As I sit here watching the final sunrise of 2011, I’m “speed thinking” about every single thing that has been a facet of this year for which I am grateful. I won’t bore you with the list of things that come to mind, but suffice it to say that it’s a very, very long list. Some things big, some things small and many things that we so often take for granted are on my list. In fact, the longer I play this game, the smaller the items on my gratitude list become…and the better I feel.

The renowned life and business coach, Dr. Fred, has a scoring system for accomplishment and for appreciating things that would suggest that the quantity of small, daily things that we seek to enjoy and appreciate will be in direct proportion to the large, momentous things we will experience. This is one of my favorite exercises, and NOW (New Year’s) is the BEST time to do it!

Dr. Fred’s scoring system requires that you make a list of things with assigned values, as follows:

• 10: Anything that you deem a part of a great DAILY experience for you gets a value of 10 points. Maybe a hot shower, a walk or a run, a great cup of coffee, reading a book, calling a friend, laughing, hugging a loved one, appreciating a sunrise and/or a sunset, time in personal prayer or reading with your child? Everything that you say could be a part of a GREAT DAY for you gets 10 points.
• 25: Anything that you deem part of a great WEEKLY experience for you gets a value of 25 points. Maybe a round of golf, a tennis match, a yoga class, lunch with a mentor or wealth determiner, reading a whole book, listing or selling a home? Everything that you say could be a part of a GREAT WEEK for you gets 25 points.
• 50: Anything that you deem part of a great MONTHLY or QUARTERLY experience for you gets a value of 50 points. Maybe a massage, taking a long weekend, attending a seminar or class that helps you grow or contacting everyone in your database by phone? Everything that you say could be a part of a GREAT MONTH OR QUARTER for you gets 50 points.
• 75: Anything that you deem part of a great SEMI-ANNUAL or ANNUAL experience for you gets a value of 75 points. Maybe it’s a motorcycle trip with your friends, a memorable family vacation, a sizeable charitable contribution to an organization that you are passionate about or the number of closings you want to have? Everything that you say could be a part of a GREAT YEAR for you gets 75 points.
• 100: Anything that you deem part of a great LIFE EXPERIENCE for you gets a value of 100 points. These are “bucket list” things. Maybe it’s seeing Victoria Falls or the Taj Mahal, playing golf on a famous golf course or writing a book? Any important thing that you say could be a part of your GREAT LIFE’S EXPERIENCE gets a value of 100 points.
And here’s the beauty of Dr. Fred’s system as I understand it. The secret of having a GREAT life is in accumulating as many “10’s” on a daily basis that you can think of. Focusing on gathering as many 10’s as you can every day helps form habits that prepare your mind to accumulate more 25’s, then 50’s, then 75’s and eventually 100’s. To consistently experience the bigger things in life that we say are important to us, we must take notice of as many wonderful and tiny things that we can think of to squeeze into our days. I love it! How many things will be on your list to experience and appreciate? How many things come to mind to appreciate that you’ve been taking for granted all this time, and how much better and resilient would your mindset be if you’d been appreciating all of the little things in your life on a daily basis?

In addition to Dr. Fred’s scoring system, now is also a great time to take inventory of the people and tasks in your life and group them into one of four categories. The four categories are: (1) People and Tasks that ADD to the quality of your life, (2) People and Tasks that SUBTRACT from the quality of your life, (3) People and Tasks that don’t just add to the quality of your life, but actually MULTIPLY the quality of your life and (4) People and Tasks that suck the life out of you. While this can be a scary exercise because of who and what falls into categories (2) and (4), it’s important to see who and what you need to limit your time with and devise a plan to insure that you do it. If you can minimize your time with people and tasks that drain your energy, you can maximize the time that you spend with those people and tasks that give you energy and give you the greatest chance of improving your results.

Regardless of how you ring in the New Year, this is one of the most ideal times for us to reflect on the past, prepare for the future and count the many blessings that we have enjoyed for the past 12 months. January 1st always signals the start of a new chapter in our lives and businesses – a chance to learn from our mistakes and do better in the year ahead. The resolutions we make come from the reality that we want to do better than we’ve done and we want to be better than we’ve been.

If resolutions are a part of your New Year’s routine, be warned! More often than not, New Year’s resolutions are more like New Year’s “wishes,” rather than New Year’s “game plans.” And just like any successful plan, all we need is a true desire for the results we seek and simple, clear actions steps that will lead us to those results. Action steps and desire. Desire and action steps. Both must be present for any plan, let alone a resolution, to be successful. I’m certain that any failed attempt to reach a goal comes from a lack of desire and/or a plan that’s too complicated to implement consistently over time. So, as you formulate your resolutions for the New Year, make sure you have a burning desire to achieve them and a simple action plan to achieve them before you call them “resolutions.”

I’m off to ring in the New Year with my family. And as I count my many blessings, I count you among them. If you read my “little” messages, I appreciate you for that. If you ever respond to them because you like them (or not), I appreciate you for that, too. While I have the great fortune of enjoying what I do for a living, that pales in comparison to whom I get to work with every day. The people of this great company challenge me and inspire me to be my very best. It is my distinct privilege to work for you and with you, and I pray that 2012 will be a year of blessings for you, your business and your family. Together, we shall reach new heights of achievement in the year to come. I say, “Bring it on.”

