking? Too much effort?
Wherever I turn, I seem to find more and more victims, whiners, and wimps; all of them ready to blame someone else for their situation. Someone is responsible for their misery. What do you do with Anne Frank? Do we dismiss her as an accident from the past?
What do we do with people who blame their personal shortcomings and character deficiency on to God, their genes, the economy, bad politicians, bad parenting and all kinds of psychological maneuvers? I heard someone blaming her psychologist for accusing a father of committing incest with his daughter. When I asked her if she had talked to the "victim," she said, "No." When I asked her, "What gave you the audacity to accuse him?" her lame answer was, "My psychologist thought he fit the profile." Wow, Unbelievable! Here was an adult (supposedly) blaming a psychologist for an accusation she irresponsibly made, that could have ruined another person's reputation, wounded a child's spirit forever, and broken up a family.
The truth is this: You become whatever you choose to be! You actually choose who to be all the way to your last breath. The temptations you choose to resist or to which you surrender, are your own choice! Call it sex, money, insecurity, greediness, power, position, a competitive spirit, a vindictive or a loving attitude; you become what you choose. You can be as good or as bad as you chose to be. And please, don't accuse me of moralizing. I have no use for that! But yes, we should all be expected to assume responsibility for our own actions and behavior. We have a choice on attitude; we have a choice on how we respond to a bad person; we have a choice on how we suffer and manage a major life blow; we have a choice on how we respond to financial limitations; we have a choice on how we respond to what we call "the will of God"!
Anne Frank stands as a monumental reminder that we are all the result of our own choices regardless of the circumstances we face. If you chose to do what's wrong, or assist someone else in doing what's wrong, all we expect you to do is to accept responsibility. Don't blame someone else, and don't expect the world to feel sorry for you! And if you happen to be religious, please, don't turn to God in a hurry and pretend like nothing ever happened. We still expect you to say, "I was wrong. Would you forgive me?" God won't say it for you! This is your own life. You have only one life and this is your one chance to make your own choices. No one else can do that for you! You can make an enormous difference in the world by honestly owning your own choices. I have found out that people, who consistently and bravely take responsibility for their own choices, not only free the rest of us from unhealthy guilt but are usually the ones who believe people can change and, they themselves are a living example of that! There is no better medicine for a guilty conscience than honesty, forgiveness and change! In the end, regardless of how you explain your life journey, you are who you are by your own choice and no one else's!






Harold J. Duarte-Bernhardt is co-founder of the "LIFE ZONE." Harold is a consultant, a seminar speaker and a LIFE Motivational Coach. The "LIFE ZONE" is a resource and a coaching center for personal and spiritual growth committed to providing sound strategies for dynamic living. For more information or for private coaching: harold7676@gmail.com

