Jon Graham CRS, ABR

Well I was on my way into work after watching the weather report and seeing multiple school district closings due to the severe weather in the area I live and work. So I thought to myself, "How can I make the best of this day? What did I do the last time this happened?" Suddenly it hit me! The last time this happened, I took the opportunity to call my past clients to ask if they were alright for the storm...of course I ended up talking about real estate! Funny though, some of them had just been on the phone talking to family and/or friends from other areas of the state and other states altogether about some of the same things we discussed. Turns out that some friends and family weren't too happy about where they were currently residing. Bingo! I hit the jackpot!

If you're not opposed to picking up the phone or even trudging through a little snow, it's a great time to generate new and refresh old leads! I mean who doesn't have 5 minutes to talk to a realtor(R) who has information to give about their neighborhood or area of interest when they're 'stuck' in the house; maybe even with some screaming children?!

You would be surprised at the response you would get and the amount of leads you can generate! You'll even get referrals for some of your service providers which through the 'Law of Reciprocity' puts you in an excellent position to receive leads from them as well!

The greatest thing about it is...Drum roll please... You don't even have to leave the comfort of your own home if you play it right! :) And get this! Once you're done LGing you can relax just like everyone else knowing that you haven't wasted your day!

So I decided that's what I'm gonna do today! :)

God Bless You!

Will.i.am, leader of the popular group 'The Blackeyed Peas' had no idea
            of the prophetic anointing that would go out with the song inspired by
            the secured victory of the then Democratic Nominee Sen. Barack Obama
            over Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. Certainly, 'It's A new Day'
            articulated so much of what was being felt in so many hearts across this
            nation and world alike. 
            It was that historic moment orchestrated by the hand of God that forced
            many citizens of the United States to begin to search within themselves
            to see if they could find a place in their heart to break yokes of years
            of misunderstanding and mistreating people who just weren't like them.
            Yes...White, black, red, brown, and yellow had to lay aside years of
            differences to make a choice for who they believed to be the best man
            for the job on or before November 4th, 2008.
            This marked the dawning of a New Day! Now we must take hold and embrace
            the new administration with our prayers and support.
            
            And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and
            setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them
            that know understanding.  (Dan 2:21)
            
            It's a new day for the people of God!

MIRACLE ON THE HUDSON! There were 155 people onboard U.S. Airways Flight 1549 which crash(?) landed in the Hudson River less than 7 minutes after taking off from La Guardia Airport in New York. The story goes like this: The flight took off from La Guardia N.Y. at 3:24pm en route to Charlote N.C. and three minutes after takeoff, with Flight 1549 about five miles north of the airport, pilot Chesley Sullenberger reported multiple bird strikes, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Sullenberger declared an emergency and hoped to return and land at LaGuardia. The airport had runways ready to go, but the jet's two engines were losing thrust. A 16,000lb (8 ton) aircraft, not including the weight of the luggage and passengers, loses power is instantly converted into a massive glyder! Sullenberger is a veteran pilot with a perfect resume for such an incident. Graduate of the Air Force Academy, Fighter Pilot, Flight Instructor, and Owner of his very own Safety Company. How'd that happen? At 3:30 p.m., controllers spotted the jet over the Hudson River, south of the George Washington Bridge. Between 300 and 400 feet, it disappeared from the radar screen.
The pilot ditched in the icy Hudson River and all on board were rescued by ferries and emergency boats.

What might have been a catastrophe in New York - one that evoked the feel if not the scale of the Sept. 11 attack - was averted by a pilot's quick thinking and deft maneuvers, and by the nearness of rescue boats, a combination that witnesses and officials called miraculous. Miraculous and miracle seem to be the resounding description of the survival of the crew and passengers of U.S. Airways Flight 1549. Some said that everybody started praying, others say it was controlled chaos, others say they just are happy to be alive. Think about this: What are the chances that a craft moving at over 160 miles an hour could hit even water and not have it's stuctural integrity compromised? Not to mention not one life was lost on the ground of the crowded city narrowly avoided a disaster or passengers and crew! Truly this is a miracle from The Lord! I also believe that this year, the year 2009, will be a turning point for all who believe in God to experience untold miracles and many who don't currently believe will turn to God by way of witnessing the miracles in your life.

2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Your work and dedication are not in vain!

There are a few ways to measure your success in any area of your life. Your business is what I'll discuss today. In particular, there are 2 measurements that stand out more than others.

Your business can be measures by action; in other words, the things you do to make it happen. (or not!) So then ACTION is the measures you take to get business but you can't really measure your business by how much or what you do!

The real measuring stick is RESULTS! If you have all kinds of systems in place and your fingers in every pot, and you're not getting RESULTS, its time to either streamline because you're

a) doing too much to get anything done

b) what you're doing just isn't working

c) what you say you're doing and what you're doing are two horses of a different color

Getting results is the name of our game. Sure you can talk to 50 people a week but how many did you convert into clients - transactions - ...?

Results are a direct corelation to a fulfilled purpose, so if you don't know your purpose, you'll never get results. Well at least not the results you have the potential to get!

Try it! I think you'll like the RESULTS!

When you find yourself engaged in certain activities for an extended period of time, whether or not you're good at them, it could become routine and without passion. Our industry can be very fun and exciting if we remain sharp! The problem evolves when it becomes dull to you or worse yet, you become dull to it! This can happen without you even realizing it.

A mentor of mine once told me a story about a knife in a kitchen. The purpose of a knife is to cut and slice. As long as the knife cut and sliced it fulfilled it purpose in the kitchen. Now after so many uses, the knife begins to become dull and ineffective in its purpose in the kitchen.

Fortunately, outside of the kitchen on a small table on the porch lied a small piece of rock called a honing stone. This stone had the ability to bring the sharpness back to the knife so it could once again be used to effectively fulfill its purpose. The knife had only to leave the kitchen and go outside onto the porch to allow the honing stone to do its work. If the knife never leaves the kitchen it will continue to be in a dull and ineffective state. Useless!

So the story goes that the knife goes outside onto the porch, makes contact with the honing stone, and is restored to its original sharpness; or maybe even better than it was before. The knife then goes back into the kitchen and can now slice veggies and fruit, cut meat, and fulfill all its intended purpose!

Hopefully you took advantage of this holiday season to take the opportunity to relax, refresh, renew, and refocus. So here's the moral of the story: The knife is you, the kitchen is this industry, the veggies/fruit/meat are your clients/peers/service providers/partners, the honing stone is relaxation and fun, the porch/outside is (get this now!) VACATION! There it is! I said it!

If you don't take time off at least occassionally throughout the year, you become dull. Stay sharp and you'll be surprised how your mind and creativity will increase! You'll see things you couldn't see before because you could never get that from the outside looking in perspective because you were always there. You'll be able to figure out problems you were pulling your hair out over. YOU'LL JUST BE A SHARPER KNIFE!

DON'T FEEL BAD ABOUT THE TIME OFF YOU TOOK! JUST MAKE IT PAY OFF!