Archive for January, 2011

Monday Mojo: ‘Opposite George’

0 Comments

As I have mentioned several times in the past, one of the coolest things about being the author of Monday Morning Mojo are the stories of success people send to me.

Below is a great success story I received from a woman named Jennifer. Once you start reading it you will not be able to stop until you are finished. I did not want to edit it at all…it is powerful. Grab your cup of coffee and enjoy.

Thanks for sharing your story Jennifer.  It is incredibly inspiring.

Tom,

THANK YOU – Thank You  – Thank You! I adore your Monday Morning Mojo’s. Every Monday morning that is the first thing I look for. I have even logged on to my work computer while on vacation to read it.

It’s pretty amazing how the universe works. The reason I started getting your mojo’s was actually from your IT department I believe. I work for the company that creates your accounting software for the real estate transactions. The emails started coming to me. I then signed up under my account once I realized how much I needed the message that they had to say. I also started to forward it to others in the company. We all love them.

I also wanted to share my experience this past ten months. I have struggled most of my life since a teen with my weight. I’m 39 now and I would have said last year that I had a good life. Great – no not necessarily but it was good. I am married with three girls ages 5, 3 and 1. I have a good relationship with my husband and like my work. We were in the process of filing for bankruptcy and losing our house due to the market and my husband not working full time. So my life had its challenges – weight wasn’t the biggest thing on my list of things to do something about. My friends would have said that I was a good friend and always there if they needed me. That was part of the issue – I was there for everyone else. I let my life slowly decay because I put myself as a friend, mother and wife before I was Jennifer. So Jennifer got the short end of my 24 hours.

I decided to start a journey back at the end of March 2010. The favorite times in my life were when I was pregnant. I took better care of myself. I watched what I ate, worked out a bit more and rested when I needed to. It just all felt perfect and then a new bundle of joy came into our life. Those nine months went by so quick. I decided to try it with myself – birth a new me. I was going to commit to nine months of concentrating on me and my life. I took a page from a Seinfeld episode – I was going to do the opposite of what I normally do. ‘Opposite George’ did great. Now remember I am also getting your messages. Your message when I started this “Short Term Pain for Long Term Gain” and then the next week “Finding Your Meaning and Purpose in Life” just reaffirmed I needed to do this.

I found a class taught by my friend that teaches relaxation, meditation and healing your life. She had been trying to get me to go to it for years. It took finding out we have a mutual friend  who looked at me and said we are going to at least one of them. I had to go – the universe sent me a partner. So my journey began. I carved out an hour each morning to work out and listen to my music. My kids found out quickly that it was my time.  They could come down and watch TV but they didn’t talk to mom. What started as  a 2 ½ to 3 mile walk mainly in the mornings turned in the end to a 6 mile run 5 days a week. One of my goals at the end was to run the Rock and Roll ½ Marathon in December. I wanted to do it in 3 hours which considering I didn’t run seemed a bit ambitious. You can’t even believe the pride I had when I crossed that finish line with a time of 2 hours 38 minutes. It was the most amazing thing I did. It felt wonderful to take a goal and knock it out of the park.

I went from eating fast food three plus times a week to maybe a couple times a month. I learned that spending extra on fresh veggies and fruits really was worth the money. I slowly got my family to the point that dinner was more lean meat and fish with tons of veggies rather than meat, potatoes and bread. No more sodas or tons of desserts. Everyone was eating better. I love to think that I am establishing good eating habits for my girls now that they are young. I hope they never struggle with weight like I did.

I changed so much even the genre of my music changed. Again the universe sent me an opportunity and I looked and said – why not. A friend house sat for us one vacation and borrowed our vehicle. She left a Keith Urban CD in the player. I thought it was Jennifer Lopez and was very surprised when I turned it on. Now I was not at all a fan of country but Keith did have some stuff that crossed over. Well my instinct was to take it out. I decided to listen to it that day until I saw her. I then asked her for a copy of it because I realized I enjoyed the messages and melodies. Next thing I know I have this amazing collection of country music and friends I didn’t know who liked it are recommending people and CDs. It is wonderful to jog to all this new music in the morning. It is added incentive to get up.