Friday, August 17, 2007

CHANGE IS GOOD.......BUT SOMETIMES IT TAKES A WHILE

You're Being Groomed for Greatness
Dianna Hobbs

Going through transitional phases of any kind is not easy. Whether you're changing careers, launching your business, starting over in a relationship, confronting new and difficult circumstances, or any number of things--none of it is easy.
When you're in transition, you're in an "in-between-stage." Rather than getting frustrated and upset, you need to ask God, "Lord, please help me to be strong in the meantime, and help me to endure my in-between-time." You're just being groomed for greatness!
You have to know deep in your heart that you're indeed on your way to something new and better. However, the journey will sometimes be scary, long, and arduous. The stakes will seem higher and the tests seem harder.
I dare say, the tests ARE harder and the stakes ARE higher, and it’s all because God is taking you to a new level in your life. He’s getting you ready to operate on a much greater level. You’re going to walk into new places.
That’s why He has to teach you how to be stronger, sharper, and more skillful. Stop focusing on where you are and begin to see where you’re going. Even though you don’t understand it all now, later, you’ll look back on this and thank God. You’ll say, “If I hadn’t gone through that, I wouldn’t be ready for this.” He's smoothing out those rough edges.
He’s preparing you to walk right into your wealthy place, your place of prosperity and wholeness. So, keep in mind that this discomfort is temporary and you'll grow past it. Don't hop off the bandwagon prematurely. "This too shall pass."
I wonder; have you ever experienced the frustration of trying to "grow your hair back out" after cutting it? It goes through that weird in-between-length, right? It's not exactly short. It's not exactly long. The layers have grown out, so it doesn't really do that much.
Most of us end up cutting it off again, simply because we don't have patience to allow our hair to grow past this temporary stage. We forget all the reasons why we want to let it grow. All we can focus on is the fact that, "this stuff is getting on my nerves... I can't do anything with it." Before we know it, all of our vows to let it grow have been tossed out the window.
Similarly, when we're going through changes in our lives, we often have difficulty enduring the times of uncertainty and apprehension we feel. We get frustrated with the "meantime" and we just want the "right time" to hurry up and come.
We want everything to happen right now. We don't want to hear about "the waiting process."
Listen to me. You can never get to the place you envision for yourself, unless you first go through the process it takes to get there. Growth takes time. Victory doesn't always come overnight. It may take longer than you want it to.
But if you stay on the path God has laid out for you, you'll reach your destination. You'll get there just in time. It'll be precisely the right time, because it'll be God's time.
If you can maintain, you will obtain. Obtain what? All that God has for you!
Stay the course. Open your eyes and see the light at the end of the tunnel. It may seem to be far off in the distance; but if you keep traveling in the right direction, no doubt, you'll run right into it. And you’ll say like the older saints say, “My soul looks back and wonders how I got over!”
Until next time . . . may you be empowered to prosper!
Dianna Hobbs is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Empowering Everyday Women Online Magazine, the premier online magazine for African American Christian women. This article is taken from Dianna's highly popular blog series called, Dianna Hobbs: Empowering Everyday Women. It is circulated to thousands of Christian women in search of inspiration for their ministerial and entrepreneurial efforts. To receive these exceptional articles directly, simply log onto http://www.diannahobbs.com/ and subscribe to our email updates. To read EEW Magazine log onto http://www.eewmagazine.com/

Saturday, August 11, 2007

CHANGE IS GOOD.... YOU GOTTA BELIEVE

BY DENNIS HARTING
A man owned a farm with his wife and teenage son.
Shortly before picking season, his son hurt his back playing sports, thus not being able to pick the crops.
A friend said to the man, “Isn’t it terrible that your son hurt his back and cannot pick the crops?”
“Perhaps” replied the farmer.
During picking season, the farmer had to hire someone to replace his son working the fields.
The friend said “Isn’t it terrible that you have to spend all this money to get the crops picked?”
“Perhaps”
Shortly after crop season, the farmer lost his farm and had to move into a rented house.
“Isn’t it terrible that you lost your farm and had to move?”
“Perhaps”
Then, the farmer’s wife left him for another man.
“Isn’t it terrible that your wife left you?”
“Perhaps”
Next, his son lost his hand when it got caught in the machinery at the mill where he worked.
“Isn’t it terrible that your son lost his hand?”
“Perhaps”
Lastly the man was diagnosed with a terminal illness which would certainly kill him.
“Isn’t it terrible that you have this illness and are going to die?”
“Perhaps”
Finally, the friend asked the farmer, “How come each time there is bad news, you simply respond by saying ‘perhaps’?”
The farmer got quiet for a second and replied:
“When my son hurt his back, I went and hired someone to work the fields. One day, there was a terrible accident in which the man was killed. Because of the bad news of my son’s hurt back, he is alive today.
After his family sued me, the courts took my farm since I had no insurance. We moved into town and the following spring a tornado hit the old farmhouse, killing everyone inside. Because of the bad news of losing my farm, my family is alive today.
Then, my wife left me for another man. After I got over the grieving, I met and fell in love with a younger woman. After we were married, she blessed me with a daughter. Because of the bad news of my wife leaving, I have a child I otherwise would not have had.
Then my son lost his hand at the mill. At that time, all his friends were called up to the war. Of course, my son could not serve his country, much to his disappointment. However, the bus that was carrying his friends was involved in a horrible crash, killing all on board. Because of the bad news of him losing his hand, my son is still alive today.
And now, I am faced with the bad news of having an illness that will kill me. However, all through my life, what appeared to be bad news was actually a fantastic blessing. After time, I realized that each event was actually God helping me. Because of that, I have no reason to believe that this is any different. Is the fact that I have a disease that will kill me bad news?”
“Perhaps”
Dennis Harting is the Head Coach at Your Rich Life. He is an acclaimed speaker, trainer, and best-selling author. His books include Your Easiest Million and The Ultimate Procrastination Handbook. His programs and more information can be found at http://www.yourrichlifeinc.com/