Gary Woltal - Assoc. Broker REALTOR® SFR Dallas Ft. Worth

While visiting many luxury homes I am impressed with doors, the double ones, the solid core ones, the ones with windows in them. But as a metaphor in life it made me think of this quotation:

"The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live."

YES, our choices and decisions. Many move us forward, others side track us or are bad for us. Others can open doors or CLOSE them for us as well with pathways to continue or pathways to stop and be no more.

Each day look around you at your DOORS and remember your life is being built step by step by what you do with that handle.

Opening it, goodness or pandora's box, or closing it and moving on to OTHER doors. Keep that image in mind as you go through your day with your selections.

I've seen high levels of tension in real estate problem negotiation and it is one of many examples in life of negativity. We need to

Release Negativity As Fast As Possible.

Think of all of it in life. Hurts, anger, pain, disagreement, cruelty, insensitivity, regret, worry, thoughtlessness, taking one for granted, selfishness, insult... the list goes on and on what any of us can be afflicted with by another at a given time. But we need to dump it as soon as possible, almost as if we wear a teflon suit. It won't go away quite that fast but to get rid of it:

Distance yourself from the person inflicting the pain, resolve the issue with problem solving or better communication, perceive where they are coming from and it is THEIR problem not yours, focus on YOU and healing and helping YOU or your clients first. WHY? WHY I ask? Why do we have to dump negativity? It robs us of energy and happiness, like a plant blowing in the wind that needs a peaceful state for that contentment butterfly to properly land.

Dump ALL negativity you have. FAST AS YOU CAN!!

I remember growing up taking the weekly piano lessons and practicing every day. Your failure early on is frustrating cause you hit the wrong notes and don't quite have the whole song down correctly. But

Most Failure Is Not Final And Is Needed For Growth

In our real estate careers and in our personal lives there is MUCH trial and lots of error till we get better. Practice makes perfect you know, so don't let your mistakes along the way embarass you. I remember early on with brand new clients I struggled to even get the key out of the key box on a door. You feel stupid, as a freshly minted agent, but you get past it. Baby steps you know.

KEEP PRACTICING and have confidence that tomorrow you will be even better than today... YOU the concert pianist!!

As a business professional or even individual in our personal life to get things done we are constantly called on to be a "problem solver." Often we have to jack ourself up to ADVANCED problem solver and be creative. Thinking outside the box, or no box, or coming up with a not thought of before idea.

Four Steps To Find Ideas To Creative Problem Solve

1. Capture ideas immediately on paper or electronically as you meditate on a solution once the problem is defined
2. Expose yourself to new experiences, travel, classes, and a wide range of different people. It gives you a better base to think of something novel
3. You being DUMB is ok. There are no dumb questions remember your teacher told you? Do not judge any of the massive list of ideas you brainstorm about a solution.
4. Steal others' ideas. In other words ask other people about solutions. Soak them all in. Two heads or MORE are better than one. Ask your peers, your associates in different fields. You will be AMAZED what other people come up with ideas to YOUR or your client's or individual or family problem

This little list should get you started being MORE CREATIVE and zero in on that optimal solution to get you past a logjam. Do you know the best problem solvers go the furthest in life? Practice this mental faculty as often as possible. Just know those who BLOG more than those who tweet or Facebook comment are the most creative of all, since they WRITE the most. It takes the most imagination to string that many coherent words together. Best of luck to you.

Many REALTORS might say it aint happening with a particular client due to their income or credit rating or sitting on the fence either by buyer or seller. But my lenders point to FOUR things past the price, condition, and inspections...

Why Some Deals Bomb And Die

• Dishonesty on the part of seller or buyer. Not disclosing fully, hiding something in someone's financial background. Today EVERYTHING gets found out
• Short sales NOT being approved cause lender is not local and does not know values
• Bad pre-approvals by loan officer not doing proper investigation of background
• Appraisal issues. With declining values, numbers come in LOWER than sale price

In getting ANY deal done the agent has to coordinate all the parties but be aware what obstacles the lenders today are frequently seeing.