Superstars…

Back in the day, I used to be a pretty competitive tennis player. I became interested in playing tennis seriously in junior high school, and by the time I graduated high school, my performance on the tennis court was a very big part of who I was. One of my biggest influencers as a young man was my high school tennis coach, Coach Whitlow. He was one of the coolest teachers I ever knew. He could crack the whip of discipline with ease, and he could tell jokes and poke fun at us kids even easier. I rarely got dressed for school without making sure that there wasn’t something about my appearance that Coach Whitlow could make fun of because if he could, he would. I loved Coach Whitlow for always reminding me that I was capable of being better than I was. Regardless of how tired or lazy I was, he wouldn’t let me linger there. And I always found myself wanting to push myself harder under his direction.

One of the greatest friends in my lifetime has been Mark Brown. Mark and I met in the 7^th grade and we played on the basketball team together throughout the following years, and we ultimately ended up as doubles partners on the tennis court. The more we played, the better we got. And during our senior year we found ourselves playing in the state championship tournament some two hours outside of Atlanta.

Coach Whitlow drove us to the tournament, and during our drive he talked to us continually about our mindset and our perspective. He knew us both. He knew that we were skilled enough to win; he also knew that we were probably too immature to let that happen. As Mark and I joked and talked about our opportunity to play in the state tournament, Coach Whitlow listened and took it all in.

“You boys have put in a lot of hard work to get here,” Coach said. “It’s going to be a shame to drive all this way and come home without winning.”

“What do you mean, ‘without winning’?” we asked.

“You’re not focused on winning.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Because you are acting like this is your first crack at a state championship, and you’re just happy to be here. You’ve already lost if you’re just happy to be here. And I think you’re both just happy to be here.”

As it turned out, Mark and I lost that day. It was one of the most disappointing losses of our career together on the court. To say that we were mad would be an understatement. I was mad at not playing to the level of which we were capable, but I was even “madder” at the fact that Coach Whitlow was right. We were so excited to play in that tournament that we were, in fact, just happy to be there. And in less than two hours, we were back in the car with Coach Whitlow, heading for home. I’m not sure if any of us spoke on the way back. Mark and I sat there, stewing over our regret while Coach let the lesson sink in. And it did.

Fast forward to today. It’s 2013. More than 25 years have passed since that day. I, along with my Realtor friends and family, have successfully battled through the toughest 5 years that our industry – and our economy – has ever seen. And now we find ourselves in a rebounded market, ripe with the opportunity to re-succeed in new, yet familiar market conditions. For many, the next several years may be no different than my trip to the state tournament. If you survived the past five years, you could be at risk for just being “happy to be here” in a market with momentum, anxious only to ride the economic tide to wherever it takes you.

If, in any way, you resemble that remark, then I’d like you to take your right hand and slap yourself across the cheek right now. You can’t afford to sell yourself short like that. As Mark Willis recently reminded me, “The infinite power of the universe does not exist for you to be average.” The universe provides a lot of things, but it usually provides answers to the questions we ask, and nothing more. In the Aladdin Factor, we learned that the size of our questions determines the size of our answers. If you don’t like the answers that life is giving you (the amount of money you receive, the quality of the relationships you have, the level of stress you live with, etc.), then you need to ask bigger questions that beg for bigger answers in your life.

The past 5 years has created a detrimental mindset of “survival” for many people, particularly for people in the real estate industry. And if you give more power to your memory of the past than you give to the opportunities in your future, then you’re going to find yourself wallowing in regret that’s reminiscent of my loss in the state championship years ago. Quite simply, it’s time to clear out your memory and re-set your hard drive.

What would phenomenal success and happiness look like over the next 5 years? What could you do TODAY that would be a great first step in that direction? What do you need to do to solidify your resolve to win? Do you have the right people around you who make you want to do and be better? Are these people modeling success for you, leaving clues for you to follow? What’s wrong with your thinking that’s always been wrong with your thinking? And what do you intend to do about it? Now is the time to answer these questions and get serious about building a career worth having, a business worth owning and a life worth living. Later is for losers. “Now” is how you need to roll. Now is when you need to go, to be, to do, to have. Now is when you need to live into your future with your actions. “The infinite power of the universe does not exist for you to be average.”

