Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Thursday’s Thoughts on Leadership: NFL Great’s Secret Play

0 Comments

Last week, my travels took me to Dallas, Texas for the Real Trends Gathering of Eagles.  There, I was lucky enough to rub elbows with Roger Staubach, the originator of the “Hail Mary Pass,” legendary Hall of Famer, former Dallas Cowboy quarterback, Navy veteran and Heisman Trophy winner.  With a list of accomplishments like that, it’s hard to believe that in addition to being an incredibly successful football player, Roger Staubach is also an amazing businessman.


The important thing to note about Roger is he joined the Dallas Cowboys as a 27-year-old rookie in 1969, after finishing his required service in the Navy, including a tour of duty in Vietnam, and didn’t get the regular quarterback job until his third season.  During his nine seasons as the regular quarterback, Dallas played in six NFC championship games, winning four of them, and also scored victories in Super Bowls VI and XII, quite an amazing feat.  Staubach was known for his ability to think quickly and scramble out of trouble.  This and his motivation to excel at a sport he loved so much, is truly what makes him a great man.

It’s no surprise that these attributes carried over to his life after football.  He was able to start a very successful commercial real estate business, The Staubach Company, in 1977.  The philosophy of the company is definitely something noteworthy:

“Operating Principles: We will adopt the objectives of our clients, the users of space, and dedicate ourselves to the achievement of their goals.  We strive to understand our clients’ long-term operational objectives and to orient our work to achieve these objectives, rather than simply fulfill a short-term real estate need. … If at any time our clients are not completely satisfied with the services we have provided, they have the unilateral right to adjust our fee.”

To the Staubach Company, their clients were not just people they did business with for the short time they needed real estate services.  These clients were with them for life.  The employees developed long-term relationships with them and catered their services to accommodate the client.  No cookie cutter plans here; just true customized customer service.  They recognized that each person’s needs are different.  With this philosophy they were able to accomplish their goal of satisfying their customers every request.

Quite an amazing concept if you ask me and one every person should definitely take into consideration.


Healthy Saturdays: Chewing Gum: 85% of Major Brands Contain Aspartame & Sucralose!

0 Comments

ASPARTAME

Aspartame, commonly marketed as Nutrasweet and Equal, is a poisonous sugar replacement made of aspartic acid (40%), phenylalanine (50%) and methanol (10%).  The FDA has previously published a list of 92 reactions to aspartame including 4 types of seizures, blindness and death.  It is a known carcinogen, even consumed daily at 20 mg per kg of body weight.

In his recent publication, Dr. Russell L. Blaylock cited nearly 500 scientific sources revealing the neurological damage caused by free excitatory amino acids such as aspartic acid and glutamic acid in our food.  Aspartic acid raises levels of aspartate and glutamate, which act as neurotransmitters in the brain.  Too much of these substances can cross the protective blood brain barrier and kill neurons by allowing excessive calcium into the cells.  75% of cells may be killed before any clinical symptoms of illness appear.  A few illnesses that have been shown to be related to long-term exposure of excitatory amino acids include:

  • MS
  • ALS
  • memory loss/dementia
  • hormonal problems
  • hearing loss
  • epilepsy
  • Parkinson’s disease
  • neuroendocrine disorders

The risk to infants, children, pregnant women, the elderly and people with certain chronic health problems is even greater.

Phenylalanine is an amino acid normally found in the brain.  Studies show that ingesting aspartame over a long period of time can lead to excess levels of phenylalanine.  This can cause serotonin levels to decrease, leading to emotional disorders such as depression, schizophrenia, or seizures.

Methanol (wood alcohol) is a deadly poison not easily excreted by the body.  It is gradually released in the small intestine when aspartame encounters the enzyme chymotrypsin.  Methanol absorption is sped up through the ingestion of free methanol, released through improper storage of an aspartame-containing product or through heating (above 86 deg. F).  It then breaks down into formic acid and formaldehyde.  The recommendation is to limit consumption to 7.8 mg/day.  A 1 Liter sweetened beverage contains about 56 mg of methanol.  People who eat a lot of packaged products and sugary beverages may consume as much as 250 mg of methanol daily – 32 times the EPA limit!

