Guess what? This time, I am not going to talk about the real estate market. We're going to talk about your next three moves.
As the world changes around us, we really need to put everything into perspective, and that is what I want to talk about with you today. We get so excited and emotional that we sometimes let emotions take over what is most important.
I want to start off with a simple quote for you. This is one of my favorite quotes of all time, and it is by Marcus Aurelius:
“Our actions may be impeded . . . but there can be no impeding our intentions or dispositions. Because we can accommodate and adapt. The mind adapts and converts to its own purposes the obstacle to our acting. The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.”
And with what is happening right now, this quote becomes very relevant.
A lot of us are reluctant to do the things we need to do. We already know what that is—Whatever comes to your mind as you read this, that thing you’ve been putting off out of fear, the very same thing pushing against your foremost thoughts from the back of your mind—that’s what it is.
When there is a hard path in front of you, this is what you need to do: You need to go right through it. Don’t stay stuck.
As Ryan Holliday’s book’s title puts it, The Obstacle is the Way.
The world is going through a lot of uncertainty, with the stock market down, and everybody is unsure where the housing market is heading (although real estate is still looking pretty strong). But regardless, at the end of the day, the way you look at things is up to you.
Here are the three things you need to take a look at:
There is a reset that needs to happen. Surround yourself with better quality people. You wouldn’t want to be surrounded by people making up stuff with no basis, or by people who only look at negative stuff.
I remember this great interview I did with Barbara Corcoran. In that interview, she told me about a litmus test she has when she meets her old friends. After a few hours of spending time with them, once they leave, she is acutely aware of how she feels, which is either enjoying that time with that friend or feeling relieved that it is finally over.
We’ve all experienced that at some point. There are people who, when we’re with them, time flies by because you’re having an amazing time. And then, there are some wherein you can’t wait for the day to be over and go home because it is draining to be with that person.
I want you to be in the first group of people—the type that others will be glad to spend time with and will look forward to the next time they get to meet with you.
Bad things will always happen no matter what. Are you the type of person who focuses on the problem, or are you the type to see opportunities in every situation? Which mindset do you think is the best option to have?
Throughout history, there have always been opportunities in the middle of every crisis or challenge that is happening, but it is up to you to look for them. If you are the one victimizing yourself and living in your “poor little me world”, you miss out on those opportunities. Look internally. Which one are you?
There’s a great book by Chris Voss, Never Split the Difference, where he puts communication this way: 7:38:55. People pay attention to (7%) the words that you use, (38%) your tonality and delivery, and (55%) your body language.
We’ve all done this to some extent: we’re at a party, somebody comes up to us and introduces themselves, and we are so distracted by what they are wearing, their appearance and clothes, and trying to categorize them in our head, that we forget what that person said their name was.
How are your relationships and communication with others?
When you call people, do you connect with them? Are you just an extension of the problems they see in the media, or are you the ones offering a solution?
Relationships and communication are so important that you often hear businesses should meet the consumers where they are at. And yet, we are almost always doing the opposite.
Wikipedia listed the top most visited websites as of May 2022, and the top five are dominated by social media platforms: Google, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. TikTok and LinkedIn are also in the top 25 on the list.
If you want to make the most of available resources to build connections, regardless of what era we are in, we need to meet the market where they are at. Leverage technology to communicate effectively to the widest possible audience.
You’ll both be making new relationships and maintaining old ones. You can do that by delivering solutions and content that have value to your audience through your message.
The parable of the talents is a famous parable I thought of when thinking about continuous learning.
In summary, a master hands his three servants some talents before leaving for a trip. When he returned, he asked his servants for an account of what they did with the talents entrusted to them.
The first servant, who received five talents, and the second servant, who received two talents, put what they received to work, and managed to double what was originally given to them. The master was pleased with them for doing well with the little given to them and said they’ll be rewarded.
However, the third servant who received one talent was overcome by fear, so instead of risking losing the talent by investing it, he hid it. The master was disappointed because he expected more from the servant.
A lot of us are like the third servant: we are sitting with the talents we have and not doing more because we are afraid. Or lazy.
We have up to 80,000 thoughts in a day, and yet some of us have the same recurring thoughts from last month because we haven’t learned anything new. That’s why you have to be learning consistently.
And we have no excuse for not learning. The internet is there. There are webinars, YouTube, etc. It has never been easier to learn new information than in the era we live in now.
Right now is an opportunity to grow. Because as you continually learn, you unlearn old ways that are not as helpful or productive. Then you can put those lessons into action. As you put things into action, you also learn from experience and failures.
The third servant was so scared of doing anything and maybe losing that one talent that it caused them to take no action. That is the opposite of what you need to do.
Just keep on paying attention to what’s happening in the world around you with a better mindset. That’s why you need to reset your mind.
Surround yourself with better people who look for opportunities, not focus on and whine about the problems. Learn something new, and remember, the obstacle is the way. Don’t be afraid to fail. I know it is hard because I also still get scared sometimes, but failing is better than staying still and not doing anything.
If you need my help, you can reach out to me on my socials.