I don’t know about you, but I’m ready. I’m ready to be better than I’ve ever been. I’m ready to win this match. The market of the past five years has only given me more experience and more confidence to succeed in any market, and I’m going to make the best of the best conditions we’ve seen in years, and I want to help you do the same. I’m asking that you join me, that you take a stand and declare your intention to get your unfair share of what is yours for the taking. I’m asking that you ask for greatness and work relentlessly until you find it for yourself. Will you? Won’t you?

“Together Everyone Achieves More.” Losing out on a great future by settling for average is not an option that we should consider. Let’s win this thing.

Your #1 Fan…

SHAUN

Shaun Rawls
OP – Keller Williams Realty – The Rawls Group – Atlanta
RD – Keller Williams Realty – NY Tri-State Region
www.RawlsGroup.org

Superstars…

Growing up is a tedious process. It’s filled with trials and errors born out of the “research and development” of immaturity and a curious mind. Everybody grows up, or at least has a chance to. I would think that the concepts of right and wrong start to take shape shortly after birth and get honed throughout our lives. Our sense of self-worth, our vision for our lives, our environment and the leaders around us tend to have the greatest influence on our behavior as it pertains to doing the right things or doing the wrong things.

I grew up in schools that disciplined with corporal punishment. For those of you Gen Y’s, that means that the concept of right and wrong were taught by applying a wooden paddle swiftly and firmly to the buttocks of one who crossed the line of good behavior and entered the land of bad behavior. Students’ poor choices of behavior were usually corrected by a “one, two or three licks” system. You got one lick for lesser offenses, three licks for something bad, and two if the principal couldn’t decide between the two. By the time I got out of elementary school, I had enough experience with the paddle that I knew punishment of this kind was something I wanted to avoid, if I could help it.

In the third grade, my posse and I were sent to the principal’s office for instigating a food fight in the lunch room. The principal was a huge man, who many believed to have been kin to Big Foot. As I remember the event, he seemed to take great delight in looking at six boys and telling us that it was the first time in his career that he would get to swing his paddle 18 times in a single day. That was the first time I was ever paddled in school. Unfortunately, it was not the last. I was paddled several times of the next few years, mostly for fighting and once for peeing out of a second story window with my good and most influential friend, Ben…but that’s a story for another time.

My parents and grandparents all believed in physical punishment, or discipline, as well. Unlike the heavy, wooden paddles they used at school, spankings were delivered by hand, tree branches or belts in my family. And unlike many parents today, my parents didn’t idly threaten a spanking. There were no threats. There were spankings. One of the ways that decisions were made when facing an opportunity to cross the line, was to try to evaluate how bad the spanking would be. And the thought of a painful or embarrassing experience was often enough for me to determine that crossing the line was not worth the consequences. I got spanked for not saying, “Yes, ma’am or No, sir” to an adult. I got spanked for bringing home bad grades, for fighting, for bad language, for disobeying, for being an idiot and for whatever I did to get spanked in school.

But perhaps what influenced me most growing up, and even today, is disappointing the people that I love and respect the most. While I hated receiving physical punishment, I could deal with it, learn from it and move on. What I hated was letting my mom or my grandmother down and feeling like they thought less of me and my abilities. Disappointing those two growing up was more painful than any spanking I received. As a result, I learned to strive to not disappoint them. Even more important, I strived to make them proud of me. And what I realize now is that I wanted to earn freedom, autonomy and respect, three things that come from making good decisions without the influence of rules, instructions or management by others. Making good decisions creates opportunities and freedom; making bad decisions takes those things away.

Even today, I have a long list of those who I love and respect, people I don’t want to disappoint and who I want to make proud of me. I realize that what I do every day will reflect positively or poorly on others, as well as myself, and I have a responsibility to try to make the most appropriate choices.

As a broker, my greatest hope is that our associates have the same sense of responsibility when conducting their businesses. Since we don’t use corporal punishment in the workplace, I would love nothing more than for everyone to live and work worried about doing something really wrong, fearful about disappointing me or their peers or their clients and customers. When you do business with someone, you will be a reflection of our company and our industry, in addition to yourself, and that is something no one should ever forget. A couple of years ago, my Team Leaders gave me stickers that said “WWSD?” It means “What would Shaun do?” I loved them because that’s exactly what I would love for my agents to ask before they do something they shouldn’t do.

I’m writing all of this because someone did something they shouldn’t have done. It was an unfathomable choice of poor proportions. And it involved someone that I truly believe to have greatness within them. If I could spank them, I would. However, the consequences of my disappointment and a reduction of opportunity and freedom will have to suffice.

