Back to School

It is hard to believe - it’s August and Arizona’s back to school. Educational learning is vital to making it in today’s world.

Ken and I concluded our  formal education years ago. However, today we are committed to continually grow as individuals.  Independent studies allow us to have a stronger more vibrant interdependent relationship.

We accomplish this through self-discipline and  the use of lots tools we have at our disposal. We read, listen, study and  attend small discussion groups as well as major conferences.  We’ve learned we must be open to change.

This week we are both attending the Willow Creek Leadership Conference.

It is sad to me when I hear someone say “I’ve not read a book since I graduated” and  “I don’t attend seminars”.

According to Wikipedia  “continuing education should be a part of everyone’s lifestyle." In the spring of 2009, Eduventures, a higher education consulting firm, released the results of a study that illustrated that the recession had made a significant impact on the views of prospective continuing education students. A survey of 1,500 adults who planned to enroll in a course or program within the next two years determined that while nearly half of respondents believed that the value of education had risen due to the recession, over two-thirds said the state of the economy had affected their plans to pursue continuing education.

That last sentence in the above paragraph is what I really struggle with.  In today’s world you do not have to spend money to benefit from continuing education. 

There are so many ways to increase your knowledge and personal understanding without ever leaving home.

A quick look on the internet introduced me to this site:  https://www.diygenius.com/100-self-education-resources-for-lifelong-learners/

And if you are reading this you have access to the internet. 

Rather than watching NCIS or America’s Got Talent, why not spend an hour listening to a TED talk or reading a personal development book 

My belief is kids go back to school, so should we. 

So in conclusion, the  world around you takes advantage of today’s technology, what’s it going to take for you to do the same?  

Find a spot and gain some great educational insight; add to your personal understanding of life, you will be better for it.

It's a Funk

Do you ever get in a funk? I do.

There are days when all I want to do  is to sit and do nothing!

No exercise!  Eat whatever I want when I want!!  I do not want to read, study, or be sociable!!!   I simply want to feel sorry for myself. If I were a kid I would suck my thumb.

So out of curiosity, I  looked up the word funk. Guess what I  discovered?

The British definition for funk is a coward.  Well that did not go over well with me so I looked further only to discover - when used as a verb it means to avoid a task or thing out of fear. 

Ok. That’s not much better, but over the years I have learned  how to overcome fear.

You know: the  fear of failure, fear of the unknown, fear of feeling overwhelmed, or  simply the fear of not being good enough.

I have learned that fear is an automatic response of my brain. The source is a tiny part of my brain called the  amygdala.  The amygdala creates my "fight or flight  response".  It is primitive, automatic and inborn. 

WOW!  So a funk is something that can and should be worked through.

Well that’s pretty simple, not easy, but simple.  Just do it!  So when I apply the methodology I  learned  in  overcoming fear it’s possible to overcome a  funk.  

In other words  be  SMART.

Develop a specific plan, implement actions that are measurable and attainable.  Be realistic with the activities and time frame.

Then it occurred to me, Mother used this ideology when I was growing up.  She taught me systems, how to overcome  obstacles, and even work when  I did not want to.

Maybe your life was similar to mine.

Mother used a  star chart on the refrigerator door. There was the immediate reward  of putting a star on the chart and the intermediate reward of counting how many more were needed to  reach the special reward. Remember the  special treat,  new  socks,  getting to pick the show for family movie night, or the grand prize of going on  date all by yourself with  Dad?

Funny as it sounds the  same process works for adults in overcoming a funk. 

So, if you are in a funk, develop a system and go for it!

I'm Back!

Okay. I’m back!

For many years I wrote a weekly blog and then honestly I stopped ‘cause keeping it up was hard!

Last week, however, I was reminded by a great coach that life is hard! 

Daily we are either pushing forward or falling back.  Just like going to the gym, drinking water, and eating properly to maintain my physical health, reading good books, studying great material, and listening to phenomenal speakers to maintain my mental health,  there are business zones that are a must. 

It is not easy to stay on top.  Not easy, but very simple, just do it!

Blogging for me was a proven successful business method. Why did I stop?  Was I crazy, or simply lazy?

Historically, blogging helped me develop my personal story and in today’s business arena people want to work with people they relate to and people they know care.  Thus, for me it is back to the basics and basics means blogging.     

