Googled

Hello all,

"Googled" 

This I hope is more of a reminder than anything else. When people are looking for information these days more than likely they are turning to Google to begin the search.  Which leads to if people are looking for information on you they are going to Google, so you are being "Googled". I would suggest we need to Google ourselves every six months or so to see how we are viewed by the public. Your profiles could and should appear on Linkedin, Facebook, Remax International, Zillow, Twitter, Activerain... Make sure what they find is flattering, information is updated and the picture of you doing something you should not be doing does not appear (insert your own thought here). The most important thing is to be found, if someone searches for you and it comes up blank they will probably move right past you.  

Enjoy the coffee,

Joe     

 INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:

 

"Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out." 

 

~ Anton Chekhov 

 

IMPROVING THE DAILY GRIND! 

 

Conventional Wisdom tells us that life’s most traumatic moments provide opportunity for personal growth and discovery. More often, however, it’s the mundane, everyday trials and tribulations that really push us to discover the scope of both our achievements and our patience. 

 

We undervalue our daily functions, simply because we do them on such a regular basis. But consistently performing those “menial” jobs, and consistently performing them well, is the real gauge of accomplishment. 

 

Just trying to prevent boredom is a real challenge. You have to be careful not to neglect the “small stuff” as you look ahead to bigger and more exciting things. You needn’t be in “crisis mode” all the time, but do be aware that even your most routine responsibilities are critically important. That’s why you have to do them so often! 

 

If you’re becoming bored by your “day to day living,” then you need to “change things up.” You insult yourself with boredom – you have it within you to educate and entertain yourself, to fill your time with activities that develop your mind or your body. 

 

This is why so many people actually fear retirement. They fear they’ll have nothing to do. They’ve spent so long on “autopilot” that they have trouble imagining new routines. But there’s always volunteerism, continuing education, recreational activities and hobbies, second careers, and more. 

 

If your autopilot has taken command, imagine what you would suddenly try to do if you discovered you had one year to live. "The amount of satisfaction you get from life depends largely on your own ingenuity, self-sufficiency, and resourcefulness. People who wait around for life to supply their satisfaction usually find boredom instead." Those words from Dr. William Menninger show it’s only you who is responsible for your satisfaction. What will you do today to improve tomorrow?

Confidence=Production

Hello all,

"Confidence = Production"

In this business you need to have a little swagger in your step, back arched a bit and your head held high. However always remember there is a fine line between confidence and cockeyness. We can all vision an agent or two who act as if they were the only ones who has ever sold real estate... The reason confidence is important is that our clients need it and I would say demand it. Real Estate is coming back but there is still uncertainty when we are meeting with our clients. They are looking for us to take control, be knowledgeable and lead them through the process. You do not need to know the answer to every question to show confidence but your body language should show you are the right agent for the job. If you are unsure of yourself before a meeting practice how you will be handling it, buyer presentations, listing appointments, practice, practice practice. At the end of the day the more confidence you have in yourself the more production you will achieve which leads to more dollars in your pocket.  

  

Enjoy the coffee,

Joe

  INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:

 

"Success is counted sweetest by those who never succeed." 

 

~ Emily Dickinson

 

"Men are all the same. They always think that something they are going to get is better than what they have got." 

 

~ John Oliver Hobbes 

 

HOW GREEN IS YOUR GRASS? 

 

Have you been sowing the seeds of your success? Are you prepared for the harvest? Those who are jealous of other people's successes often have no idea of the consequences. Yes, that rose is sweet and fragrant, but watch out for the thorns! That which you would most value always comes at some cost. 

 

Picture the most successful person in your office. Now imagine the trappings of their accomplishments - more money means more worrying about money, achievement means maintaining and even increasing that level of achievement, working so hard means having less time for personal pursuits. All the while, the competition is always on their heels. 

 

You should respect the achievements of your colleagues, but never be jealous of them. Understand that problems conquered on the way to success are simply replaced by other problems. Max Beerbohm said, "I have known no man of genius who had not to pay, in some affliction or defect either physical or spiritual, for what the gods had given him." Success is a gift, but we know that nothing in life is truly free. 

 

It's wrong to believe that "the grass is always greener" on the other side of the fence. Don't cheat yourself into accepting that "the best is yet to come." If that were really true, you would never reach that elusive day when everything is as you wish - it will always be "yet to come." If you just begin to make NOW the best time of your life, NOW will always be the best time of your life, because NOW is the only time in which you live! 

 

Sure, give yourself goals and pursue them with all your heart and soul, if that's what truly makes you happy. We all need direction - the desire to improve our lives and the lives of those around us. But don't do it in the hopes of BECOMING happy. Happiness comes from enjoying what you have already achieved and are achieving right now. 

 

Respect, don't envy, the accomplishments of your peers and your competitors, and understand that they too must find their own way to accept all the trappings of their success and find happiness. You too may soon learn their secret.

