Friday's Thoughts May 22,2009

Friday’s Thoughts . . .
Wow! Disneyland and a week of huge learning and fun!
This is my first vacation in seven years. A mistake that I will not repeat. There are three distinct categories of time: work time, education time and play (recovery)time. Most of our early years are spent in play up until we become five or six, then we spend most of our day in school learning, as we become adults we move into spending most of our time at work and finally when we retire we begin to spend our time in play mode for as long as we have our health. More and more people are moving towards having all these different time categories occurring together. For the past seven years my life has been way out of balance. I spent much of it on a plane or in a classroom and the balance of it helping our agents and building a new franchise. I left little time for play. That doesn’t mean there was no play, it was just not in enough abundance. Lucky for me after 20+ years I still love my work. However this week I have a renewed experience about how valuable it is to take time to rejuvenate yourself. When you do that, you bring more energy to every other part of your life. Play time is very valuable. Spending time playing with my family this week has been amazing!
For those of you who I have the privilege to coach will know that I am a strong proponent of one day totally off a week and four days off in a row every six weeks plus a minimum of two holidays. I know that this recovery and rejuvenation time is critical for longevity and success in this business. I have no challenge pushing you hard to take time off because I know the benefits are huge. However, without a life coach myself – I focussed only on what I was coached on – building a profitable business. Creating play time is a focused activity that is purposeful in its intention to provide you with recovery and rejuvenation time. It is as important as work or education time in the benefits it brings. Play time needs to be written down in your day timer at the beginning of the year (or now for the balance of the year if you haven’t done so already). The rule is to write all these activities in pencil and what you erase – you replace somewhere in the balance of the year.
This week I have experienced what you give your focus to happens. We are powerful creators. I have watched Olivia (my granddaughter) literally will things to her. She shows up just at the right moment to get on rides. She was very clear each day prior to entering into Disneyland what rides she wanted to go on and in what order. She also set her mind on a few items at the gift store, (which are all now in her possession).
Being a systems maniac,I have always had a passion around Disneyland. After this trip I am absolutely impressed with the systems and the people involved in the Disney Experience. It’s the magic that is created when each guest’s experience has been beyond what they expected it would be. I learned through reading the book “Creating Magic” by Lee Cockerell (this week) that this magic doesn’t happen by accident. Every situation has been planned out. They have scripts for every situation. This book is fabulous and the strategies can be applied by anyone in business. Did you know that every employee of Disney learns scripts, role plays regularly and they take classes at the Disney Institute, over and over – until it is part of who they are? The employees are keenly aware of their direct impact on their coworkers and the guests. Business is business, whether its theme parks or real estate sales. It’s all about building relationships and learning all the dialogues to communicate at the highest level. The success of business is determined by the experience our client receives. It’s about mastering the basics and building upon them. It’s about the ability to focus fully on the key 20% that creates success and the ability to stay out of the “stuff”.
I’ve learned from my 3 1/2 yr old granddaughter that reality and dreams crossover. When we turned the corner and she saw Ariel and then Cinderella she believed without a doubt they were the real thing and not just a character on the DVD . Now, that she had spoken to them, they were real! When she put on the princess dress we bought her (which she wore for the next three days straight) she literally became a princess, too. I recognized just how important it is for all of us to connect and reconnect with the people who we do business with. Disney knows that once Audrey connected with the “real” Ariel, she will forever connect to Disneyland. It made me wonder what we create for our clients to always bring our names to the top of their minds when they think of real estate.
Finally, I’ve learned from my littlest granddaughter, Kristy that laughter makes every situation better. She has entertained her entire family on this trip, I’ve learned all the actions to The Wheels on the Bus, how to answer “Oh No” when she says “Oh Man!”. She has the ability to charm even the grumpiest of us with her smile and sparkly eyes. It’s all about her attitude. This 1 ½ yr old is an amazing communicator! She’s direct and honest. We always know exactly where we stand with her. There is no mask, if she’s tired we know, if she’s happy we know, if she’s afraid we know it. Makes me think about what I create in my life, with my attitude – Is it exactly what I want to consciously create - I hope so – because I am creating it, everyday in everyway.
Today is our last day in Disneyland. I wanted you to know that you were in my thoughts. I feel very blessed to have each of you in my business family. I hope you had a great week!
D eb
PS. Don’t forget about the Mastermind next week. Each month we bring in a successful agent so we can learn about their organizational models and strategies they have used to create their success. You won’t want to miss Ray Yenkana owner and mega agent of RE/MAX Little Oaks – guests are welcome, they just need to be registered.
PPS Don’t forget to gather your items for the “Yard Sale for the Cure”, next Saturday.