SUCRALOSE

Splenda/sucralose is a chlorinated sugar, or chlorocarbon.  According to the FDA, 11-27% of ingested sucralose is absorbed by the human body.  1.6- 12.2% accumulates in the body!  Sucrose is not to be confused with the synthetic sucralose: one is food, the other is chemical.  Chlorocarbons are not compatible with metabolic processing – instead, they deliver chlorine directly into the cells, making effective insecticides or preservatives (preservatives kill anything living to prevent bacterial growth).   Toxins that are not excreted can affect internal organs, especially the liver.  Studies on test animals have shown calcified kidneys, shrunken thymus glands and compromised immune and nervous systems.

Aspartame and sucralose in gum is absorbed by mucosa in the mouth, gums and tongue, traveling directly into the brain, making it far more toxic than through the digestive tract, even in small amounts.  The following chewing gums contain aspartame and sucralose:

5, Big League, Big Red, Bubble Yum, Bubblicious, Clorets, Cinnaburst, Dentyne, Doublemint, Eclipse, Extra, Freedent, Ice Breakers, Juicy Fruit, Mentos, Orbit, Stride, Trident, Winterfresh, Wrigley’s

Advertising may make these items seem safe and even appealing, or claim altogether not to contain artificial or toxic ingredients, so as always, stay informed.  Good news is there are several gums free of aspartame and sucralose – check out Glee Gum and Pur Gum.

Be the Difference.

Join ProAnox for their upcoming health talk at Intero Santana Row: “Stress Sabotage,” Tuesday, April 24th, 6-7pm.  Contact kira@proanox.comfor details!


Weekend Wellness: Antioxidants – What Are They and What Do They Do?

0 Comments

Often you hear the words oxidation and antioxidants…but do you know what they mean?  Oxidation is caused from stressful environmental aspects to internal stress.  Anything from smog, smoking, eating unhealthy foods and anxiety to intense workouts (which are needed), lack of sleep and general “life” can add to oxidative stress.  Foods which carry “anti” oxidants help fight the oxidation process and in some aspects help us grow a bit younger internally!   Let me go into this a little deeper…

We need vitamins and minerals to make the thousands of enzymes, hormones, and other chemicals that our bodies need to work properly. Vitamins and minerals have another crucial role to play in our bodies. They act as powerful antioxidants that ‘capture’ the free radicals in our bodies.

Free radicals are unstable oxygen atoms created by your body’s natural processes and by the effects of toxins such as cigarette smoke. Free radicals are very reactive and cause a lot of damage to our cells, but they are not all bad as we use free radicals as a part of our immune system to defend against invading bacteria. However, if free radicals damage our cells often enough they can cause genetic changes that trigger cancer. Also, if free radicals begin to ‘work on’ the cholesterol in your blood, they can cause the artery clogging plaque that leads to heart disease. It’s only in the past few decades that we’ve begun to understand how damaging free radicals can be and how important it is to have plenty of antioxidants in our bodies to neutralize them.

What are antioxidants?

There are three vitamins that are called antioxidants. They are:

  • Vitamin C
  • Vitamin E
  • Beta-carotene in the form of vitamin A

There are other substances that are not vitamins which also have antioxidant activity. These include:

  • flavonoids (which are the colored pigments found in fruit and vegetables)
  • trace minerals, such as, selenium.

How do antioxidants work?

Antioxidants are our body’s natural defense against free radicals. Antioxidants are enzymes that roam around our body’s cells looking for free radicals. When they find one, they take hold of it and neutralize it without being damaged themselves. The antioxidant enzyme stops the invasion and removes the free radical from our circulation.

In order for this to work effectively, we have to have plenty of vitamins and minerals – especially vitamin A, beta carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E and trace minerals – in our body to make the antioxidant enzymes that do the neutralizing. If we are running short on the right vitamins and minerals, we won’t be able to make enough of the antioxidant enzymes. This will let the free radicals do extra damage to your cells before they get captured. To be sure that you have the antioxidants and other nutrients that you need, taking an essential vitamin and mineral supplement is advisable.