Maybe you’ve not heard my story.  So, here it is:

I moved back to Arizona in 1996 from Oregon, and quickly found a spot in the escrow industry.  I’m known for “Thinking Outside the Box”.  Training and cross training staff are big in my eyes.

Originally a licensed Oregon Realtor (1986) I earned my Oregon Real Estate Broker’s license by 1989, and became a Designated Real Estate Broker in 1990.

My real estate accomplishments include:

• 1989 Curry County Board of Realtors, Realtor of the Year,
• 1990 President of the Curry County Board of  Realtors

When asked, I will acknowledge that I studied and received an Arizona  Real Estate Broker License in 1996 and worked as an Arizona Realtor prior to escrow.  In 1997, I surrendered my real estate licenses in order to work with Realtors in Escrow. 

Here’s a recap of my professional escrow experience:           

• Assumed the role of Branch Manager with Lawyers Title in their east valley, Stapley office (February 2005)
• Earned the LTA President Club for both 2005 and 2006
• And was nominated for the 2005 Escrow Elite-In-Excellence Award. 

Since August of 2007 I have served as a Vice President and Branch Manager for Great American Title Agency, Inc. Our current team is nestled into two locations: Park Plaza on the Southwest Corner of Alma School and Baseline and the Stapley Center on the Southwest Corner of Stapley and Highway 60. We are comprised of  8 Escrow Officers, 4 technical support personnel and three business development staff.

About the only time you’ll not find my focus on escrow is when I have an opportunity to spend time in our Alaskan Retirement Home with one of  our grandchildren, when, Ken (my husband of 45 years) needs something, or one of the two cats wants to play.

I promise to do my best to provide you with custom content, solve your escrow concerns, and provide thought provoking material as we learn and grow together! 

Thanks for hanging in there with me.  Talk to you in next week’s blog.

