Dec. 19, 2005 - Top 10 Ways to Create the Best Year Ever in 2006

While this is a great time to do your business planning for 2006, there are some other important ways you can tweak your personal operating system to bring success to you with less efforting. Shift some attention from working on the what to working on the who you are going to be in 2006 and youll tap into a natural flow of attracting what you want!

1. Right now, visualize your perfect year. Ignore the committee in your head if they start in about being reasonable or knowing how. A big goal that excites you in its possibility can get achieved and is more likely to be fun, stretch your mind, your capabilities and your thinking. Small goals  lead to more-harder-faster thinking and working, rather than forcing you to do re-design. Think of transforming yourself into a butterfly instead of becoming a faster caterpillar.

2. Simplify What you say no to or let go of could be the most important decisions to make for the coming year. The actions that made you successful last year wont yield the same harvest this year. Markets are changing.

• You need to weed the field before planting new ideas. Let go of the bottom 50% of your marketing efforts if they didnt give solid results last year and reposition your marketing to the low hanging fruit.  Stop doing things because everyone else is or because you think the seller expects it. Use your sales skills to educate the seller to what does work and why.
• Make room for the new business. Throw out old stuff. Let go of the high maintenance, energy vampires. Upgrade your rolodex.
• Say No to people and obligations the memberships in groups you dont enjoy.
• Say No to the things that you are less than passionate about

3. Continually Raise Your Standards This is one of my favorites! While I believe a business plan can be very useful I see lots of people with plans that are in no way empowered or excited about their plans. On the other hand, I see successful people who are solely focused on continually increasing their skills and value by raising the bar at every opportunity. Each day ask yourself this question, How can I do this (whatever process you are doing) better? Then implement. Put the change into your systems, procedures or habits. By consciously watching for opportunities to excel & do things better, you will find your goals get achieved in a more relaxed manner. A daily focus on excellence will bring results beyond what can be planned.

4. Practice Extreme Self Care The word, selfish has a bad connotation in our society. Heres the rub…If you dont take care of you, there is no golden hen to lay the eggs. Besides, being in the real estate business is really the ultimate opportunity to have a life: to go on your dream trips or spend time with family rather than being an end of itself. So….what fabulous ways can your pamper & reward yourself next year? One of my favorites is a monthly spa day: Sometimes, Ill go alone and spend the day in reflection and pure unadulterated relaxation. Sometimes, Ill invite a couple of girlfriends (why not make it a reward to all who refer to you in that month?). Either way, it revitalizes me to focus and be super productive afterward.
5. Forgive Someone Unforgiveness is like swallowing poison, waiting for the other person to die. Leave behind in 2005 any hate or resentment. The energy drain is all within you. It doesnt mean you have to accept what happened was just or right, but it means you will no longer rent that person a piece of your psyche. I do believe everyone is doing the best they can, at all times, given what they perceive. When Ive been treated badly, heres what I do: I disconnect from my reaction & try to imagine what that person must be seeing to have their stupid action be the right one. Im able to be more compassionate or not take it personally or sometimes even get an insight into a different way of approaching it, when I try to look through their eyes, instead of gathering evidence to justify my position. Ultimately, though, whether I can shift my understanding of it or not, the holding on to it just wastes my resources. Like a computer with too many programs opened, shutting some down frees bandwidth! Go forward into 2006, leaving behind the old stuff!

6. Quit Tolerating What are you putting up with? Is it a messy workspace? No Systems? Lack of time or money? People who suck energy or dont show you the proper respect? Start 2006 by zapping these tolerations. You get treated the way you let others treat you. Take Control: Its up to you what you put up with. Set boundaries with others. Set time to clean up. Wasting time & energy on the things you can easily take care of is just plain silly.  Hire an organizer-if you need professional help.

7. Practice Gratitude The amazing wealth that surrounds most of us gets overshadowed by our longings for what we dont have yet. What you focus on expands. Each night, write down 5 things that you have to be grateful for. Your unconscious brain will take in the abundance and create opportunities for more of it because of your awareness. If there is more that you want, being a good steward of what you have already been given will set the stage for it to get even better.
8. Expand Your Community Whos part of your team/community? In 2006, if you expand your team, youll accelerate your business. Ask others too help you. People want to contribute! My Granddaughter, Lily, when shown a finger on each hand asked what 1 plus 1  makes, replied: 11!!!! Tap into the power of master mind and you too can make 1+ 1=11 instead of 2! Quit trying to be so darned self-sufficient and include others in your expansion of your business. Yes, this does mean you will sometimes have to give up the control freak part of yourself. Can you do it?
9. Pay It Forward The premise of the novel by Catherine Ryan-Hyde Pay It Forward is one that any person can implement in his or her own life, at any time. It begins with doing a favor for another person-- without any expectation of being paid back. Then make a request that the recipient of that favor do the same for someone else: ideally for three other people. The unconditional favors can be large or small. It doesn't have to be a big thing. Make the world a better place by giving before you are asked! Heres my challenge to you: take $10 today & figure out a way to "pay it forward or increase its worth to make the MOST difference you can: get it matched, invest in something that will grow, be creative and ask others to play with you!

10. Accept The Present is Perfect Everything is perfect right now. You are alive, you have food & shelter. While everything may not be your preferred state – it is where you are, based on your total life experiences and choices. It is the only place the future can be built from. All of your challenges and road blocks have given you valuable lessons to help with the future. Even if everything in your life isnt your idea of perfect, start to more fully cherish what you do have. Keep that old car absolutely spotless.  Use the resources and community that are right under your nose. The acceptance of what is and the letting go of longing about how it should be gives you the place from which to create an incredible future.

Some work on the personal operating system will position you to be all that you can be in 2006! Will you be having your best year ever? I hope so!

Dec. 19, 2005 - Excellent post

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