Your #1 Fan…

SHAUN

Superstars…
 
In sports, the time clock creates urgency. The clock also creates winners and losers when it ticks its way to “zero.” At the end of every game, the people and teams who were playing go home with a “W” or an “L” associated with their name. And when the score is close and there are only seconds remaining on the clock, the energy and intensity of the situation rise to a level that only talent can respond to. In times like this, talent wants the ball. Talent lives for the opportunity to win when losing seems just as likely an outcome. While talent doesn’t win every game, talent always wins over time. Most importantly, talent always takes the shot and enjoys the feeling of victory or learns from the frustration of defeat.
 
I recently read that the single most important attribute that is shared by the most successful entrepreneurs is “a tolerance for ambiguity.” Bryon Ellington with Keller Williams Realty International shared this educational piece with me. It went on to say that it’s possible for a tolerance for ambiguity to be learned, but most often it is not. Regardless of whether a tolerance for ambiguity is a natural or a learned behavior, it is rare, despite how important it seems to be.
 
“A tolerance for ambiguity.” What does that mean? It means that that you must move forward and take action without knowing the final outcome. It means that you hope for the best and plan for the worst. It means that you value the process more than the destination. It means that one’s quest for the thrill of victory will never be held hostage by the fear of the thought that he might lose. It means that putting everything you’ve got on the line is the only way to know what you are capable of, and is therefore, the only way to learn and grow. Stretching, finding our discomfort zone, and facing, fighting and learning from adversity are key components to discovering the power of our potential. A tolerance for ambiguity implies that we actually have to watch the movie in order to know and appreciate how it ends.
 
Whether it’s watching the Superbowl, the Final Four, the Stanley Cup series, the Indy 500, or the Masters, it’s the unexpected thrills and shifts in momentum that draws us to the drama of competition and success. Not knowing the outcome is the most exciting part. And without the journey, without the fight, without the experience of chasing victory that is achieved or not, any outcome would be meaningless.
 
All of us know people who worked their way from nothing to achieve great success and wealth. We also know people who were born into it. Those who had to work for every dollar they ever earned have a different respect for their capital, what it takes to make it and what it takes to keep it, as compared to those who have always had it in their life. Most people agree that the self made men and women of life have learned lessons and developed the confidence in themselves that only their journeys can create.
 
Regardless of our journey towards success, significance or wealth, perhaps it is our own tolerance for ambiguity that will determine our level of effort towards our destination. The great Wayne Gretzky said, “I miss 100% of the shots I never take.” Few people realize that Babe Ruth, the legendary king of hitting home runs, was also the king of strike outs. All or nothing. It’s the only way to play and achieve the greatness we are capable of.
 
Trying our very best guarantees that anything is possible. Yet, the slightest withholding of effort will only insure regret. If developing, or re-discovering, our tolerance for ambiguity can help us become the very best version of ourselves, then might I suggest we do it? If looking at the games being played in stadiums, courts, tracks and on television excite us, then why not look at our own careers and lives with the same sense of excitement, knowing that winners are developed by giving their all, both physically and emotionally?
 
I’ve often described the professionals of the real estate industry as “financial daredevils” because we get up and go to work without any assurance that we are going to be paid. Our assurance comes from our confidence in ourselves; it comes from our passion for serving others; it comes from knowing that productive energy produces positive results; it comes from being a part of a team that gives us every chance of success by supporting us, educating us and holding us accountable to the all-star performances we are capable of. I’m convinced that it’s the uncertainty – the ambiguity – that creates greatness and brings out the greatness in all of us. We must not wish for certain outcomes. Rather, we must wish for the strength and the courage to play at the level that can only insure those outcomes.
 
I love Keller Williams Realty for many reasons. One of the many is that this company continues to find ways to help every associate enhance their tolerance for ambiguity by providing us with the best leadership, training, tools and technology to help us build careers worth having, businesses worth owning and lives worth living.
 
Want the ball. Take the shot, no matter the outcome. “It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game.”
 
Your #1 Fan…
 
SHAUN
 
Shaun Rawls
Operating Partner – Keller Williams Realty – The Rawls Group – Atlanta, Ga.
Regional Director – Keller Williams Realty – New York Tri-State Region

“I got your back”… no really!

 I woke up on Saturday morning grateful for the weekend and the end of what was a pretty bad week. I blamed it on the full moon after reading the night before that it was the brightest, closest and perhaps craziest it has been in 20 years.  We won’t see it this way again until 2029. GOOD!