Please think about every choice you make. Think about the consequences. Think about the freedom and opportunities you could create for yourself by making the right choice. Think about the lack of freedom and opportunities you will create for yourself by making the wrong choice. Think about who could be proud of you and who could be disappointed in you. Think about how you will feel about yourself. Think about whether or not what you are doing is something that you would like printed on the front page of the newspaper. Think! And make your decisions based on the future and greatest version of yourself that you wish to become, not on your current circumstances and needs.

As Matthew Kelly says, “Is what I am doing helping me to become the greatest version of myself, or something less?” We must ask this question all day long, every day of every week of every month of every year.

I am here for anyone with whom I am in business. I would love nothing more than to help people in times of need. Our market center leaders feel the same way. We are all approachable and able to discuss the toughest of topics in an effort to make a positive difference and an impact on the people we work with. If you are vulnerable to making a bad decision, please talk to someone before you make it. Simply put, bad decisions are best discussed before they are made, not after.

Among your New Year’s resolutions, please add “make GREAT decisions” to your list. If not for yourself, then do it for me because I believe that you deserve the very best that life has to offer.

Your #1 Fan…
SHAUN

Shaun Rawls
OP – Keller Williams Realty – The Rawls Group
RD – Keller Williams Realty – NY Tri-State Region
shaunr@kw.com
www.rawlsgroup.org

Superstars…

Like many January firsts before, today marks the beginning of a new year. It’s an iconic day because most everything we know in regard to time, development, relationships, productivity and profits re-sets and gives us the chance and the choice to do better, to do the same or to do worse than we did last year.

While I am usually optimistic about a new year, there are a couple things that I find particularly exciting about 2013. For starters, 2013 is a year that is beginning with momentum. Unlike recent years past, all indications are that real economic traction should continue and create a tailwind that favors the masses. As a student of the statistics and cycles of real estate, I’ve predicted that the (Atlanta) market would be back in full swing in the spring of 2013 for more than two years now, and I am thrilled to report that it appears I will be proven right.

It’s been said that success happens when preparation meets opportunity. For me, I believe that we have been preparing our people to take full advantage of the emerging opportunities of the market. We have educated relentlessly, we have provided more tools and products than ever before and we have supported our people with dedicated leaders who demonstrate a passion for our agents’ success on a daily basis. We’ve been spoiling our associates with preparation for years, and I believe that 2013 will expose our efforts with expanded success throughout our organization. While an optimistic economy and positively shifting market favors the weak, it provides the greatest opportunities for those who are ready, willing and able to maximize their success. For those of us who have succeeded through past years, this year will provide conditions for extreme success. My leadership plan involves me doing everything I can to improve your personal and professional growth, and to enhance the opportunities to succeed for all of our associates.

The other reason I’m excited about 2013 is that I believe that 13 is a LUCKY NUMBER. Like most things in my life, I’ve never succumbed to negative thoughts, beliefs or superstitions. When the crowd goes right, I usually go left…and vice-versa. I’ve always liked the number 13 and I’ve embraced it as a number to be excited about, rather than one to be feared. We’re going to be enjoying the fruits of living in the year 13 all year long!

I’ve been listening to Jim Rohn CDs throughout the holidays. Jim said to “set a better sail” if you want better results than the ones you’ve got. It’s not the strength or direction of the wind that matters; it’s the set of your sail. We’ve certainly found this to be true over the past five years. Now we must set our sails in a new direction to take full advantage of the winds we have today. Jim also said that all of our relationships should be evaluated and put into three different categories. Each of our relationships should be classified as one that requires disassociation, diminished association or expanded association. Nothing has greater influence on our progress and development than the people with whom we are associated. Having the right relationships carry us to new heights while the wrong ones carry us further and further away from where we want to be. No resolution is more important to you than one focused on enhancing the right relationships and diminishing – or dissolving – the wrong ones.

With that said, let us all resolve to be contributing participants in each of our relationships throughout the new year. Let’s endeavor to develop ourselves to our capacity and to share our gifts to the fullest with those around us. Coming from contribution can only return our efforts with peace, joy and prosperity, three things that we can never have enough of. I’ll do my part, will you?

Happy New Year… and a Lucky 13 to you!

Your #1 Fan…
SHAUN

Shaun Rawls
www.rawlsgroup.org
OP – Keller Williams Realty, The Rawls Group – Atlanta
RD – Keller Williams Realty’s NY Tri-State Region