Pride robs us of so much. Here are just a few examples…
Continue readingHow Pride Robs Us
The Windshield Panic
1954 mass delusion proves that you see what you’re looking for
The year was 1954- long before rumors could catch fire on social media or the internet. That year residents began reporting strange pitting in their windshield. Soon, thousands across the greater Seattle area were reporting seeing these strange pits in their windshields. Our attitude is the windshield through which we view the world but it must be periodically cleaned.
When They’re Ticked Off
6 keys to win back angry customers
It happens, or as a bumper sticker says… Despite your efforts, systems and organization it will happen- your clients will get ticked off- at you! It’s a mix of disappointment that all your safeguards didn’t prevent the situation in the first place coupled with the stress of dealing with an angry homeowner. How do you mend the relationship?
How can we effectively deal with unhappy, angry or disappointed clients? Here are a few tips:
1. Isolate the issue. What is it specifically that triggered an angry reaction? Was it a lack of communication? Unmet expectations? A misunderstanding of the reverse mortgage? You must first know what the cause is before you jump in to fix it.
2. Lose the ego. It takes a strong person to admit when they…
What’s Your Mindset for 2017?
Many have grown their business despite adversity
It was refreshing. Attending a recent sales meeting of mortgage brokers the keynote speaker lit up the room. He outlined how he refused to accept that his business would shrink due to the housing crash and the countless regulations that followed. Tough words coming from a mortgage wholesaler, but true. Not only did he survive but he actually exploded his business while others accepted defeat.
Results vs. Intentions
Why Our Results & Intentions Always Match
“The road to hell is paved with good intentions”. This popular aphorism underscores the importance of putting action behind our plans and internal promises. During a professional coaching class I attended several months ago one instructor took it a step further stating, “results and intentions always match”.
In Brian Klemmer’s book, “When Good Intentions Run Smack into Reality” he outlines several steps to the path to better results. Here are just a few that we should consider.
1. Identify the result. It’s the familiar ‘work backward’ from the goal approach. Envision exactly what you want, desire and dream of. Is it more loans? A better marriage? Improved health and energy? Be specific.
2. Set the context. The context or environment in which you work toward your result influences everything. Identify the ideal context in which your goals would be achieved. Don’t stop at declaring your context but create it. This could be changing your…
Design Your Life
Simple Steps to Create a Custom Designed Lifestyle
Is the tail wagging the dog? It’s a question worth consideration if we honestly examine our daily life. Are we in control, or have we built our own prison? Welcome to Friday’s Food for Thought, brought to you by Open Mortgage, where better is possible.
I’’m a highly-organized and driven individual but I will admit, I have often placed the figurative shackles on myself with my daily activities, habits and choices I make. There is always so much room for improvement. Do you feel your daily routines are controlling you, slowly grinding you into dust? That’s no fun. Try these ideas to design your daily life into something you enjoy rather than dread.
1. Get organized.
Clutter increases stress…
Change & Be Happy
Be Happy with Change
Older Americans Month takes place in May: a season of bright beginnings when the country is in bloom. It’s a terrific time for elders to emerge from hibernation into imagine-nation, and step up to being the person they most want to be (and who their dog already knows they are).
Last week we talked about some ways to ease the transition into retirement. The greatest asset to such life transitions is a sense of ease with change. One loan officer with a glass full (not half full) mindset offers, “I happened to see the Dr. Oz TV show with William Shatner (of Star Trek fame) as one of his guests. I was impressed with the positive attitude Shatner exudes and how it has affected his personal happiness and longevity.”
Indeed. After his long acting career, Shatner reinvented himself in his sixties as a musician, author, director, and celebrity pitchman. He also breeds and shows horses, and is active in a number of charities. He is 85 years old.
While this may be a more ambitious retirement than many would choose, it points up the possibilities. And it wasn’t a straight ascent: even after fame, Shatner suffered a reversal of fortune, at one point living in his truck bed camper.
Happiness Is A Choice
Optimism. It’s something we must choose on a daily basis. Perhaps the simplest way might be to accept change as a fact of life, and embrace Bobby McFerrin’s musical advice: “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”, or the more recent Happy by Pharrell Williams, which boasts close to a billion YouTube views. Clearly, everybody wants happiness, regardless of age.
A LinkedIn member recently shared this brief, touching story of an 86-year-old gentleman who creates his happiness by bolding going where few have gone before, asking total strangers to have a cup of coffee. Talk about a zest for life!
This is another strategy to share with your reverse mortgage clients, and other seasoned adults you know: step out of your comfort zone and expand into something new. Most of us wouldn’t consider walking up to someone we don’t know and asking for their time, but it has created meaningful experiences for the man described above.
Muhammad Ali is purported to have said: “The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.” It behooves each of us to be open to/willing to change.
Hopefully, we learn from our life experience as we age and gain some wisdom, which we can then use to develop different goals and life paths later on. Change is life’s only constant; embracing it leads to a life-long love affair.
Are You in a Rut?
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7 Keys to escape a rut
The nature of life is repetition, patterns and routine; all which can easily lead us to personal or professional ruts. What are the symptoms? Feeling stuck, helpless and constantly frustrated. The question is how do we get out?
Here are a few ways to escape your own personal rut:
1. Accept the reality. Embrace the fact that you are in fact stuck. Helplessness leads us to often say “what might have done?” Rather than fixating on regret we can ask a more important question, “when x happens again I will do Y”. This leads us to acceptance of what has happened and resolve to act differently in the future.
2. Look for negative comfort zones. It may sound strange but for some the ‘norm‘ is unhealthy…
Download a transcript of this episode here.
Looking for more reverse mortgage news, commentary and technology? Visit ReverseFocus.com today.
You May Be Burned Out If…
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Signs of Burnout and Tips to Help Stop the Insanity
Burnout. It didn’t happen overnight. If you reflect you may find it was a slow burn that begin months or even years ago. Long hours, never ending changes, new regulations, technology and software issues all can contribute to acondition that is common in the American workplace. What are the signs of burnout and how can we avoid it? Here is what to look for.
1. Spaced Out. Mental lapses. Those suffering burnout may find themselves spacing out or going mentally blank. Just as your computer may occasionally show an hourglass telling you to wait our brains do not respond well to extended stress and mental overload. Try listing your tasks in an organized manner and time blocking to help clear your mind a bit.
2. Short fuse. If you find yourself losing your temper quickly at things that you would typically shrug off this may be…
Download a transcript of this episode here.
Looking for more reverse mortgage news, commentary and technology? Visit ReverseFocus.com today.
Be Like Water
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Be like water. This was the advice given by the late martial arts master Bruce Lee. Strange? Think again. Water flows around obstacles and rocks, finds its way through the smallest opportune cracks and eventually wears down the hardest substances. Bruce Lee explained his philosophy in that water conforms and becomes like the object around it or that contains it such as water adapts to the shape of the glass it is poured into.
The rapid pace of change in the reverse mortgage industry has left many professionals feeling like they are engaged in martial arts combat. What we can borrow from Bruce’s philosophy is the need for adaptation, improvisation and flexibility. Here’s one business example. Blockbuster video refused to move toward online video rentals and suffered the consequences with store closures and bankruptcy as Netflix gained traction. Let’s look at some practical ways we can incorporate this philosophy into our daily business practices.
1. Embrace your present state. Look closely at successful businesspeople both in and outside our industry and you’ll find this one trait: they don’t…
Download a transcript of this episode here.
Looking for more reverse mortgage news, commentary and technology? Visit ReverseFocus.com today.