The week had proven to be tedious. Dave was traveling for work and I was on overtime mommy duty. My work week had also presented me with many challenging opportunities.  It was finally Friday. Just as I sat down to start my day, the coffee mug slipped from my hands shattering on my master bedroom floor and covering both my computer and sitting area couch where I work. Luckily the baby was down stairs and Jacob; my 3.5 year old tried to help me without causing his own mess as little boys so often do. For a moment, I had forgotten about the drama the night before. The previous evening I had been helping a sick neighbor with her three year old son.  What could be more fun after a long day of work than bathing your own three children and just adding one more to the mix? No big deal right? Right… The boys thought it would be a great idea to play soccer with my three rings. Not just any rings, my wedding band, engagement ring and new valentine’s gift ring from my sweet husband. After hours of searching and successfully retrieving two of the three, the wedding band still was missing. 

I cleaned up the coffee and committed to having a great day. I was looking forward to finishing it with a haircut/color and happy to have my hair done by someone other than myself.  I was also looking forward to the time in the salon as I am able to return phone calls and emails that would normally wait until after 8 pm. No sooner did I sit down for my 55 minutes under the dryer did my phone die. Ok, I am resourceful; someone in this place has got to have a charger I thought to myself. Nope. I left the salon at 5:30 to race home to the kids and I raced too much! Bam, right in front of me was a curb and fire hydrant. Yikes!  I hurried on past the off roading experience when about 2 blocks later I heard the loudest scratching and felt the pulling of the car. Darn a flat tire. I managed another few blocks and parked in front of a friend’s house. Luckily he was home and gave me a ride.  I was greeted by Dave, who looked at my hair and said what happened? It was red instead of blonde.

As you can imagine, by the time I woke up on Saturday I was happy to see a new day.  Being such a beautiful one, I thought our family should take a walk. I came upstairs and heard a voice coming from what sounded like the roof. And I was correct. On the roof, stood my husband with a rope tied around him and attached to the column in our master bedroom. Normal, right? There he stood with a broom cleaning the gutters.  At that moment I realized I was on my own for the walk. Now, one child could not possibly stay back with Daddy and all insisted on coming with me. It will be fun, I told myself as I decided which strollers should come on the journey. To my disappointment, I was unable to pull the double jogger of the hanging rack in the garage while holding a baby and watching a 2.5 and 3.5 year old wrestle one another to the floor. So, we decided on the single jogger and the Mcclaren, a simple folding stroller for one.  Jacob would push Andrew and I would push Sarah and we would stay on the sidewalk. What could possibly go wrong? We made it about half way down the neighborhood before I realized this might not be a good idea. Luckily, we were invited inside to play for a while and I resorted to the fact it just might not be a walking day. Fine, we’d head back up the street and play outside and still enjoy the day. We played with the neighbors for a while and it was time to do just that. Head back up the street. Only this time, Andrew the 2.5 year old, wanted to push Jacob the 3.5 year old in the stroller. Not in the mood to play defense I agreed. We would all stay together on the sidewalk and I would hold both strollers. That would be easy enough. The boys headed on past me and before I could even stay stop, the stroller wheels turned down the street instead of back up. It all started happening so fast and I had to make choices no mother would ever want to make. Instinctually, I tried to push my stroller with Sarah to a stopping point and run down the hill after the boys. No luck as the street was too steep to hold mine in place. I could let go of hers to run after the boys, but I couldn’t do it, she is just a baby I thought. The boys picked up speed heading straight for North Stratford a busy cut through street. I watched two cars pass by.  Andrew held on to his brother’s stroller for dear life. I watched this precious little boy being pulled down a hill holding on with no intention of letting go.  I screamed the words help and stop two times each as loud as I could. There were now two choices. Yell for Andrew to let go of Jacob and the stroller and hope it would cross the street without facing a car or have faith that Andrew could save his brother and stop the stroller and risk them both being hit. I chose the latter. How could I ask a brother to let go of everything he looks up to? I had to believe that this little boy, so filled with love in heart, could stop the out of control stroller that held my first born.   I took a deep breath and yelled, “Hold on Andrew, turn the stroller, turn the stroller.” At the same time Jacob also guided his brother. “To the driveway” Jacob pointed. Andrew’s little feet moved so fast as he pulled back with all of his might on the stroller to slow it down, all while turning it at the direction of his brother. Andrew turned the stroller and it landed sideways…on the driveway, the last driveway before the street.  For a brief moment, I stood in silence, shocked at how much could happen in such a short amount of time. I ran to the boys and hugged them. Jacob was freaking out and Andrew just stared, pale as a ghost and then smiled with a look of peace on his face. As we made our way back up the hill, this time with neither in the stroller, I thanked God over and over again.

Dave and I refer to our family as Team Moran. We frequently talk to the boys about looking out for one another and what it means to say “I’ve got your back.” We sat down for lunch and I explained to them how proud of the teamwork they displayed and praised Andrew for never letting go of his brother. I held Andrew’s sweet face and said “You did great Andrew, did you have help?” He said, yes mama, God helped me.” You would think that a mother would be surprised to hear those words from a two year old boy, but I was not.  There is no doubt that our little miracle boy had help and he knew it too.  

So, “I got your back” took on a new meaning for me today. Not only did I see it in action in a way I could not have dreamed about, I witnessed the true great love of GOD, who really did have our back.

Today was a good day. It was a really good day.