Affiliates

Hello all,

"Affiliates"

For those of you who missed the sales meeting we warmly welcome George Mason Mortgage to our RE/MAX Town Center family. You will be seeing them in the offices soon so please make them feel at home. I wanted to ask of you to keep in mind all of the wonderful things the affiliates bring to the table. They are our resource for all knowledge we need to have as agents in Title, Mortgage, Insurance and Home Warranty. How wonderful is it to be able to pick up the phone and have any questions we have answered by trusted partners? We have our own legal department, sponsors of our events, training, happy hours... For those of you that send them business regularly I thank you. I understand some of you have had relationships with other vendors for a long time and I would not ask you to break them. However if you could throw are partners a bone or two every so often that would be wonderful. I will ask that if you get a lead from the office through a referral or floor duty you at least give our partners an opportunity to win the deal. Company generated business should allow the partners that opportunity.  

Enjoy the coffee,

Joe

INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:

 

"Circumstances are the rulers of the weak; they are but the instruments of the wise." 

 

~ Samuel Lover 

 

GIVE YOURSELF A HAND! 

 

Success and failure - people love taking credit for their achievements, but often blame outside factors when they fail or fall short. We have the power to accomplish our objectives, but when we fail to use that power to our advantage, we tend to fall back on excuses. The trick is to stop making excuses and accept full responsibility for all of our actions and reactions. 

 

Instead of wondering why something happened to you, start wondering how you could have reacted differently. Your response to any given incident defines your power (or lack thereof) to produce the results you seek. Consider the following formula presented in Jack Canfield's book, "The Success Principles": 

 

E + R = O, where E is the Event, R is your Response to the Event, and O is the Outcome. 

 

Thus, every single Outcome you experience is the direct result of how you Respond to a given Event. The Event is an unchangeable constant, but your Response is the variable that changes the Outcome. 

 

Our choice of two options determines our level of happiness and success. Either A. Blame the Event for lack of the desired Outcome, or B. Change our Response until we achieve the desired Outcome. In today's inspiring quote, option A is for the "weak" and option B is for the "wise." 

 

An old Swedish proverb says, "The best place to find a helping hand is at the end of your own arm." Don't look to outside people or circumstances when planning to achieve your goals. When you realize - and start acting like - you are 100% responsible, it's amazing how much power you feel. Many of the greatest achievers in history faced seemingly insurmountable outside forces, but obviously it was not those forces that were the deciding factor - it was how they faced those challenges. You too can stop making excuses and take control of your reactions and results - and you can start right now. 

2014

Hello all,

"2014"

Happy New Year to everyone! Attached is our master events calendar for 2014, please save the dates in your calendars. I would like to thank all of you for being a part of our office in 2013, it was quite the year and 2014 is going to be that much better. Our first sales meeting for the year will be this Friday 1/10, 11:15 at Lakewood Country Club. The theme for the meeting will be the production numbers for the offices and goals for 2014. In the February sales meeting we will be giving out individual awards, the numbers for both are very impressive. Look forward to seeing everyone on Friday.

Enjoy the coffee,

Joe  

INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:

 

"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat."

 

- Theodore Roosevelt

 

TOUGH LESSONS!

 

In an old "Peanuts" cartoon, Sally is making a list while Charlie Brown looks on. Sally says, "I'm making a list of all the things I've learned in life . . ." In the next panel she continues with, "Well, actually, I'm making two lists." Charlie questions, "Why is one list longer than the other?" Holding up the much longer list, Sally explains, "These are the things I've learned the hard way!"

 

It's easy to chuckle a little at the part about "learning things the hard way," isn't it? We've all done that. There's really a more revealing message in this simple cartoon.

 

The short list of things we've learned generally contains lessons that required no effort, or lessons we learned passively, while just listening or observing. For instance, we learned simple courtesies from our first grade teacher. We learned historical names and dates from our history teacher. We learned to tie knots from our scout leader. Our parents taught us to share. The list goes on.

 

The important list, the one that's much longer, contains the things we've learned from experience. These lessons are endless, and no matter how trifling the lesson, we learned one every time we took action. We dared to try a two-wheel bicycle and crashed - several times. We tried out for the school play - and made fools of ourselves in front of friends.

 

By attempting - at the possible expense of our pride, our self-esteem, or our physical well-being - we either succeeded or failed (and learned a lesson). It is our actions that produce results and teach us those valuable lessons. Teddy Roosevelt said it right: "Far better to dare mighty things . . ."

Holiday Party/January Sales Meeting

Hello all,

"Holiday Party/January Sales Meeting"

We need to get a final head count for the party by the end of today. The site to sign up is currently down but we will reopen it this morning. Hope to see as many of you there as possible.   Here is the link: If you are unable to sign up on the link today please email me directly. 

http://www.eventbrite.com/e/holiday-dinner-dancing-registration-9246704141

We will have the full 2014 event calendar out by the end of the year. However I wanted to let you know the first sales meeting will Friday January 10th, 11:30 at Lakewood Country Club. Please mark your calendar.

This is also the time of year I shut down my Monday emails for a while. I will pick it up the first of the year.

Enjoy the coffee,

Joe

INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:

 

"You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late." 

 

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

MAKE A WISH! 

