Never Waste a Good Crisis

A mid-life crisis, as the name suggests, is a fear-based reaction to the sudden acute awareness of one’s limited life span and failures to achieve goals and dreams.  And any time you react based upon fear, the result is usually not good.  A person going through a mid-life crisis will typically try to assuage their fears (or dull their awareness of them) by looking to external things.  A new lover / spouse, hot new car, etc. with great mis-guided concern about what others think of them.  Unfortunately this approach never works because it is the opposite of acceptance of what is.  And until one reaches that acceptance they will never find true peace.  Quite often, once the manic phase of a mid-life crisis burns out, the person reverts to “settling” for their current life situation.  Not a very inspired way to live the rest of one’s life.  By the way, “settling” and “acceptance” are worlds apart.

A mid-life transformation starts out the same way –a sudden realization that a) life is short (and getting shorter by the day), and b) you are not happy with your current state of affairs.  Those who use this new-found awareness as a jumping off point for true transformation react quite differently from those is “crisis” mode.  There is no panic or fear-based reaction.  The first thing that happens is true acceptance of what is, then a deep inquiry as to what can be.

A mid-life transformation is an inside job, internally focused.  There is little concern about what others think –a good thing because many people going through true transformation tend to lose many of their “friends” who are threatened by the “new you”.  A mid-life transformation is about assessing (and being grateful for) all the skills and experience you have acquired so far and re-purposing them to design and live the life you want.  A mid-life transformation is not about acquiring anything, it is about releasing what was always inside of you that was afraid to come out all those previous years.

There is something far worse than a mid-life crisis however.  And that is being so dead inside that you never have one.  Millions of otherwise hardworking, decent law-abiding people exist with barely a flicker of life.  They go through the motions, smile when appropriate, tip the waiter, say hi to the mailman and hang out with friends whose lives are as dead as theirs.  These are people who are so afraid of who they really are and the possibility of their own greatness that they bury any glimpse of that awareness.  They’re born, they live, they die and all they have to show for it is a little 2″ dash between dates on their tombstone.  These are people who live complaining about what is and die with nothing but regrets.

 Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.

~~Henry David Thoreau

So if you had (or are about to have) a mid-life crisis –celebrate! It means you are still alive and a bit more aware.  Now the trick is to turn that awareness into an opportunity to transform your life from the inside out.  Take full responsibility and go for everything you are worth until your last breath.  Do that and I guarantee you will live life fully and have no regrets at the end of this journey.

The Most Alienating Word In the English Language

It’s amazing how the innocent, tiny word “I” can cause so much trouble –especially since it is so endearing to those who use it liberally.  Don’t let its size fool you because it packs a huge punch.  The moment you use the word “I” (or one of its cousins “me”, “mine” etc.) whether verbally or in print, you have made yourself just a bit harder to see and those who you are communicating with, harder to be seen.  The more you use it, the worse the effect.

The reason this happens is that it is hard-wired into our human nature to want to be seen by others.  The moment someone uses “I” when communicating with you, they have preempted your chance at being seen by insisting that you see them first.  Which of course has the exact opposite effect because now (feeling somewhat dissed) you concentrate even more about being seen by them rather than really listening to what they are saying.  This can devolve rather quickly to the point where even two friends at dinner end up just txting others because of the illusion of “connection” that txting can give oneself.  You’ve probably seen it happen.

Have you ever been with a friend, colleague or family member who rudely txts while supposedly spending quality time with you?  And if so, how does that make you feel?  In that context, txting is a sign of severe “I” disease.  You apparently are not “seeing” them enough so they disconnect from you and delude themselves into thinking that whomever they are txting is somehow seeing them more.  Meanwhile you are making a mental note to never invite them again.