Of course, getting these antioxidants in foods come even better!  Here is a list of some of my favorites which top the list:

  • Fruits… Blackberries, red currents, raspberries, cranberries, strawberries, blueberries, orange, pineapples, plums and prunes.  Apples are great too, especially red delicious.
  • Vegetables… Artichokes, arugula, asparagus, broccoli, beets, avocado, cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, and spinach.
  • Other… Dark chocolate, red wine (especially Chianti), green, white and black tea, and surprisingly coffee (in moderation of course)!

For a great website I found which lists the scale of each antioxidant, check out:

http://www.dietaryfiberfood.com/fruits-vegetables/fruits-vegetables/

Healthy eating!


Thursday’s Thoughts: Leaders are Readers

0 Comments

Since I received so many great comments on last week’s blog on Physics of the Future: How Science will Change Daily Life by 2100, I thought I’d share another book I recently re-listened to; The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz.

Don Miguel was born into a family of healers and raised in rural Mexico by a curandera (healer) mother and a nagual (shaman) grandfather.  Although the family anticipated Miguel embracing their centuries-old legacy of healing and teaching, and carry forward the esoteric Toltec knowledge, he chose to attend medical school and become a doctor instead.

In the early 1970’s he had a near-death experience that changed his life.  Late one night, he awoke suddenly, having fallen asleep at the wheel of his car. At that instant the car careened into a wall of concrete.  Don Miguel remembers that he was not in his physical body as he pulled his two friends to safety.

Stunned by the experience he began an intensive practice of self-inquiry.  He devoted himself to the mastery of the ancient ancestral wisdom, studying earnestly with his mother, and completing an apprenticeship with a powerful shaman in the Mexican desert.  His grandfather, who had since passed on, continued to teach him in dreams.

In the tradition of the Toltec, a nagual guides an individual to personal freedom.  Don Miguel Ruiz is a nagual from the Eagle Knight lineage, and is dedicated to sharing his knowledge of the teachings of the ancient Toltec.

In the theme of Leaders are Readers, I think the inspiring message in this book on wisdom provides a great outline on how to transform your life into an experience of freedom.    The book itself goes into much more depth about each of the Four Agreements but here is a brief overview:

The Four Argeements:

  1. Be Impeccable with your word – Speak with integrity.  Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others.  Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.
  2. Don’t take anything personally – Nothing others do is because of you.  What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream.  When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.
  3. Don’t make assumptions – Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want.  Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness, and drama.  With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.
  4. Always do your best – Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick.  Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret.

If you’re interested in checking this book out, you can find it on Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, or download it from iTunes.


Thoughts on Leadership: Making a Deeper Connection

0 Comments

One aspect that sets leaders apart is their ability to make deep connections with other people.  This bond creates a sense of trust and loyalty between parties.  “This process of making deeper connections with people [has] a profound payoff.”

‘To get the most out of people, you need to see them on more than a surface level.  You really have to get to know what makes them tick.  When you do that you’re a little bit more human, and you create a system that‘s more trustworthy.  Learning about their interests and passions made a huge difference in getting them connected to what we were trying to accomplish.  It allowed me and it allowed others an opportunity to figure out how to motivate these people in order to do something that was absolutely extraordinary” (10-11, The Leadership Challenge, Kouzes and Posner).

To help you with this somewhat challenging task, here are 18 great innerview questions to get a deeper connection with those you lead wether it be an employee or a customer you are leading to make a sale.  I first learned these at a Dale Carnegie class and have found them quite helpful in getting to know people.

  1. What do you do?
  2. How did you get started?
  3. Where are you originally from?
  4. What else do you do besides work?
  5. What’s your current family situation?
  6. What was your family situation growing up?
  7. What kind of memories do you have about childhood?
  8. What’s one memory that stands out?
  9. Were you active in school?
  10. Who from your childhood had the biggest impact on you?
  11. What did that person teach you?
  12. As you look at your life like a radarscope, there will be ups and downs.  What’s one of the highest highs?
  13. What does that tell you about yourself?
  14. What’s one of the lows?
  15. What got you through?
  16. If a young person asked you for advice on how to live your life, what would you tell them?
  17. What does the future hold for you?
  18. When your life is over, how do you want to be remembered?

