Chris' Blog

"The most pathetic person in the world is someone who has sight but no vision" - Helen Keller

Helen Keller spent her entire life in a dark and silent world.  Being both deaf and blind, she overcame and became an inspiration to millions.  Many of us who have the privilege of seeing take it for granted.  It's really a two edged sword. Without our sight, we would miss every wonderful glory that God has painted in the colors of a sunset, the majesty of the stars, or the details in a blade of grass.  The flip side is that we tend to see distractions in every form. 

Vision is essential to the creation of our future.  We will live according to vision, either ours or someone else's.  What is it you want?  What is it that you were born to do?  What does 2008 hold for you?  What direction will you head? 

"Learn to say ‘No' to the good so you can say ‘Yes' to the best"

We are faced with an unending and on-going influx of decisions.  We make thousands of them every day.  They arrange from the small to the much, much, more life-defining.  Most agents, who live each day in a people pleasing business, tend to say "yes" far too much.  They over-commit to others and as a result, sacrifice the things they most value.  Our families, friends and even our individual self tend to be put on the back-burner while we indulge the urgent before the important.  Yes, it's important to work hard through the end of the year.  It's important to finish well, to have good momentum going in to the New Year, to pay off the credit card bills that tend to mount in the Christmas Season.  But it's essential to learn how to say "no" to the urgent so that you can say "yes" those that mean the most to you during this holiday season.

Most people are reactive verses proactive when it comes to life. They take it as it comes and allow the "River of Life" to wash them where it wills. Those that are developing mastery in life and business aren't delusional when it comes to what they can and can't control in life, but they have a detailed plan on how to best maximize what it is that life throws at them. They have learned how to be at peace at where they are, to be satisfied but not complacent.

What are your most important goals? Are they clearly identified? If not, use the following questions to bring them to the surface and start working toward them proactively today!

· What is your most urgent personal problem?
· What is your most urgent business problem?
· What problems feel unsolvable right now?
· What are the three biggest changes you wish to make in your life over the next 90 days?
· What are the three biggest changes you will need to make in your life over the next three years?
· What are the three biggest opportunities you have right now that you are not making the most of?
· What feeling is most important for you to have a lot more of, and quickly?
· What goal or outcome do you have that you are pining for or are really, really ready to achieve?
· What is the single focus will help you reach multiple goals?

Most of us have been trained to control or override our environment in order to get something done. But consider the possibility of responding (and over responding) to what is already occurring, much like an Aikido master who uses the energy of the attacker and redirects it to get what he wants, instead of resisting, fighting, or overcoming it. So the next time something bad happens, don't just overcome it: work with it, see the lesson in it, and learn from it quickly.

There is nothing wrong with making logical and rational decisions. Given the right data with an intelligent analysis, you probably buy into something. But as time progresses, it is important to note that we are being forced to embrace chaos and learn how to make decisions based on an increased number of variables and a decreased number of cause-and-effect relationships. In other words, what used to work in decision making works less and less today? Better to develop your instinct, inklings, and intuition into an art form rather than slipping into the familiar comfort of making merely logical choices.

You have a philosophy of how you run your business and life. You may have never articulated it clearly, but it is there - influencing every decision that you make. In today's real estate market and in the climate of change, maybe it's time to revisit a few things. Consider the following bullet points as you take a deeper look at why you do what you do.

· Take risks. Don't play it safe. The world is changed by those who dare greatly.
· Make mistakes. Don't try to avoid them.
· Take initiative. Don't wait for instructions.
· Spend energy on solutions, not on emotions.
· Shoot for total quality. Don't shave standards.
· Question everything. Welcome change. Disaster is usually the first step in the creative process.
· Focus on opportunities, not problems.
· Experiment.
· Take personal responsibility for fixing things. Don't blame others for what you don't like.
· Try easier, not harder. If success was based solely on hard work the janitor would be president.
· Stay calm!
· Smile!
· Have fun!

I'm not here to brag, just be grateful.  I am thankful for my wife, she is beautiful inside and out and God in his infinite wisdom and mercy gave to me a woman who completes me.  My three boys are a treasure, arrows in my quiver, if you will.  They each are uniquely gifted and bring much joy to my life and as they grow.  I am sure when they are released into the world; they will bring the same amount of joy to those whose lives that they will touch.  I am grateful that every morning I get to wake up and do what I love and was made by God to do.  I am thankful for most everything, even the aches and pains I have from my back surgery.  I am grateful for the mistakes I've made, well, at least the lessons I learned and the wisdom gained.

I am thankful for those of you on Active Rain.  I wish you the very best Thanksgiving Day.

Eternally grateful,

Chris Pollinger

"A person who is successful has simply formed the habit of doing that unsuccessful people will not do."

The difference between those that achieve the average and those that achieve the exceptional many times comes down to the small differences in their daily activity.  It's going the extra mile when everyone else stops to rest.  It's going above and beyond when others decide they've done enough. 

The average agent this season mentally checks out from Thanksgiving to New Years, the exceptional have their best month working with those that are serious about getting into a home (after all, how many people are really out looking at houses or selling during the holiday season if they really don't have to?)  To be exceptional, we need to finish strong, to go the extra mile and be willing to do what others won't.  It's in the last final details that the extraordinary shines through.

"You can not push anyone up a ladder unless he is willing to climb a little."  - Andrew Carnegie

Most people get into the broker side of the real estate business because they enjoy the personal development aspect.  Yes, there are other contributing factors, but a broker's belief in their agents is one that is a two edged sword.  We tend to believe that we can work people through their rough spots and make them successful despite themselves.  No one can succeed for someone else.  Success can't be given away, despite our noble attempts to do so.   As we take a look into 2008, expecting another year of cleansing by the current market, let's take a look at our staff and get brutally honest with reality.  We cannot drag someone against their will into success; we cannot push them up that latter - unless they are willing to climb a little...

Carpe diem,

Chris Pollinger

I was going through some old files and came across the mission statement from the first office I ran.  Within a business built on Independent Contractors (strait commissioned salespeople) culture is everything.   Whether building a team, a brokerage or a simple real estate career, creating the right environment will make or break you.

This was the mission statement that we wrote and posted and created the culture around.  I hope it helps inspire you to greater things as we turn the corner into another year!

Our Mission Statement

We believe our primary mission is to partner with our community by providing exceptional real estate resources which creates advocates who help preserve our quality of life.

We believe in the stewardship of our community in a way that benefits those who choose to live, work and grow with us.

We believe the pursuit of this mission is achieved through our basic business: as providers of real estate services committed to the highest standards of quality.  Within this business, we are consultants, community partners and neighbors.

Our values are rooted in the awareness that what we do impacts the lives of many people and will leave a legacy that will be visible for years to come.  Our challenge, then, is to make decisions that reflect community attitudes and desires, and in that, earn respect of both current and future generations.

Our values dictate that we are willing to commit our knowledge, energy, resources and a fair share of our rewards of success where they will help address problems that extend beyond our property line and our immediate self-interest.

Our values ensure that in all these things, we are determined to conduct our affairs honestly, fairly, forthrightly and ethically.