As bad as that is, it can be worse, much worse.  For example, a friend who is so self-absorbed that practically every other word out of her mouth is “I” (with lots of “me”, “my” and “mine”s thrown in for good measure).  To the point that you are not really there except simply as a mirror through which they can admire themselves that much more.  This is a form of narcissism that typically precludes these types of individuals from having any real meaningful long-term relationships and often has them wondering cluelessly as to why that is.

So, how do you cure “I” blindness?  It’s really so simple, that it has been right in front of your nose all the time…

Say Bye, Bye, Bye to All Those I, I, I’s

You want to connect powerfully (and be seen clearly) by your family, friends, prospects and clients?  It’s easy, eliminate the word “I” from your vocabulary and substitute ”you”, “your”, “yours”.  Do that consciously and watch the magic happen.  For example, before you hit “SEND” on your next email, take a moment to count how many “I’s” it contains –you will probably will be blown away by the number.  Now, rewrite the email to eliminate every one of them –that’s right, every single one with the focus shifted to the recipient.  This takes practice at first, however after a few times it will become second nature and you will never send an I-filled email again.

Doing this verbally with another person can be challenging.  So here’s a way to make it fun for both of you.  Next time you have a meal with a friend (always best to practice with them first :0), agree to the rule that the first person to say five or more “I’s” during the meal picks up the tab.  In the highly unlikely event that neither of you used “I” five or more times, you split the tab.  The beauty of this approach (once you gotten over the “gotcha” attempts playful friends try at first) is that it forces you to consciously ”see” the other person first.  And when one person feels seen, they will usually reciprocate.  The only exception to this is if the other person happens to be a narcissist –in that case your efforts of seeing them just feeds their bottomless hunger to be the center of attention (at least it’s a great way to get a lot of free meals :0)

The bottom line is this:  If you want to be truly seen by others, strive to see them first.  And the way to do this is to have the courage to lose your “I’s”.

Funny Anecdote:

Imagine living with a college roommate for almost a year who has only known you to have a full head of very blond straight hair AND a very jet-black curly beard (quite a striking combination :0).  Then one day, after months of living together, you completely shave off your beard.  When the roommate comes home that evening you ask if he notices anything different about you.  He looks and looks and can’t for the life of him see any change.  Then you tell him and he about falls on the floor.  Talk about not being seen – this actually happened.  And as a postscript, this “blind” roommate ended up going into real estate sales :0)

“Making” things happen is a very western way of thinking that resides firmly in the ego.  In essence, when you try to make things happen, this is what you are really saying about how it will get done:

• In my way
• Within my time schedule
• Using my resources
• Under my control

“Damn the torpedoes, full steam ahead –ram anybody or anything that gets in our way!”  Are you beginning to see the problem here?  Especially when others are all taking the same approach.  Everyone struggles and he/she who struggles most/best wins –that is if you call being exhausted, uptight and frustrated most of the time “winning”.

There is another way that is so powerful you may be tempted to think that it is just too simple to ever work.  It’s called “creating a space” for things to happen.  Instead of fighting for every inch, go with the natural flow of things.  Open up the space of possibility for what you want to happen.  Now for you to successfully employ this method and enjoy all of its benefits (relaxed effortlessness, serendipity, greater outcomes than what you intended, etc.) there is a few things you need to let go of.

First is the illusion that you have control over anything other than your own choices.  Anything else is just part of the mystery and wonder of life.  Secondly (and this is REALLY important) let go of any attachments to the outcomes.  This means being dispassionate about whether or not you achieve your objectives no matter how badly you want them.  When you marry strong intention (i.e. what you want) with letting go of the need for control and not being attached to outcomes you have by definition created a space for your intentions to happen.  This is a powerful space in which miracles occur effortlessly and often bigger and better than you intended.  They may not happen in the way you intended, on your time schedule, or through your resources, yet they will happen never-the-less.

This doesn’t mean sitting back waiting for things to happen –not at all.  It means taking the steps with full commitment you deem necessary for fruition, yet being open to any possibility that may result from your efforts.  By the way, this approach is even more powerful in relationships.  When’s the last time you tried to “make” a relationship happen? (and how did that work for you?)  In this context making a space for a desired relationship means showing up fully for the other person yet not being attached to whether or not they respond in the way you wish.

