Linda Bourgault

With the election of our new president and on the eve of Veteran’s Day my thoughts turn to what can we do on Activerain to help our nation during these tumultuous times; to help our new president to be effective and efficient in addressing our multi-challenges; to help one another improve our business(s); to help one another bring peace and prosperity to our world; and help bring our military members home. We can do this one drop of “rain” at a time.

By joining together we can fill a bucket and it will overflow into another bucket until all of our buckets are filled... there will be enough of whatever we need, enough to share with those that don’t have a bucket. This is not an original thought. We know about this idea and many practice it well, yet I still find too much negativity, too much ignorance or just too much “I don’t careisms” to sit still and be quiet.

The message is worth repeating again and again... let’s begin

one drop at a time.

To begin let us remember that we became the greatest nation in the world... it was done by design and great purpose—to develop a new land where people would be free to choose their direction and create new opportunities. This was the grand plan and we are still working on that plan today. We may not always agree upon the direction or the way we do this, but the plan remains. You can see it if you dare to look around you.

It manifests itself in many ways.

One of mine came from a friend yesterday. He told me about his pastor’s Sunday sermon. His pastor is one that has a rule of not bringing politics into the pulpit, but he broke his rule yesterday. He said he was not in complete agreement with the Bush administration and doesn’t expect to be in total agreement with Obama’s adminstration. He stated clearly that this isn’t the point. The point is to understand that there is a plan, a grand plan, that we all share— a responsibility to help this plan to grow and be fruitful.

It is our responsibility to participate in this plan... to trust in the plan which is greater than any one of us. We are not here to negate or tear down the good, we are here to uphold what is good, to build and to share. Leave the negativity and disengagement behind, become positive and engage... pick up your bucket and begin to add one drop at a time. You will be amazed by what can be accomplished.

An example we can remember occured on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the

eleventh month of 1918 when the armistice was signed. The fighting on the war that

ended all wars, World War I, had ended. Armistice Day was created to remember the

fighting had stopped and to embrace the peace. This was the beginning to what we

celebrate in our nation on November 11th, Veteran’s Day, honoring those who have

served in war and peace.

We can honor our nation and our plan for a better place, by remembering our

forefathers, our veterans, our families and our responsibility to them and ourselves

by filling our buckets one drop at a time... to give freely, contribute with purpos

and soon discover our buckets are overflowing with plenty to share and never

have empty buckets again.

So what are you waiting for? Go get your bucket and fill it up... one drop at a time!

T & A = Timing and Attitude is one of the essential formulas for successful loss mitigation.

Timing—Reaching your client as early as possible in their challenge to pay their mortgage and learning the reasons why they can't make their payments is paramount. Do they anticipate problems due to job loss, illness or other changes in their professional or personal circumstances or have they been underwater for several months or somewhere in between? These questions and more are required to determine which path is best.

It's easy for some people to see their problems coming before they hit critical mass. Therefore, it's easier for them to seek and receive help before the mortgage company hits them with late payment fees, etc. Working with these folks makes the process fairly smooth and a positive outcome can usually be guaranteed. However, if a person waits until they are one payment late or even longer the rate of success is radically reduced. The result of foreclosure or the loss of a short sale increases dramatically the longer a person delays in seeking a workable solution.

Attitude—Clients also need to understand that their attitude can make or break a positive outcome. They need to cooperate and be honest about their current mortgage situation. If they lie about how far behind they are with their payments, their income, credit card debt, employment issues, etc. they have not only wasted your time, but theirs as well. The clock keeps ticking while you try to figure out fact from fiction.

It's understandable that people are embarrassed about not being able to pay their bills, but it's more embarrassing to lose your home because you wasted valuable time by hiding the facts or thinking no one will notice bad credit history, job loss or other problematic information.

So it is essential to convey to your clients that the earlier you begin to seek a workable solution and the more positive their attitude the more likely they will receive positive results. The goal after all is to avoid foreclosure or to close a successful short sale.

Here's a true example of poor timing and unrealistic attitude I've personally encountered as a certified loss mitigation consultant...

Not long ago a man called in a panic, sounding just like the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland, saying,"what am I gonna do, what am I gonna do...?" He really didn't want to answer many questions... he kept saying he had been able to keep from losing his house for over a year by telling his mortgage company one thing or another, but they weren't buying his story any longer because he had failed to perform too many times. Yet he was convinced he could come up with another scheme. I tried to obtain info concerning his spouse... did she work outside the home? No, she was a homemaker. Is she willing to get a job? No, she doesn't know about their financial problems! Would he consider working an extra job? No, he couldn't do that because she would begin to ask questions. You get the picture. The man was in absolute denial and would not accept the reality of his situation. There wasn't anything I could do for him. I'm not sure why he even called me. I felt badly for his family.

We can't help all of the people all of the time but it is rewarding when we can help some of the people some of the time.

For FREE photos see link below:

http://www.dreamstime.com

I'm in the midst of shaking the dust off of old skills, updating them and generating new skills. The timing couldn't be better considering the current shake-up in the market place. It's a time of rapid change and I don't think everyone will make the transition successfully unless they are willing to embrace CHANGE for themselves and their professional endeavors.

I've updated my blog header by adding my logo and updated the services I offer. I've added photography to my skill set, placed a new focus on my design services for real estate professionals and revamped my consultant services as well. In the upcoming days and weeks I will continue to update, tweak, try new things... essentially embracing CHANGE to improve myself, my service and help others do the same.

The panic about the stock market, real estate market, mortgage market, and unemployment is real. I know because I see people scrambling around me everyday like chickens with their heads cut-off crying just like Chicken Little, "the sky is falling, the sky is falling!" I don't believe this is helpful. What I do believe is that this is an excellent opportunity to change—learn, think and act!

I know that change isn't always easy, yet it's one of the few things in life that we can depend on. Like me, many of you are already in the midst of positive change. I hope more people will embrace it and receive the full benefit change can bring.

Cheers to Change—

What a beautiful day to celebrate the first anniversary of Bruce's flight into a world of joy! I took my kayak to Lake Grapevine near Flower Mound, Texas armed with a couple of Bruce's favorite things—Shiner Bock beer and a hot dog plus rose petals to scatter across the water at sunset. This was a venture for two this year... just Bruce's spirit and me on the lake.

Just before sunset a Great Blue Heron flew up on the shore. He looked straight at me, then turned to greet another Heron that flew up beside him. They took off and flew across the water together into the sunset. I thought my heart would leap out of my chest. It was glorious to behold—perfect.

After drinking the beer, eating some of the hot dog and sharing the rest with the fishes it was time for a toast..."Cheers my Love—well done!"

Here are a few photos...

Copyright by Linda Bourgault/lulugraphix@yahoo.com. All rights reserved.

If you want to use one of these photographs please ask permission.