 

Remember when, as a kid, you took the wishbone from the Thanksgiving turkey, set it aside, and let it dry for several days? You probably argued with brothers or sisters about who would get to make the wish. Then, finally, you took one end, made your wish, got the bigger piece and . . . nothing happened. 

 

On a recent news interview, someone made the statement that "Hope is not a method." Neither is wishing. On a cold autumn day, you can hope or wish you were warm all day long, but until you turn up the thermostat or build a fire, nothing will change. Action always produces results. 

 

So we just “gave thanks” last week for all our blessings. Chances are good that what you call "blessings" did not occur as a result of wishes and hopes. You probably reached out and worked hard - you took action - to allow them to come into your life. If you did - good for you. 

 

Not everyone can do that. Unfortunately, a great percentage of the population lives only on hope and wishes. They just do not have the ability to comprehend the concept of cause and effect. Nor do they possess the motivation or skills to act on their circumstances. The result? Their blessings are fewer than most. 

 

Since you are blessed with the ability to make things happen, why not reach out this holiday season to those who aren't. Don't expect anything in return, and whatever you do - do it anonymously. You'll be twice blessed!

Commission Plans/Training

 Hello all,

"Commission Plans/Training"

A reminder to everyone that December is the time to review and/or change your commission plans for 2014. Please contact Mark or myself if you would like to set an appointment to get together. We can review your 2013, help you estimate your 2014 and help you pick which plan is best for you.

Attached are the flyers for the Buffini and Ferry trainings we will be doing in January. If you would like more information on the Buffini Training please contact Mark. We must have 12 to sign up for this. Also, on Tuesday at 2 this week Mark will be in Aspen Hill and I will be in the Germantown training center to host a live Buffini webcast. Bounce!  How to respond to the new era of Real Estate. Feel free to join us. The Ferry training will be available to the first 20 that send there sign up sheets back to me, it is attached as well. Please contact me directly if you have any questions about this training.

Enjoy the coffee,

Joe

INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:

 

"You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late." 

 

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

MAKE A WISH! 

 

Remember when, as a kid, you took the wishbone from the Thanksgiving turkey, set it aside, and let it dry for several days? You probably argued with brothers or sisters about who would get to make the wish. Then, finally, you took one end, made your wish, got the bigger piece and . . . nothing happened. 

 

On a recent news interview, someone made the statement that "Hope is not a method." Neither is wishing. On a cold autumn day, you can hope or wish you were warm all day long, but until you turn up the thermostat or build a fire, nothing will change. Action always produces results. 

 

So we just “gave thanks” last week for all our blessings. Chances are good that what you call "blessings" did not occur as a result of wishes and hopes. You probably reached out and worked hard - you took action - to allow them to come into your life. If you did - good for you. 

 

Not everyone can do that. Unfortunately, a great percentage of the population lives only on hope and wishes. They just do not have the ability to comprehend the concept of cause and effect. Nor do they possess the motivation or skills to act on their circumstances. The result? Their blessings are fewer than most. 

 

Since you are blessed with the ability to make things happen, why not reach out this holiday season to those who aren't. Don't expect anything in return, and whatever you do - do it anonymously. You'll be twice blessed! 

Happy Thanksgiving

Hello all,

"Happy Thanksgiving"

Wanted to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you have the opportunity to spend some time with family and friends. The offices close Wednesday at Noon so staff can start the holiday a bit early. I will have my cell phone with me if anyone has an emergency. Always remember... "You can't pick your sister-in-law" so have fun with everyone else.

Enjoy the coffee,

Joe

INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:

 

"The quality of mercy is not strain'd,

It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven

Upon the place beneath: it is twice bless'd;

It blesseth him that gives and him that takes." 

- William Shakespeare

 

GOBBLE! GOBBLE!

 

Remember when you were a teenager leaving the house on a date? Your parents' last words as you went out the door were, "We'll leave the light on for you". Think about that. So what if they did or didn't leave the light on? Their words were really more of a verbal hug. They cared about you - wanted you to know it - and applied the hug with kind words.

 

With Thanksgiving in just a few days, why not take the time to "leave the light on" for someone who may not get many hugs? There's still time, and it's easy.

 

First, learn who needs hugs. Check with your local fire, police, or sheriff's department. Ask whether they know of three or four families or individuals who could use a hug. Ask also whether they would consider delivering your hugs at the appropriate time. Two groups stand out as needy - the elderly and families with small children. Of course, we're talking about individuals who are experiencing difficult circumstances in their lives, be they physical or financial.

 

Next, consider what type of hugs you have to offer. Perhaps you might prepare three or four Thanksgiving turkeys with all the trimmings. Live in the country where people heat their homes with a wood stove? Deliver firewood. Live in a cold climate? Add some warm socks or a sweater to your dinner box. It's really not that difficult to come up with ideas that would make a difference to your chosen recipients. If you aren't able to provide "things," consider visiting with some nursing home residents. Brighten their day by listening for a while.

 

It goes without saying that our country is truly blessed. Although practically invisible to most of us, however, there are some individuals who are being challenged. They need a hug, and we can brighten their lives by way of simple gestures. Make a family project out of it - involve your kids. Do it anonymously. Afterwards, when you get home, we'll leave the light on for you!