There is a corollary to this principle that basically states that the more you try to make things happen, the less space you create to allow them to occur with little or no effort and the more fear is pushing you away from what really works.  There is no valor in struggle when there is an easier, more natural way.

The next time you feel tempted to swim upstream just ask yourself how tired do you really want to be when you finally get to where you want to go –only to be taken down stream once again anyway.  Fight life or flow with it –it’s your choice.

Anytime we work on achieving a goal, we are acutely aware that there two possible outcomes: we either achieve it or we don’t.  And for most people, the more intensely committed we are to achieving our goal the sweeter the taste of victory when we do, and likewise, the more bitter taste of defeat when we don’t.  As a result, the greater the effort and commitment expended, the more we tend to become attached to tasting the sweet and avoiding the bitter.  This approach makes achieving big goals a rather tense affair, even to the point to where we don’t bother because we can’t stand the possibility of not achieving them.

Now what if we took an entirely different approach to achieving any goal or objective, no matter how big.  Imagine for a moment being totally and completely committed to achieving a big goal where you are giving it everything you got.  And, (this is the important part) not being attached to the outcome.  In other words, you truly become indifferent to the whether your goal is realized or not.  Kind of makes your head hurt doesn’t it.

Being totally committed to every endeavor without being attached to the results of your efforts is one of the most powerful secrets to true and lasting success.  Here’s why:

• You have more energy available to achieve your goal – that’s because you don’t waste any of it on worrying about what will happen if you don’t achieve it;
• You have more creative resources to achieve your goal – being unattached puts you in the present moment like nothing else.  No longer are you concerned about the future.  This empowers you to focus on the “right now” which is where any goal is ultimately achieved.  Also, being in the present allows you to access other creative possibilities that you may not have considered if worrying about the future outcome.
• Failure becomes a stepping stone to success – not a gauntlet of self-doubt and incrimination to be avoided at all costs.
• It’s a lot more fun! – when you are in the moment working on something important without worry of the ultimate outcome you will simply enjoy your efforts that much more.

A straight line from point A to point B is rarely the quickest path.  We often run into many detours, road blocks and alternative routes that at first seem to take us further away from where we want to go.  Yet these are all part of any process to achieve anything worthwhile.  How you react to these unexpected twists and turns and whether you choose to treat them like the adventure they are, or barriers to your progress will ultimately determine how fast and often you reach your goals.

Commitment without attachment to outcome is a skill that can be developed.  Start practicing with small goals first just to see the relief it give you.  Then work up to the big ones –your life will never be the same.

How Retargeting Works

Humans are creatures of habit.  We seek information using certain guidelines or parameters. And, when there is something we are interested or curious in, we tend to notice things that relate to that item more readily. So, let’s say you are considering buying a house, you will search for information on the internet using some term like “buying a home in ______” (fill in the blank with a geographic location).  You get a list of real estate websites, and will probably click on the first 3 or 4 before wondering what other resources you can find and try a different search, perhaps ending up on say, Realtor.com.

Now, consider this… You are starting to search around there, when you see an ad offering a custom luxury tour of a neighborhood you were just considering, or perhaps the ability to get greater details on a house you were interested in.  Coincidence? Nope!  Retargeting.

Because of your cookies, search engines can track every single place you visit on the internet. Google also has a vast network of advertisers, and they only get paid when someone clicks on one of those ads.  So by combining these two pieces of information, Google has the ability to present specific ads to select people who have already shown an interest in that particular service or product, thus increase the likelihood the audience will click through.

You can leverage this for your site and business by developing targeted ads presenting tempting offers to entice the lead to return and engage with you.

