Do people stress you out? Are you frustrated in your business dealings or interactions with others? Do you see your clients, associates or bosses as adversaries, complicating transactions or projects so you find yourself running around like a madman or madwoman, scrambling to satisfy their needs or meet their demands? Do you dread the next phone call or email?
If this sounds or feels familiar to you, then I have some good news. It doesn't have to be this way!....unless, of couse, it's what you believe. Then it absolutely does. It just a matter of mind. What you believe to be true about life and people IS what makes it so.
In the business of real estate, we are dealing with a variety of conditions and circumstances that stem from the needs of our clients. In the beginning, we think we have a clear understanding of what is wanted and needed by them. We begin the adventure of working together, investing our time, energy, talent and resources with the intended goal of closing a deal and being fairly compensated as a result of having met their buying or selling needs. The caveat is that in the middle of this process, lies all of the potential for this relationship to become strained and contentious. We certainly don't "plan" for that, but what most of us don't realize is that we can choose, with thought and intention, to have it flow with effortless ease - or not.
When our business relationships become strained and the work of it seems arduous, it's easy to develop a belief that people are hard to deal with. How often do we hear others or ourselves saying "it's always something!" and "it's never easy" or thinking things like 'people are greedy'? There are hundreds of idioms we use on a daily basis, without realizing that with every word with speak, we are reinforcing in our minds, some thought or idea that is actually creating our experience. We go along thinking about how difficult the business is, how challenging "they" are as we comisserate with colleagues, repeating "the story" over and over again, without realizing that we are, in fact, creating more of that experience. Thus, the pattern continues, and it is not limited to our business life; it is a universal truth that is making an appearance in every part of our lives. What we are doing with this way of thiking is anchoring into a belief that life is difficult, people are hard to work with and this is just how it is, so we might as well accept it.
But it's not true. Life is not meant to be painful. The Dalai Lama's teaching that "life is difficult, suffering is optional" is profoundly simple, yet within the message lies a life-altering concept. As human beings, we have free will, the power to choose, volition. We are born into a self-conscious existence that allows endless opportunities to learn, see, change and grow. If we are suffering in the experience of relationship - whether it be with co-workers, clients, spouses or siblings - it is a magnificent opportunity to choose something different!
So how to do it? In mind. Take a look at just one of those challenging places and see if you can develop a new thought about it. Let go first, of your opinion and what you might have already decided about that person and imagine instead, being engaged in conversations that are effortless, easy and productive. Open to the idea that all anyone is ever seeking is to be happy, safe, and to belong, no matter how it might appear, or what is being said. In this way, we are moved into a place of greater understanding and more compassion.
As you change your thinking, you change your life. Thoughts become things, so think good thoughts and you create good things.
Be well and happy friends and colleagues, one thought at a time!
If this sounds or feels familiar to you, then I have some good news. It doesn't have to be this way!....unless, of couse, it's what you believe. Then it absolutely does. It just a matter of mind. What you believe to be true about life and people IS what makes it so.
In the business of real estate, we are dealing with a variety of conditions and circumstances that stem from the needs of our clients. In the beginning, we think we have a clear understanding of what is wanted and needed by them. We begin the adventure of working together, investing our time, energy, talent and resources with the intended goal of closing a deal and being fairly compensated as a result of having met their buying or selling needs. The caveat is that in the middle of this process, lies all of the potential for this relationship to become strained and contentious. We certainly don't "plan" for that, but what most of us don't realize is that we can choose, with thought and intention, to have it flow with effortless ease - or not.
When our business relationships become strained and the work of it seems arduous, it's easy to develop a belief that people are hard to deal with. How often do we hear others or ourselves saying "it's always something!" and "it's never easy" or thinking things like 'people are greedy'? There are hundreds of idioms we use on a daily basis, without realizing that with every word with speak, we are reinforcing in our minds, some thought or idea that is actually creating our experience. We go along thinking about how difficult the business is, how challenging "they" are as we comisserate with colleagues, repeating "the story" over and over again, without realizing that we are, in fact, creating more of that experience. Thus, the pattern continues, and it is not limited to our business life; it is a universal truth that is making an appearance in every part of our lives. What we are doing with this way of thiking is anchoring into a belief that life is difficult, people are hard to work with and this is just how it is, so we might as well accept it.
But it's not true. Life is not meant to be painful. The Dalai Lama's teaching that "life is difficult, suffering is optional" is profoundly simple, yet within the message lies a life-altering concept. As human beings, we have free will, the power to choose, volition. We are born into a self-conscious existence that allows endless opportunities to learn, see, change and grow. If we are suffering in the experience of relationship - whether it be with co-workers, clients, spouses or siblings - it is a magnificent opportunity to choose something different!
So how to do it? In mind. Take a look at just one of those challenging places and see if you can develop a new thought about it. Let go first, of your opinion and what you might have already decided about that person and imagine instead, being engaged in conversations that are effortless, easy and productive. Open to the idea that all anyone is ever seeking is to be happy, safe, and to belong, no matter how it might appear, or what is being said. In this way, we are moved into a place of greater understanding and more compassion.
As you change your thinking, you change your life. Thoughts become things, so think good thoughts and you create good things.
Be well and happy friends and colleagues, one thought at a time!
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