4 Ways to Hack Your Inner Creativity

(Note: As with this newsletter, the Pinkcasts will be freeIf you haven't guessed - I love Daniel Pink and what he has to say!  Here's his latest: Welcome to the latest edition of our irregular and irreverent newsletter. Thanks for being one of more than 100,000 people around the world who subscribe. Let’s get started.   4 WAYS TO HACK YOUR INNER CREATIVITY What do Thomas Edison, Frida Kahlo, and Michael Jackson have in common? No, they haven’t all recently launched a podcast. Instead, they grace the pages of a terrific new book that tries to reverse-engineer that elusive quality/trait/skill known as “creativity.” In Wired to Create: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Creative Mind (Buy it atAmazon, BN.com, or IndieBound), University of Pennsylvania psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman and writer Carolyn Gregoire enlist psychology and neuroscience to examine some of history’s finest “messy minds.” The result is a fascinating look at the often contradictory habits and practices of the most creative people. I asked Kaufman to share some advice with newsletter readers. Here are his 4 tips: 1. Make time for solitude. For all the hoopla over collaboration, open offices, and constant connection, we can easily forget the value of solitude. The benefits of solitude are many, including the opportunity to find flow, daydream constructively, and think about the meaning of your life. For optimal creativity, set aside time for solitude -- from taking a walk in nature to carving out moments when you’re fully removed from social distractions. 2. Think differently – intentionally.  Creative people are nonconformists. The most original contributions in any field don’t result from efforts to please the crowd. Research by Emory neuroscientist Gregory Berns suggests that iconoclasts “bombard the brain with new experiences,” which scrambles existing categories and forges new connections. So take a different route to work. Spend time abroad. Listen to a new genre of music. And the more intentional we are, the better. One study of more than 3,000 entrepreneurs and business executives found that innovators spend 50 percent more time trying to think differently -- and these intentional efforts sparked new ideas and associations. 3. Try open-monitoring meditation. We’ve all heard the benefits of meditation. But research by Italian cognitive scientist Lorenza Colzato and her colleagues shows one type of meditation is particularly effective for creative thinking. It’s called “open-monitoring” meditation – in which you are receptive to your thoughts and emotions without focusing intensely on, say, your breath or a mantra. By contrast, the more traditional focused-attention meditation was better for “convergent thinking” (coming up with a single best solution to a problem). So depending on where you are in the creative process, try to make time for at least a 15-minute meditation. 4. Embrace adversity. History’s creative geniuses weren’t tortured souls. But they were adept at finding meaning and guidance from their setbacks. Some of the greatest creators had a seeming disadvantage -- a disability, mental illness, or loss of a parent -- which they channeled into their art, writing, or entrepreneurship. To help with your own creative growth, view every setback as an opportunity to reflect: What can I learn from this and how can I put this into my work? More info: Wired to Create: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Creative Mind |  NY Times review of the book    HELP WANTED: BETA TESTERS FOR A NEW PROJECT What comes after the podcast? I’ve got a guess, but I need your help. I’m playing around with an idea that I call “Pinkcasts” — informal, 60-second weekly videos designed for people to watch on their smartphones. The topics for each Pinkcast would vary — from productivity and travel tips to reading recommendations to behind-the-scenes glimpses of cool events to whatever whacked-out idea I happen to have on my mind. But before I go crazy and commit my limited time (and even more limited brainpower) to something like this, I want to test the concept. So I need a few beta-testers. The only requirements are the willingness to receive 4 weekly 60-second video missives and to offer some very brief feedback.  of charge and free of advertising. And I won’t sell, trade, or share your email address in any way at any time.) If you’re interested in helping me test this idea by watching and reacting to 4 Pinkcasts, please sign up here: http://www.danpink.com/pinkcast/ More info: Pinkcast beta test   10 ARTICLES WORTH READING From my Instapaper account to your inbox, here are 10 articles that made me think or laugh (and sometimes both): One-Sentence Financial Rules — 61 nuggets of incisive advice from Motley Fool’s Morgan Housel. Tech Companies Need English Majors Just As Much As They Need Engineers — Etsy CEO Chad Dickerson channels A Whole New Mind. We Like Leaders Who Underrate Themselves — Harvard Business Review supplies empirical evidence for why humble bosses are more effective. How to Manage Your Time: 5 Secrets Backed by Research — Some great advice (as usual) from Eric Barker. 20 cognitive biases that screw up your decisions — Business Insider scores with this excellent list and nifty graphic. The 100 Jokes That Shaped Modern Comedy — "'Take my wife … please' is the Platonic ideal of a joke," says this epic, video-packed piece from Vulture. What the rest of the world wonders about America, according to Google — Search engine data reveals those outside the US want to know why Americans love guns, hate Canadians, and have such white teeth. 40 Inspiring Workplaces of the Insanely Creative — I prefer de Kooning’s space - but in a pinch, I’ll take E.B. White’s. 10 books every new manager should read — I’m a tad biased, but I do like this list. Phil Jackson, Pat Summit, Mary Karr, and a special triangular connection — From the Washington Post’s Sally Jenkins, a spectacular piece about basketball, poetry, Alzheimers, and life.  ONE LAST FREEBIE Over at danpink.com, we’ve got a new free resource. It’s a 20-page PDF called “20 Books That Have Mattered To Me” — and it describes, well, you’ve probably figured it out. You can get it here. That’s it for this edition. Thanks for reading our humble newsletter. Cheers, Daniel Pink

What is TRID?

There seems to be a lot of questions about TRID.  You know  the new “Know Before You Owe” or TILA RESPA Integrated Disclosure rule from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) which was implemented on October 3, 2015. 

The idea was to simplify the process for the consumer and to allow the buyer opportunity to shop for their  “best loan”.

Remember the old adage:  The best buy  for the buyer and seller is determined by  “what a willing seller will sell  for and what a willing buyer will buy  for”.  We (Loan Officers, Realtors, and Escrow Staff ) simply need to work through  this  new  process.  It’s not difficult, just different.

Over the past 90 days I’ve  been exposed to lots of “learning opportunities” through  classes, seminars, and plenty of  one on one discussions.

For your own background resources check out:

The CFPB  http://www.consumerfinance.gov

The MBA (Mortgage Banker Association)  https://www.mba.org

The NAR (National Association of Realtors) www.realtor.org

Plus there are numerous state and local business partners  to discuss all the ins and outs with. 

But here’s a simple understanding.  We have:

New forms

And New timelines

Buyers can help the process by staying in constant contact with their lender, their Realtor, and even the title company.

When we all work together we can accomplish a lot - together. 

The key is as it has always been: communication. 