Implementing a Retargeting Campaign

Firstly, you need to understand there are two different ways you can garner an audience for retargeting.  The strongest by far is building your own list – which happens over time as people visit your site and are naturally tracked by their cookies – because you will already know that not only are they interested in real estate, but possibility even what specific kind of real estate.  The second way is to use a “preset audience” which goes by established preferences based on browsing history, for example internet users who like horses, in a certain geographic region, and expressed an interest in real estate.  This second method is not quite as accurate as the first, but allows you to get started right away.

Next step is to develop your ads.  You must have a variety of them, because think about it… If you see the same thing getting shoved in your face over and over, are you really going to say yes the 10^th time you see it when you’ve already said no 9 times before?  Don’t think so!  A templated ad builder is available, or you can have a designer customize and upload them.  By the way, ever notice that ads are different sizes at different places on web pages?  Some are a banner across the page, some a little box to the corner, some long up and down the side.  You will need to have your ads created in all these sizes because Google will select ones that fit the available space.

You can control all aspects of your ads including budget, number of impressions, termination point, etc.  You can set your ads to display according to certain keywords, or even specific websites.  You can even control what they see when they get to your site, which means you can drop them right in the entrance to your click funnel.  For example, here is Progressive Insurance’s general site at www.progressive.com:

Obviously, you see navigation, multiple offers, all kinds of access to all kinds of information.  Now, look at what we get after clicking on a retargeted ad:

No navigation, no offers.  One purpose, and one purpose only – follow the three easy steps.  Note also that the box she is holding says “Auto” on it, because I searched using the keywords “car insurance.”  I repeated this exercise using “house insurance”, and in the image she was holding two stacked boxes, you guessed it – one labeled “Homeowners” and the second “Auto.” So you can very simply drop your retargeted lead directly on the landing page for the offer you present, don’t make them think about it.

After launching, you will want the ads to run a couple of months until you saturate your market, then swap them out.  It can still be the same offer, mind you – just a different way of presenting it.  For example, you may start out with an ad offering a “No Committment CMA,” then go to “See Recent Sales in Your Neighborhood,” then swap to “Check Out Detailed Market Data.”

How Much Does Retargeting Cost?

So, I’m telling you that you can follow up with warm leads on a consistent basis over a long period of time with a single effort of setting up a couple ads.  You’re saying, this has got to be yet another major expense to undertake, right?  Actually, it costs less than standard pay per click.

To determine the cost of an ad, you have to balance out the per click payment versus its quality score.  On the basic level, Google determines the quality score by the number of times a given ad is displayed (an impression) and the number of people who respond to it.  If the ad has too low of a quality score, Google will shut it down because the ad is not making money.  On the other hand, if you are getting people clicking through but still not engaging, it is not worth any money you are paying and you need to revise the ad.

Now, let’s look at a return on investment.  Studies show it takes an average of 7 touches for someone to engage with a site. If you are paying $4 per click to get a visitor to your site using pay per click, but out of 100 visitors only 2 engage, that’s $392 lost.  Now, if you can pay a fraction of that to retarget those other 98 visitors over a period of weeks or months, you vastly increase your exposure and the chances of those warm leads returning, thereby increasing your return on the initial investment.

In the end, retargeting comes out less expensive than standard pay per click.  PPC is triggered by keyword searches, which although gives you a “best guess” does not necessarily identify any specific need.  On the other hand, retargeting is based in the actual content the user elects to view, which is a far more accurate gauge.  So Google charges less based on the likelihood being much higher of someone clicking on a retargeted ad versus a generalized pay per click ad.

