Orville and Wilbur Wright didn’t wait for permission to invent the airplane. They didn’t have a pilot’s license, which wasn’t even invented yet! They had creativity, passion, and persistence—the very same qualities you need to achieve your own goals. What dream are you waiting to pursue? You don’t need anyone’s permission but your own. And that is how we win the day!
PS: Another one? Bowerman (Nike) invented the iconic “waffle sole” using his wife’s waffle iron!
These can be stressful times with uncertainty in the marketplace… it’s tempting to adopt a fixed mindset and become reactive.
Here are a few simple tips to consider for keeping a growth mindset despite the current situation. Ask yourself:
”What does this make possible?”
“What new creative value can I provide?”
“What’s the highest and best use of my time right now?”
“Who do I need to reach out to that I’ve not connected with for some time?”
“What if?” “Why not?”
Peak performers #WSD – write stuff down:
∙ Tasks
∙ Goals
∙ Worries
∙ Feelings
∙ Thoughts
∙ Debriefing (make it better notes)
Journaling is one of the fastest ways to dump stress and gain clarity. I use the high performance planner by Brendon Burchard
“Your brain is for having ideas, not holding them.”
It seems in business, there are two approaches:
Those who are prepared and those who are not.
A commonly observed trait of peak performers?
Leave nothing to chance; always be prepared.
Anticipate, and prepare, the 6 key questions:
America’s happiest cities. Researchers for decades have studied the science of happiness and concluded that some of the key ingredients include: a positive mental state (a growth mindset); strong social connections; job satisfaction; health, and financial stability. One study suggests the incremental amount of happiness stops at around $75,000 of annual income.
WalletHub examined every state and 182 US cities using 30 criteria and created a list of the happiest cities.
The Top 5 Overall Result:
For Community The Top 5 Result:
Many factors affect our happiness, so the study included a panel of experts who commented on various aspects of happiness, like:
I’ve lived in 8 states (VA, CO, TX, KY, OH, MI, CA, and MN) and 10 cities, and what I’ve found? Grow where you are planted! Every city, state, and region has a history, a story and a community. As I recall, Abraham Lincoln said it best:
“You are as happy as you choose to be.”
Belief
It’s proven.
It’s impossible to achieve anything that lies beyond what you believe yourself are capable of doing.
We live in a #VUCA world!
The acronym?
Volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. I’ve had a lot of clients, associates, and others asking about:
SVA (smaller issue)
Credit Suisse (bigger issue)
Signature Bank
I have a great circle of economic minds… my notes from various conversations on this topic:
If you go back to 1974 you can see 12 significant hiccups in the financial systems, including the 1994 bankruptcy of Orange County, California, where I raised my kids and grandkids.
Of the 12 events since 1974, 60% led to a recession. With the FED lowering rates from 1 month to 11 months post each of those events.
The FED policy has been the most aggressive tightening in 40 years, yet all the indicators seem to be the economy is absorbing this at a rate not seen before. But something broke…
Concentration (all your eggs in one basket) is a high-risk strategy not to be taken by the faint of heart.
A surge in deposits (influx of COVID money into the economy and more) in a low-interest rate environment lead to a surge in deposits. To boost yields, SVB (and others) turned to long-term bonds, yet SVB did so WITHOUT hedging. (A high-risk move & looking back, was a massive mistake of judgment and leadership)
Policy matters – in 2018, we saw a rollback of the Dodd-Frank requirements, which raised the level of banks subject to stress tests. SVB was not subject to stress tests and extra accountability. As we are seeing – accountability matters.
What will the FED do?
Who knows, but probably no hike or up to 25 basis points as we see conflicting issues, especially persistent Core Inflation.
Core inflation is still high (too much money chasing too few goods)
Retail sales and producer price index weaker
The recent labor report was mixed
A business associate and well-respected economist, Dr. Lawerence Yun, said it well several years ago, “easy money and ample liquidity has implications.” Expect more volatility, heed the benefits of diversification, and a flight to quality. This is not a time to take undo risks.
For my real estate friends – control what you can control – life still happens: birth, death, divorce, jobs, non-owner occupied exchanges, and more. Serve those that need your services. Now more than ever, they need a local area expert. I’m seeing a flight to quality in full-time professional agents with stable track records of delivering results. if you don’t have this base, it could be time to team up and join an experienced team lead.
Control the controllable.
Persistence
If what you’re doing aligns with your definition of a success, you must persist without exception. Find a way when it appears there is no way.
Ambiguity
Peak performers acknowledged and accept ambiguity. Rather than being rigid and inflexible, they are ready to adapt when the unexpected comes their way.
Critical thinking, say what, I’m a real estate salesperson! Well, as the CEO of your real estate practice, I’d suggest critical thinking is the foundation of your current and future success.
Critical thinking will enable you to express your thoughts, ideas, and beliefs more effectively. Better communication helps others understand you better, resulting in less frustration for you and your clients. Critical thinking fosters creativity and out-of-the-box thinking that can be applied to any area of your business.
“The quality of your business largely depends on the quality of your decisions.”
Imagine how much better your real estate business would be if there were a way to make the best possible decisions, day in and day out? There is, and it’s called critical thinking.
Some real estate professionals already have well-developed critical thinking skills, others need some help, and we all can benefit from continuous improvement.
5 Steps To Improve Your Critical Thinking Skills
First
Clearly Define Your Question or Problem.
Albert Einstein said it best:
“If I had an hour to solve a problem, I’d spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions.”
Second
Gather Information to Help You Weigh the Options.
Consider only the most valuable and reliable information from the most reputable sources. Disregard the rest.
Third
Apply the Information and Ask Critical Questions.
Scrutinize all information with a skeptic’s eye.
Not sure what questions to ask? You can’t go wrong starting with the “5 W’s.”
Who?
What?
Where?
When?
Why?
Then finish by asking, “How?”
Fourth
Consider the Implications.
Look for potential unintended consequences. Do a thought experiment about how your solution could play out in both the short and long run.
Fifth
Explore the Full Spectrum of Viewpoints.
Examine why others are offering differing points of view. This will help you evaluate your viewpoint. You may find critical thinkers who take an opposing view, which can help you find gaps in your logic.
Samantha Agoos describes a 5-step process in this TED Talk that may help you with any number of problems in your business.
Every day, a wave of decisions comes before us, and it’s impossible to make a perfect choice every time. Yet there are ways to improve our chances. One particularly effective technique is critical thinking, and that is how can win the day.