There were many times I thought ok I have done this for a while let’s go back to the ‘old’ Jennifer. For the most part I was motivated by the way everything was changing around me (I know actually I was the one changing but that isn’t how it looks at first). I kept telling myself it is only nine months you can do this. After the nine months whatever new habits stick I will keep doing and if I want to go back I can. Your messages, reading and listening to  Wayne Dyer,  meditation, reworking goals and making plans all that kept me on the right track.

After my journey – I did birth a new me. The new me is 100lbs thinner. I haven’t been this small since college and then it wasn’t for much more than a semester. I am THRILLED with my life.  On the outside you would say it is the same old life I had 1 year ago – I still have my kids, husband, job, house that the bank won’t take back but I don’t live in any more, money issues from time to time. To me it is all beautiful and perfect. I am calm and peaceful inside. I am not running around trying to do everything for everyone. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that every single event that happens in my life happens for a reason. Somewhere somehow the choices I make right now will affect me later. If nothing else they continue me down the path I am on or they just could jump me into an opportunity that I never thought possible before. I welcome every moment good and bad although when you welcome it all the bad doesn’t look that bad anymore. It just is.

A wonderful example of this was a Doctor visit I had in December. I went for my annual checkup. I took the book BLINK that your recommended because I know there is always a wait time. I wanted to start the book but just hadn’t found time yet. Well somehow my chart got lost while I was actually in the room waiting to see the Doctor. She came in after about an hour of me waiting and asked where I was and if I was running late. That was when we realized that the nurse misplaced my chart – I was sitting in the room ready and the Doctor kept seeing other people. I honestly couldn’t even get upset about it. I got to spend almost the entire hour reading an amazing book which I wouldn’t have started if it wasn’t for that time. I got to relax during a hectic day. I went back to work 2 ½ hours later and I couldn’t be upset about any of it. The Doctor felt bad and spent extra time with me. My blood pressure was down so far I thought it was too low. She told me no it was good for someone who’s an athlete. I have been called many A names before but never that one. I went to correct her and she said – anyone that runs every day and paid money to run 13.1 miles straight can be called and athlete. Life is good.

I have learned that you have to take care of yourself first. Once you truly love yourself, all of life gets easier. You also learn that you can help others then. I think too many people put others first without knowing who they are and loving themselves and so they get caught up in being what others want. I spent decades doing that. Now I find that I can do more for others because I put me first and I truly from deep down want to help others succeed in life.

The one thing/tip that I want to share with you that helped me when I hit my plateau – journaling. Now I am not a fan of journaling. I don’t like the idea that the word puts into my head. Someone who sits and writes and writes and has all this time. Nope – not me. My teacher/friend explained that this can be anything – you can write what you did today. You can write your ‘wins’ or miracles. You can write what you are thankful for in your life. Or you can write what you are. I chose the last one. I go and write each morning a bunch of “I” statements. I started this when I hit a plateau on my weight loss and was just feeling myself start to slip. My first day I wrote “I am a beautiful, powerful, thin woman. I am constantly losing weight. I am abundant. I have money showing to me at this minute.” Now did I believe this – nope. As my teacher says “fake it until you make it”. So I did. And you know what by the end of the week I believed the sentences I was writing down. I would spend time during my run thinking what I was that day. I also lost 12 lbs that week and didn’t change a thing. I just started to adjust my thinking. You start to believe what you write. I am a beautiful, peaceful, healthy woman. And I love it!

So to you Mr. Tom Tognoli – I thank you from the bottom of my heart. If I ever have to take a client trip to Intero I would welcome the opportunity to shake your hand and thank you in person. I deeply appreciate you giving yourself to all of us. Keep the Mojo coming. It flows farther than anyone’s mind can comprehend.

Thanks,

Jennifer


Cool Apps: Being On Time Has Never Been Easier

0 Comments

Real estate agents rarely work in the same location for more than an hour or two. You have to meet a client, show a house or drop by the office to check in at various times throughout the day. Because of this, being on time can be a challenge.