Best Practices for Successful Retargeted Ads

As always, there are a few guidelines you should follow when creating and launching your campaign:

• Make sure your ad shows on related sites.  A guy shopping for lingerie for his wife on Victoria’s Secret is NOT thinking about real estate.  Do not waste your time and money displaying your ad to him.  Be sure your keywords are specific enough that only sites related to real estate are used.
• Don’t make it easy for your competition.  Don’t show paid ads on your blog or site.  You cannot control what ads Google shows on your site, and it would be mighty embarrassing to have a competitor stealing your leads.
• Follow good marketing practices. As always, your ads should focus on benefits first and foremost, have big headlines and a strong call to action.
• Give ‘em what they want. Few things are more frustrating to a visitor than having to search for the promised information.  If your ad offers a specific product or service, make sure the link takes them directly there, not to your home page landing.  The whole point of this is to channel them into your click funnel.

Although some companies have been using retargeting for quite some time, it is becoming more and more prevalent.  To find out more about actually implementing retargeting, you can go here: http://www.google.com/ads/innovations/remarketing.html

When used strategically and judiciously – there is a huge difference between retargeting and cyberstalking – this long-term method of marketing to potential online clients has shown itself to have tremendous success.

NOTE: Mr. Internet®, RUSSER Communications, its staff and officers receive no compensation whatsoever from any third party vendors (unless he/they are directly involved with the creation and/or improvement of a vendor service or product), and make no recommendations as to the suitability of the products or services mentioned in this article. Always thoroughly investigate any product or service before trying or purchasing.

Mr. Internet is the alter-ego of Michael J. Russer, an internationally recognized Internet speaker, trainer, author, and strategic consultant to the real estate industry. He’s dedicated to helping real estate professionals leverage their people skills into profit on the Internet. Send your Internet questions to help@askmrinternet.com or you can visit his Website at http://www.OnlineDominance.com and Facebook page at Facebook.com/OnlineDominance

This article is reprinted in its entirety from the December 2011 issue of REALTOR® Magazine by permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®. Copyright © 2011. All Rights Reserved other than mentioned above. Mr. Internet® is a registered trademark of RUSSER Communications.

“What are your mooring lines?”  In other words, what is holding you back from being the very best you can be.  The reason this question is so powerful is that it puts the responsibility of our life and business success squarely on our shoulders and no longer allows us to blame others.

As you know, mooring lines are the things that prevent hot-air balloons from rising, planes from taking off and ships sailing away.  In just the same way, they are the things that prevent us from soaring, from truly living life fully, from achieving our highest business success.  Mooring lines are unique to each person.  No two people have the exact same ones.

There are many different types of mooring lines.  See if any of these ring true for you:

• Limiting Beliefs – seeing your world as “small” so you feel safe in being small.  Not accepting possibilities that are right in front of your nose for all kinds of “because” your mind will throw your way.  You were designed to live and work large and this mooring line will prevent you from doing that.
• People and Relationships – chances are you have existing relationships that are absolutely holding you back.  These creatures can take the form of “energy vampires” (where you feel exhausted just being around them), “complainers and nay-sayers” (who quickly throw a wet blanket on any attempt to change for the better) and “green monsters” (who outwardly applaud your successes yet inwardly seethe with envy).  These mooring lines can be hard to cut because our society puts such a high value on relationships (as it should).  Yet here’s the thing, when you cut these lines it frees you up to find new relationships that support rather than constrain.
• Negative Emotions – anger, frustration, etc. (to name a few) can all be powerful mooring lines because they take up so much of our energy and time.  The way to cut these lines is learning to become “unattached” to outcomes.  The fine skill of being totally committed to something yet unattached as to whether you achieve it or not is one of the most powerful you can have for both business and life.
• Lack of Gratitude – seeing the glass as half-empty vs. half-full holds you back from seeing unbelievable possibilities.  Now imagine how different your life and business would be if you saw everything that happens to you, no matter how devastating, as a blessing in disguise.
• Being Shut Down – sometimes the pain of life is so unbearable we shut our heart down to avoid feeling it anymore.  The problem is that you don’t feel anything else anymore as well.  The way to cut this mooring line is to imagine your heart being open, even in painful or threatening situations (which admittedly takes lots of practice).  And once you let this line go, you are free to accept the most powerful gift life can offer us, love.