For years escrow has explained to consumers  “lenders are going to tell them before they give you information what they are going to give you.  They will then tell you what you got and what they still need.  And finally on the day of closing the escrow officer will give everyone one more copy of the documents, just to make sure everyone has all the paperwork.”

So really not much has changed, it is still all about communication.  Communication and working together - that’s what gets the job done.

After all, we all want the buyer to have their keys and the seller to have their money!

So jump on board, and we’ll all finish learning together!

Common Sense & Discernment

I was curious kid and regularly got into trouble! 

A favorite story Mother told about me was “The Truck Story”: It seems one particular truck just could not keep its wheels on.

Mother would look at me and say, “Carolyn Sue, what did you do?”.  My response was, “I boke it, I fix it”.

Common sense told me just reverse the action.

Sometimes we simply lack “common sense”. 

There is an old proverb which says, “Don’t lose sight of common sense and discernment.  Hang on to them for they will refresh your soul.” 

Frequently, my soul needs refreshing!

Just out of curiosity (you know that kid in me) I looked up common sense and discernment. Mariam Webster defines common sense as “the ability to think and behave in a reasonable way and to make good decisions” while discernment is “the ability to judge well.”

Put them together and you’ve got: the ability to think, behave, and judge well. 

That’s my definition of a team leader. 

Leaders  need time to think, learn how to respond reasonably, consistently make good decisions and moderate discussions well.

Leading is work. It is a moment by moment, day after day, planning your week, building on the prior month; analyzing quarterly, while projecting and implementing all those new and progressive annual plans.

None of this is easy.  Simple yes, easy no!  There are books to study, videos to watch, lectures to attend, hours spent in both individual and group forecasting sessions.  Simply stated it is a lot of  consistent constant work to build a business.

It reminds me of that relentless acronym:  CANI   For those of you who may not know what CANI stands for it’s Constant And Never-ending Improvement.

That’s what today’s world is all about.  It doesn’t matter if you are talking about business, family, health, finances, friends, or even how you serve others; it takes common sense, discernment and CANI --- with the formula you will get there.

Basic Sales Principles

Tuesday morning is always an RLI (Referral Leaders International) morning.  I love this energizing troupe.

For those of you who may not know about RLI is the fastest growing referral leadership network around. Check them out: 

Facebook    https://www.facebook.com/EastValleyElite/?fref=ts    

               or 

   http://www.referralleaders.com 

Unlike a leads group, RLI is a permission based referral network--- business to business.  RLI  has been a great phenomenal personal growth tool for me this past year.

Weekly we learn new thinking or are often reminded of back to basic tools we should be implementing in business.

This week, Kendra Jackson with Lone Wolf Contracting spoke. 

Kendra is an informative teacher, a wonderful mentor, and a great leader! 

Her teaching reminded me of my Real Estate Sales 101, "Working with buyers training".  

Here’s what she covered:

Five Steps to Handling Objections:

1. Press for the specifics: Who’s responsible? When/Where/How did it happen? Make sure you understand the details. (My mind thought about this: The  first time a buyer brings up an objection  just listen. “Wow that bathroom was pink”.)
2. Paraphrase what was  heard: This is fairly simple, mirror back what you heard. (My sales trainer taught me when the buyer brought up the  objection again, acknowledge it: “Yes, that bathroom was pink”.)  Know what the person is saying.
3. Then simply respond with the facts. Suspend opinions, your agenda, and even judgments simply get into the other person’s shoes. Focus on understanding what matters to them.  It’s called “active listening”.  Yes, it’s not always easy, but with lots of practice it is possible!
4. Test for reaction. (“You’re right, the bathroom is pink, how about painting it.”) In today’s society it is often called “concept testing”.  Sometimes it simply helps to reshape and refine what’s possible. Remember, the whole idea is to overcome the current objection.
5. Finally, just ask for the business. (“So, let’s write the offer to purchase!”).  You know, it does not matter how good you are if you fail to ask then you’ll never make the sale. 

Take time to understand the real need, want, or desire --- hear the person out; address all the objections -  they will buy (whatever it is you’re selling) 

Yes I  remember being taught these basic sales principles---I simply had not consciously thought about them in years. Sales is really pretty simple:  ask, listen, confirm, reconfirm and close.

If you service people well during the entire process you’ll never find yourself  strong arming someone into a purchase (of anything).