At last – there is an app for that! OnTime is an app currently available only to iPhone users, but one worth checking out if you find yourself continuously late for appointments due to the unpredictable nature of your location throughout the day.

The OnTime app tracks your current location and uses it to estimate the time it will take you to travel to your next appointment. With this info, the app will then alert you when you need to leave so that you’re not late.

Let’s look at an example: You’re at the office at 10 a.m. and need to meet a client at a house across town at noon. Usually, it would take you 30 minutes to get there. But at 11 a.m. you end up meeting another client at a coffee shop that’s about 15 minutes in the opposite direction. Since your location has changed, your travel time to your noon meeting has also changed – and your phone knows this. OnTime will alert you to leave a bit earlier than you originally intended if you’re a bit further away.

For some people, being on time is only a goal, never an achievement. However, many people take it as an insult to be left by themselves waiting for 5, 10, 15 minutes. Being on time could make a real difference in your business – as one of those things you either take for granted or don’t give much thought.

OnTime costs $1.99 in the iPhone app store and the company that created the app says they are currently working on one for the Blackberry. It’s worth checking out if you’re looking for a new time management tool that uses your location to get you there on time.


Thoughts on Leadership: The Major Attributers of Leadership

0 Comments

At the suggestion of my good friend and Intero agent, Dominic Nicoli, together we are going through the Think and Grow Rich Workbook adapted from the original edition of Napoleon Hill’s landmark classic, Think and Grow Rich.   
 
For those of you not familiar with the book, Think and Grow Rich is one of the best selling motivational personal development books of all time – a great feat considering it was first published in 1937! It’s taught thousands of people practical steps to high achievement and financial independence through a collection of prosperity principles which Napoleon Hill gathered from his 20 year study of the richest men of his time.  
 
While working our way through the workbook we found the following piece on leadership and wanted to share it with you. 
 
The Major Attributes of Leadership

1. UNWAVERING COURAGE based upon knowledge of self, and of one’s occupation. No follower wishes to be dominated by a leader who lacks self-confidence and courage. No intelligent follower will be dominated by such a leader very long.

2. SELF-CONTROL. The man who cannot control himself, can never control others. Self-control sets a mighty example for one’s followers, which the more intelligent will emulate.

3. A KEEN SENSE OF JUSTICE. Without a sense of fairness and justice, no leader can command and retain the respect of his followers.

4. DEFINITENESS OF DECISION. The man who wavers in his decisions, shows that he is not sure of himself. He cannot lead others successfully.

5. DEFINITENESS OF PLANS. The successful leader must plan his work, and work his plan. A leader who moves by guesswork, without practical, definite plans, is comparable to a ship without a rudder. Sooner or later he will land on the rocks.

6. THE HABIT OF DOING MORE THAN PAID FOR. One of the penalties of leadership is the necessity of willingness, upon the part of the leader, to do more than the part he requires of his followers.

7. A PLEASING PERSONALITY. No slovenly, careless person can become a successful leader. Leadership calls for respect. Followers will not respect a leader who does not grade high on all of the factors of a Pleasing Personality.

8. SYMPATHY AND UNDERSTANDING. The successful leader must be in sympathy with his followers. Moreover, he must understand them and their problems.

9. MASTERY OF DETAIL. Successful leadership calls for mastery of details of the leader’s position.

10. WILLINGNESS TO ASSUME FULL RESPONSIBILITY. The successful leader must be willing to assume responsibility for the mistakes and the shortcomings of his followers. If he tries to shift this responsibility, he will not remain the leader. If one of his followers makes a mistake, and shows himself incompetent the leader must consider that it is he who failed.

11. COOPERATION. The successful leader must understand, and apply the principle of cooperative effort and be able to induce his followers to do the same. Leadership calls for POWER, and power calls for COOPERATION.