These questions can also make for a great team building exercise.  Divide your team into pairs.  Give each pair a list of the questions and allow them 30 minutes.  The first person will ask all the questions and the second person will answer and then they will switch with the second person asking and the first person answering.  When the 30 minutes are up, bring the group back together.  Have each pair stand up, introduce themselves to the group and answer the following 2 questions.

  1. What’s one thing I learned about my partner that I didn’t know before?
  2. What did I learn about my partner that makes me appreciate or respect them even more than before innerviewing them?

Not only will your group learn a little more about each other, but creating this deeper connection amongst the group makes for a stronger team.


Monday Morning Mojo: It’s Contagious

0 Comments

You ever notice that people who are negative, down and have low energy tend see the negative in everything no matter what…they see the glass half empty?   While those who are positive, upbeat and fired up about life see the positive in almost everything…they see the glass half full?  If you had to take a guess, which group do you think is right…the positive ones or the negative ones?  The answer is both.

They are both right, because you get what you focus on and you attract people into your life who are like you.  So the good news is, if you are positive, upbeat and fired up…you attract positive, upbeat and fired up people into your life….and the more people you attract into your life like that the better your life gets…it gets better exponentially.  The downside is, if you are negative, down and have low energy, you attract negative, down and low energy people into your life…and the more people like that you attract into your life, the worse your life gets… it gets worse exponentially.

For a minute, just think about some of the people you know.  Not necessarily those who are your best friends, but just acquaintances.  What are the common characteristics of the positive ones and what are the common characteristics of the negative ones?  What energy do they give off…do they smile or frown…do they laugh or do they yell…do they fire you up when you see them or suck the energy from you…do they complement or do they criticize…  You ever notice that we don’t see the positive ones and the negative ones spending much time together, except when absolutely necessary?  Why is that?  Because the positive ones naturally spend time with optimistic people and find ways to improve in all the areas of their life, while the negative ones seem to always spend time with the basket cases and seem to always be looking for ways to sabotage all the areas of their life…not intentionally, but subconsciously.  The positive ones tend to do things which are good for their physical, mental and spiritual body, while the negative tend to do negative things which are bad for their physical, mental, and spiritual body.

So, how do we get out of the funk and into the fired up?  One of the most important things we need to do is stop spending time with other people in a funk and start spending time with people who are fired up…or if you are fired up, find other fired up people to spend time with…or better yet, find people more fired up than you to spend time with. Both groups are like magnets and either we are going to get sucked down into a hole with the “my life sucks” group, or we are going to get pulled up into the clouds with the “my life is on fire and awesome” group.  You can’t beat it, because it is like any fight.  No matter how tough you are, if you are outnumbered you are going to lose.  If you are trying to be positive but hang out with negative people, you are going to get your ass kicked.  The good news is if your negative, but hang out with positive people, you are also going to get your ass kicked.

Remember, everything in life is contagious…hang with people who have the fired up plague and catch it!!!!!

Make it a GREAT week!!!!


Unlicensed Places of Business

1 Comment

A good real estate agent is always working. Sometimes it’s easier for an agent to have documents and correspondences sent directly to his home so he can avoid taking an unnecessary trip to the office or he can impress certain clients with a particular zip code. While not overtly improper, using a non-brokerage office address for business can have unanticipated consequences.

California Business and Professions Code Section 10163
An agent who uses his personal address in advertisements and material documents can be perceived by the Department of Real Estate as running an unlicensed place of business. Every real estate brokerage’s “place of business” must be independently revealed to and licensed by the DRE. California law delegates the DRE Commissioner full authority to determine whether an office is being used as a “place of business” for real estate brokerage purposes and every such place must have an on-sight broker representative to oversee and manage licensed activities.

