 BLUEPRINT FOR SUCCESSby Roberta Standen - Equity Holding Corp
What’s Around You –
Is You
When you start something new, begin a
new job or embark upon a new venture, it’s just plain unfortunate
how FEW people will encourage you by saying “Go for It - you’re
gonna’ be Great.” It never ceases to amaze me, when you finally
decide to step up and away from the ordinary, how few there are who
will say “You can do it!” More than likely what you hear is “It
won’t work”. Even when you have a small measure of success, they
are all too quick to tell you that “It won’t last”. We prefer
to call them “the destroyers in life”. All too often we find
they are people closest to you - a friend, a relative or a business
associate. They probably tried something once and things just didn’t
work out so they quit.
It is important to understand early in
your career that you will be dealing with people and recognize them.
They are identified and featured in the bible - Book of Job as
“Comforters”. Run from them. If you don’t and you stay around
them long enough you will succumb to their influence, become just
like them and go right down the tubes alongside them. Rarely do they
share your quest for financial independence so stay away and weed
them out of your life. In my career, I have seen Real Estate Agents
come out of a Sales Rally all fired up, ready to move mountains and
motivated to break every sales record only to fall prey to one or two
of these “destroyers” before they even reach their car in the
parking lot. Negative people can just suck the enthusiasm,
motivation and hope right out of you – Avoid them like the bubonic
plague – it’s contagious!
Be aware, when two people get together,
either you will influence them or they will influence you…that’s
just the way it is. So, the trick is to surround you with people who
refuse to be defeated, who have stood the watch, are enormously
successful; with those who refuse to accept failure and display a
healthy positive attitude. This isn’t to say you will not
encounter problems, you can bet you will. When you do, resist the
temptation of seeking advice from someone having the same problem,
but have no solution. In other words, refuse to dance with those who
cannot even hear the tune or know the “beat” of knowledge and
success. Rather, seek the advice and counsel of people who will tell
you the truth, who are experienced and find joy in helping you and
others, succeed.
Fortunately, there always was and
always will be a scant “handful” of these wonderfully successful
and willing people. These successful souls simply do what they have
to do on a daily basis; they have a specific goal in mind, kept their
eye on the prize, instigate a plan of action in accordance with the
training they received, have taken the time to learn about the
business and realized that successful people do the things that
failures hate to do. They don’t need a peer group; they don’t
even look down or around. They just keep focused, learn from their
mistakes and get up one more time than they fall down.
So, why not get in the habit of
surrounding yourself with these successful people? When you do,
glance in the mirror one morning and you will clearly see that
“What’s Around You, Is You. You will really like
what you see….I guarantee it!
Value has no form and substance in and of itself it is purely a mental concept existing
only in the minds of the person. The measure of the so-called value of a thing is the
degree of sacrifice which one will make in order to acquire control of the use or
ownership of that thing versus the personal concept (on the part of the person
conveying that control) of the degree of benefits being given up. Sacrifice and benefits
may be described In terms of money, time, promises, peace of mind, pride or any number of
other concepts. To a disinterested bystander, there may seem to be no reasonable
relationship between the sacrifice made to acquire and the benefits surrendered by
conveying. On the other hand, to the acquiring and conveying parties, the relationship
between sacrifice made and benefits acquired will be perfectly equitable.
In terms of the value or cost of our time, typically we apply the principle
of the Economic Trilogy to determine the "True Cost" of Time. Let me explain. In High
School Economics 1A, we are first introduced to the principal of Economic Trilogy (Utility,
Choice and Cost) with the concept that everything has a Use. Example: A table can be used
to eat on, play cards on or dance on, BUT you can only use the table for one thing at any
given time. This fact requires a decision or a Choice to determine the Use. The true
"Cost" or "Value" of the Use then, is simply the "Giving Up" of the next highest
alternative.
So the application here is quite simple. We all have the same amount of time, we can only
use it for one thing at a time, and the true cost of taking the time to do the things you
have to do in the business to be successful is the giving up of the next highest
alternative.
Real estate cannot have value in the strict sense of the term, since value cannot be an
inherent quality of any object. The mere existence of a thing is not sufficient to create
value in it. Value must be related to the people and their circumstances. For example: A
value of a gallon of gas at the gas pump of say, $3.57 could very well be worth $500.00 to
the person who has run out of gas in the Mojave Desert on a scorching hot day in July.
We have heard many times - find the pain - determine the reason the owner is selling. Their
motivation will determine the degree of sacrifice needed for them to receive the benefits.
The value of Real Estate is the degree of sacrifice, which one will make in order to
acquire control of the property, verses the personal concept on the part of the person
conveying that control of the real estate in terms of the benefits they are giving up.
Circumstances and Choices, not innate objects create value. Therefore, he who refuses to
recognize his own true circumstances and his alternative of choice in acquiring or
conveying the control of the use or ownership does himself a grave disservice and has
forgotten basic concepts in negotiations - and well as in life.
|