Consigliere Files: Carbon Monoxide Detectors are now required in all California dwellings – presence or absence must be disclosed on the TDS

1 Comment

A new law came into effect on January 1, 2011 mandating that all California dwellings have working carbon monoxide detectors installed on site by or before July 1, 2011. This rule, formally presented in Senate Bill 183 and signed into law last May, further requires that sellers disclose in the TDS whether or not a carbon monoxide detector is present and it requires sellers to certify that certain safety laws have been followed. Failure to make these disclosures could leave the seller liable for civil penalties. However, the penalties are nominal and they cannot invalidate the property transfer.

The Change – Carbon Monoxide Detectors and Safety Certifications

Formerly, there was no explicit requirement about carbon monoxide detectors. Now, the seller must explicitly state whether or not a carbon monoxide detector exists on site. Also, as an added improvement to the TDS, the legislature has required that the seller certify that he or she will make sure the property is compliant with smoke detector and water heater safety laws before close of escrow. The old law only required the seller to make a disclosure about the property’s compliance with smoke detector installation laws and water heater safety laws, but it did not require a certification of this sort.

This change in law will revise the disclosure forms to provide the seller opportunity to give a direct statement indicating whether or not the property has a carbon monoxide detector. It will also have language that helps the seller certify that the property will be in compliance with the requirements for smoke detectors and water heaters at the time of transfer.

The Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Act of 2010

The new bill primarily focuses on enacting the Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Act of 2010, which sets structured requirements for the State Fire Marshal to certify and approve carbon monoxide devices and applicable instructions. The points of the bill are directed at manufacturers and the bill prohibits the sale of certain carbon monoxide detectors. However, the bill also gives landlords and property managers’ explicit authority to enter leased or rented homes to replace and/or fix faulty carbon monoxide detectors. It might also create certain liabilities for landlords who fail to provide these detectors. However, the bill attempts to cap those liabilities.

The New Form

While not overly significant, this will slightly change the way that the standard TDS form reads. The TDS forms have slightly changed to allow for the disclosure about carbon monoxide detectors and to provide a certification that the property complies with smoke detector and water heater safety laws.

The standard TDS form documents have been updated to comply with this new rule and they are currently available. All agents should be sure to use the most updated TDS forms. At a minimum, agents are required to start advising their sellers to disclose about carbon monoxide detectors in their TDS and to certify the property’s water heater safety and smoke detector compliance. Buyers’ agents are required to assure that their fiduciaries have received these disclosures and certifications. Of course, this is easily accomplished by using updated TDS forms.


Wednesday Wellness: The decision is yours

0 Comments

Have you ever driven around on a Saturday or Sunday morning and noticed groups of folks lined up in front of a coffee shop, a line out the door at a favorite breakfast café, maybe groups of runners stretching by a popular trail or cyclists riding a route in a group anywhere from 2 people up to 20?

What do they all have in common? They all got up and made a decision on how to spend their morning. The decision to do something is a common thread, however where one might choose to hike a mountain at 9 am, another might be ordering waffles with butter and syrup accompanied with a side of sausage.

You see, we all wake up (or hope we do!) and at that pivotal moment, we decide how we want to spend our morning. Most likely by noon, that decision has been spent and we then create another series of decisions. Will we do something healthy, or something that could potentially harm us in the long run?

This morning is yours, this evening is yours. Which way will you choose to spend it?


Intero Mojo: Lucky

0 Comments

As an owner of Intero and the COO, one of my jobs is to coach our team on how to get lucky. What you ask…how to get lucky? Yep…the key to being successful at almost anything is plain and simple luck.  So, that’s it…that’s this week’s mojo. Just sit back and wait for luck to come walking through the door and life will be great.  Good luck.

Well, maybe there is a little more to it than that. Unfortunately this is what a lot of people do. They sit back in envy looking at all of those “lucky” people who have what they want and wait. They cross their fingers, focus on law of attraction, do their affirmations, pray, wish, dream and wait. All those things are great and very important parts of success, unfortunately most don’t do the other couple of things that makes those people lucky…the most important things.