Audits
The DRE may audit any individual salesperson and responsible broker suspected of operating an unlicensed place of business. Normally, the DRE comes across a business card, flier, or website which seems to direct clients and cooperating brokers to a physical address not belonging to the salesperson’s broker (usually it’s the salesperson’s home address or second job). From there, the DRE may conduct an audit or a less formal inquiry to determine the extent of business operations being conducted at the location.
If the Commissioner determines that an unlicensed office exists, the Commissioner may remedy the situation by requiring that the location become licensed (evoking tax and zoning dilemmas) or restricting/revoking the responsible party’s license.

Advertisements
Of course, agents reveal their home addresses to clients and cooperating brokers for any number of reasons – most are completely proper. Audits normally result when a non-brokerage address is posted on an advertisement or a material document to the transaction.  As such, it’s advisable to have agents refrain from ever putting home addresses on their business cards, fliers, or any other medium used as the first point of contact with clients and the general public. More obviously, an agent should never post his personal address in lieu of his broker’s address on a listing agreement, agency disclosure, or purchase contract.

Cal Bus & Profs §10163 is reproduced as follows:

“If the applicant for a real estate broker’s license maintains more than one place of business within the State he shall apply for and procure an additional license for each branch office so maintained by him. Every such application shall state the name of the person and the location of the place or places of business for which such license is desired. The commissioner may determine whether or not a real estate broker is doing a real estate brokerage business at or from any particular location which requires him to have a branch office license.”


Morning Mojo: Embrace the Pain

0 Comments

Embrace the pain…it is where the growth and success are hiding.

It was the end of 2004 when she walked into my office with tears in her eyes. She had tracked me down for an interview. I had recruited her from a smaller firm where her business was not going all that well. When she joined our firm I gave her a list of what I call “success activities” and told her that if she put them in her schedule and did them every day sun or shine she would be one of the top agents in our company. She has 2 small children and a husband who works full time, but she had an amazing work ethic. She would literally get up at 4:30 or 5 every morning, come in to the office and work until 7am. Then she would go home, get her kids up and ready for school and then come back to the office and bust her butt all day doing the activities. At about 6pm she would leave to go pick up her kids from school, bring them home, have dinner and then go back to work until about 8pm to 9pm. And she did work a lot of weekends as well. She was a woman on a mission. But after probably 6 months and only 1 deal, she was on the verge of quitting and going to get a “real job.” She literally broke down in my office and told me she was not sure this job was for her. She even considered being someone’s administrative assistant. Well, after an hour or so of encouraging her and telling her not to quit, she walked out, got back on her horse and kept going. A year later she was one of the top producers in the office and today she is one of the top producers at Intero. Today she is a success,but if she had quit when the going got tough she would have failed.

If you lift weights or run or do almost any kind of training you know that nearly all of the benefit happens in the last 10% of the exercise…it is in the 12th rep of a 12 rep exercise…is the last 1/2 mile of a 7 mile run. Improvement happens when the pain is at its peak and we think we can’t take it anymore…that is how we get better. Up until that point everything is mostly just maintenance and only helps us keep what we’ve got. But if we can push through the pain even when we think we can’t take it any longer and do just a little bit more, that is where all the gain and opportunity lies. The same thing applies in business and life. So many times we see that super successful person and think they got all of the breaks…everything went their way. I can tell you that is almost never the case. There were set backs and fear and a lot of pain along the way in almost every success story. The difference between those who have massive success and the rest is not only their amazing work ethic, but their ability to push through the setbacks and pain, when most “normal” people quit. Like exercise and fitness, success at anything in life requires discipline, accountability, resiliency and doing “it” when everyone else is sleeping and/or calls it quits. It’s showing up an hour earlier and staying an hour later than everyone else. It is that last rep when lifting weights and your arms feel like they are about to explode. It is showing up and doing it again and again even when you feel like you can’t take it anymore. Push through the pain, don’t quit, and get the reward of Success.

So, who is this Success I am talking about you ask? It is Sophie Tsang in our Cupertino office.

No pain…no gain!