Luck happens when hard work and preparation meet opportunity. Think about it…it’s true, isn’t it? Often when we see someone successful or someone who has something we want, we think “that person is lucky.” You know what? You’re right, they are lucky. They prepared, they worked hard and then they ran into an opportunity…BANG!!!!!!!!! They just became lucky. Most of the time all we see is the result, not what it took to get that result.

In life and in business most things that lead to “luck” (success) are simple to do. Unfortunately they are simple not to do. It is like going to the gym and eating right. Put together your plan, show up, work hard, eat right and poof. You are fit and healthy…you are lucky!!!!!! It is the same way with everything those lucky people have.

Get prepared, get to work like there is no tomorrow and get “LUCKY”


Cool Apps: Trunk.ly Offers a Searchable Place to Store Shared Links

0 Comments

By now, you’re an online social maven – sharing links every week with your hundreds of followers on everything from simple repairs that can increase your home’s value to local economic reports and citywide home sales. But do you ever find that sometimes you want to go back and look at a link you shared a few weeks ago? If you’re pretty active on your networks, you know what a joke that can be to find these things.

Enter Trunk.ly, a service that automatically collects the links you and your friends share online and makes them searchable. Voila. You’ve found the missing link!

Meh. Do I really need that, you might ask? I can actually think of a couple of reasons why this free app is definitely worth checking out:

1.     The most well known bookmarking site, Delicious, is in danger of soon becoming extinct. While rumors of Delicious shutting down swirled about last month, its parent company Yahoo has chimed in to say it changed its mind. However, big troubles loom at Yahoo and many Delicious fans out there are migrating to alternative services before it’s too late. If you’re looking for a place to move all your links to, Trunk.ly has an import option for pulling in data from Delicious.

2.     A real estate agent’s job comes down to one word: service. What exactly “service” means can vary from agent to agent and client to client. One thing that is sure in today’s digital age is that customers value the information you provide as part of the overall service as much as – if not more than – the actual sales part of your job. Providing good information can help you stand out and build trust with consumers. A service like Trunk.ly enables you to keep your efforts cataloged in an easy-to-access spot. Those extra little touches are the kinds of things that help define your reputation and personal brand.
Trunk.ly is useful for those of you who share a lot of links and on more than one platform like Twitter, Facebook and others. You can import and export data and the search is simple to use.

If you’re not much of a link sharer, then this service probably won’t do much for you. But I’d ask you to think about trying this tactic more in 2011. Make it a year for testing your “information provider” role in real estate. See what kind of farming you can do this year online.


Thoughts on Leadership: Take your MEDS and become an effective leader

0 Comments

The constant pressure to perform and stress of solving difficult problems is part of a leader’s role. It can be easy to let these factors weigh on your personal health, but it’s crucial to be on top of your game and productive at all times. Poor nutrition and poor sleep habits are ineffective coping strategies.

Take time to slow down and you’ll find that this peaceful state of mind contributes to more effective leadership. To think or reflect, especially in a calm and deliberate manner is the kind of meditation that Buddha, Jesus Christ and Mahatma Gandhi engaged in to train, calm and empty the mind. Recent brain research shows that M-E-D-S – meditation, exercise, diet and sleep – can actually improve performance. “MEDS” aren’t just actions you perform occasionally, but part of your daily life.

As the empowering life coach, author, trainer and inspirational speaker Matthew Ferry explains: “It’s hard to be happy when you’re not healthy. When you are feeling physically down, it’s difficult to experience happiness. It takes a tremendous amount of work. And so, what I recommend for people to be happy is to take their MEDS. MEDS is an acronym for meditation, exercise, diet, and sleep.”

Here’s what we mean by MEDS for great leaders:

M: Meditation

One of the main benefits of meditation is that it helps shape who we are and how we interact with others. The biggest misconception about meditation is that our thoughts or ideas just appear in our heads. On the contrary, we choose what we think. It’s simple, if we think something will go wrong or that we will be ineffective, then to each one of us that is true. Now if we think the opposite and think we can be successful, intellectual and powerful, then to each one of us again, this is true. The idea here is that we are what we think about and we become what we think about every day.

E: Exercise

Another strategy for maintaining effective leadership is to exercise regularly. Studies have proven that those who exercise on a daily basis rated significantly higher on overall leadership effectiveness than those who do not exercise. An excellent example of an effective leader who is dedicated to working out every day is Intero’s Chairman Bob Moles. He has worked out every day for over 22 years, 8054 days in a row! Bob’s dedication helps him to lead by example and be more effective at what he does.
 
Routine is extremely important in this regard. In my own life, I work out as well as meditate first thing in the morning. By doing this I tend to keep appointments throughout the day every day. If I were to hold off and work out after work I would not be disciplined in sticking to a routine.

D: Diet

We need to have control over ourselves before we can lead and motivate others. When it comes to diet, the key is finding what works for you. Proper diet and nutrition can significantly enhance energy, which helps you be a better leader. Intero’s COO Tom Tognoli is a great example of someone who controls his diet and maintains these habits each day, making him a distinguishable role model. This kind of self-discipline serves as incredible inspiration to others.

S: Sleep

More sleep tends to contribute to better success in life. It results in fewer mistakes and higher productivity throughout the day. Studies show that those who sleep seven to nine hours per night accomplish more than those who sleep less. If you lack sleep, you are sluggish, easily discouraged and pessimistic. Other people sense this. On the other hand, a good night’s sleep will give you energy and an upbeat and optimistic outlook. This will affect your team positively.

Make it a daily thing

Great leaders know that MEDS is key and needs to be followed every day. Those who follow this habit tend to have lasting impact, pushing their teams to success time after time.

Sounds pretty simple, right? Meditation, exercise, diet and sleep will make you mindful of your daily performance and you will no doubt become a more effective and superior leader in your business.

Special thanks to Matthew Ferry for the tip on MEDS! Taking our MEDS is most definitely a major ingredient for creating success.


Wednesday Wellness: One week at a time

0 Comments

Have you ever tried to tackle a new project, making a list of 150 to do’s then deciding you will do 10 a day. 10 a day is no big deal right? Then you fizzle a little and try 10 a week. Can you feel it, that overwhelmed emotion? Maybe 10 a day was a little ambitious?

Since we work with fitness and nutrition habits we understand the overwhelming desire to tackle all the unhealthy routines which have accumulated over the years. We know our clients are driven to be fit and healthy, once and for all!

The key here, however, is to realize it took years to build up these behaviors and it might take a while to replace them with new healthier and supportive habits.

Try to tackle 1-3 a week. For some, 1 is enough! Just inching your way to getting something old out and something new in, a day at a time a week at a time is powerful!

For instance, you could:

Ø      Replace your evening snack with an apple for one week
Ø      Take stairs every time you can vs. the elevator
Ø      Get to your workout 10 min earlier and walk on the treadmill
Ø      Replace the creamer in your coffee with nonfat milk

Give this a try! See how you feel after a week and decide if you want to try it for one more week then maybe add a second new behavior…one week at a time!


Monday Mojo: What would you do with $86,400 a day?

1 Comment

If you received $86,400 every day of your life and you had to spend it or lose it by the end of each day, what would you do? Would you let the $86,400 just slip through your fingers and not worry about it if you did not spend it all? Would you invest it wisely? Would you give some to charity or your church, to your family, to your friends? Would you invest it in your F-5…your Faith, Family, Friends, Fitness, Finance/Business? Would you become a fanatic about putting together your plan RIGHT NOW to make sure you did not waste a single cent? Of course we all would not waste one red cent, would we?

So that is what we would do with money. What about your time? We all have 86,400 seconds in everyday. How are you spending it? Have you been a fanatic about putting together your plan and executing on it so you don’t waste a second? Remember, every day we are either going to use it or we are going to lose it. Put together your plan and execute on making sure you are investing every second of your life in your F-5. Just as important, remember we all only have 86,400 seconds in a day, so respect other people’s time as well…don’t waste a second of their time either.

Cheers,

Here is a great song from Chris Allen that drives it home:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBjSxo2JGxI