Morning Mojo: Are you ready for some football

0 Comments

At the beginning of the NFL football season every team has the same goal…win the Super Bowl. Leading up to the season there is countless hours, days, weeks, and months that go into planning, strategizing and putting together a winning formula. They don’t just show up on opening day and wing it. We all know what would happen if they did.

Life and sports have so much in common. When we start our year we really need to approach it just like a new season in football, with the goal of winning our Super Bowl. The definition of winning a Super Bowl may be different for everyone, but the steps it takes to give us the best chance at accomplishing our goals is the same. We need to plan, strategize and take the time to put together our winning formula before the new season starts…don’t just show up on opening day and wing it. If we do, we are going to get CRUSHED!!!!

In Business this means putting together a Business Plan…in Life it is putting together a Life Plan. It is about taking the time to put together a plan for all the areas of our F-5 (Faith, Family, Friends, Fitness, and Finance). So many of us wait until the New Year before we take time to even consider what we are going to do to Win. I am here to tell you if we wait until then, we are winging it and we are going to get CRUSHED.

One of the things we encourage everyone to do at Intero is to create their Business Plan in October…yes 3 months before the New Year. We know this will not only help them kick off the New Year on fire, but it will help them finish this year strong. For a copy of the Intero Business Plan click here. Even if you are not in real estate there may be some ideas you can take from it in creating your own plan.

Don’t wait until the end of the year and do what most other people do…don’t wing it. Don’t wait until the end of the game when you have to throw up the Hail Mary in desperation. If you wait until then it is pretty much hopeless.

As you put together your plan remember the following:

  • A play = your day
  • A touchdown drive = your week
  • A game = your month
  • A season = your year
  • A Super Bowl = your life

Take the time to visualize your Super Bowl Winning Strategy. Then put together your plan for winning the Season (F5 Plans). Then set goals and strategies for each month. Then take those goals and strategies and put them in your calendar. Then show up every day and execute on every play (what your schedule tells you to do) with all of your effort and focus. Do this and you stand the best chance at winning a Super Bowl.

Touchdown!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Consigliere Files: HUD Offers REO Homes for $100 Down

0 Comments

The Department of Housing and Urban Development has created a strong incentive for buyers to purchase HUD-owned REOs. For a limited time, buyers in 27 select states and the US Caribbean will have the opportunity to purchase HUD REOs with only a $100 down payment.

The $100 Down Incentive

The program will allow any qualified buyer who will utilize financing insured by the Federal Housing Administration to purchase certain HUD REOs with only a $100 down. The buyer must be an owner-occupant and the sale must be for the full amount of HUDs approved listing price. The incentive will only be available for purchases within select US states and territories.

The States

Only HUD REOs within the following states and territories will be eligible for the $100 down incentive: Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Utah, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

The Terms

HUD’s approved listing price will be set by HUD and it will be largely based on the value of the property’s most recent appraisal. Any bid over HUDs listing price will require the winning bidder to bring in the “overbid amount” as additional down payment. HUD will generally disallow the winning bidder from seeking a second appraisal to adjust the approved listing price.

The buyer must only use FHA financing and a buyer may switch from conventional financing to FHA financing in order to take advantage of the incentive.

Nonprofits, investors and fictional persons will not be eligible for the $100 down incentive. It is strictly reserved for residential owner-occupants. Also, any HUD REO that was listed prior to January 4, 2008 and any HUD REO that is presently advertised through the “HUD’s Good Neighbor Next Door” program is not eligible for the incentive.

203k Loans

Some buyers will be eligible to use an FHA 203k loan in this program. This means some buyers will be able to finance repairs and renovations to the property through their single purchase money loan – all for only $100 down. However, the properties eligible for both a regular FHA 203k loan and the $100 down incentive will normally have to be listed as “uninsurable.” Buyers of properties listed “insured” or “insured with escrow” may be able to use a “Streamlined 203(k) loan” to purchase with the $100 down incentive.

HUD will also continue to cover up to 3% of the closing costs in appropriate cases.

More information on the incentive can be found here.