You may be wondering why “Fear” was not part of that list. Actually, the very strands of every mooring line are woven with the fiber of fear. Behind each one is fear when you really get down to it.  It just shows up in different forms.

Now here’s the best news. No one but you is holding on to your mooring lines.  You have the free will, the choice, to let each and every one of them go.  Will it be easy?  Most likely not.  Will it be worth it?  You already know the answer.

Consider how hard it is to change yourself and you’ll understand what little chance you have in trying to change others.  — Benjamin Franklin

Every relationship starts out with potential and branches out from there.  Sometimes those branches lead to an amazingly productive and positive outcome, which is what everyone desires.  No one goes into a relationship hoping it will fail!  Where the bough breaks is when your purposes for the relationship are not aligned.  From there, a power struggle of sorts ensues as each individual tries their best to get something from the other.

When meeting new clients, agents have an introduction period where they get to know and understand their new prospect, and with enough experience this is generally sufficient for your purposes.  But what if the client isn’t entirely up front?  What if the person just wants to go window shopping – next thing you have over invested your time driving him around just to satisfy curiosity.  Or, perhaps you are working with a couple who as it turns out are at odds in what they are looking for in a house!  Sometimes these things don’t become apparent until after you are already invested in the client relationship.

An easy way to avoid this is to create a simple needs assessment (read this as “Real Estate Relationship Readiness Assessment”!).  As part of your interview process, have the individual complete it, or in the case of a couple have both fill it out separately then compare.  By doing so, you are managing expectations – yours and theirs.  This will allow you to keep the relationship on a productive and positive course by serving both the immediate need as well as giving you insight into future desires, which increases your ability to serve the client.

The tough part is when you have to pull out of a relationship before getting over invested.  And let’s face it, it’s going to happen in life more than once.  Once you realize you and the other person are not aligned in purpose, it’s very difficult to back track.  To do so would be changing either yourself or trying to change the other person to suit.  And that’s never a good thing for anyone.

So, go into all your relationships openly and honestly to get the greatest success!

The best way out is always through. — Robert Frost

One of the most basic laws of physics is that a body in motion tends to stay in motion while a body at rest stays at rest. So let’s say you have had a brain disconnect, that’s like you have come to rest. And that’s OK! As long as you don’t stay there. In order to get through it and become productive again, you need to move.

It doesn’t need to be a huge, monumental effort. One small step, one little thing, just do something to get into motion. Once that happens, you will find it gets easier to take another step, make another larger more meaningful move. Soon you will find you are back up and running full speed!

Do you ever feel rushed, tense or worried for no particular reason? Do you find yourself doing normal things too fast such as walking, eating or working? When I start noticing these things in my daily routine, I know that the main reason behind it is stress. And as a hard-working real estate agent, I’m sure you know what I’m talking about. Whether we have a lot going on or nothing, stress can show up at any time and learning how to calm your nerves is important for maintaining a healthy and happy lifestyle.

Even when stress isn’t work related, it follows you through your day and could put a damper on your goals. Fortunately, feeling stressed-out is a normal part of everyday life. In fact, sometimes it can even be strengthening. This is why the goal isn’t necessarily to eliminate stressful situations completely, but to develop the ability to relax during stressful day-to-day activities and throughout challenging occurrences.

As your real estate virtual assistant, we know how hectic the life of a real estate agent can be. For this reason, we want to make sure you are as cool, calm and collected as can be. So the next time you are feeling like the weight of the world is on your shoulders, consider trying some of these simple stress reliever exercises and feel like yourself again.

Add Some Beauty to Your Workspace: Try adding a touch of something beautiful to your office or work area. This could be as simple as getting a vase of colorful flowers, or as complex as a new paint job. The brain is very responsive to color, with bright colors causing more brain activity, and cool colors promoting calmness. Keep your office decorated with things that make you happy, such as pictures of your family and friends, awards, or a post-it note of a quote you find inspirational.

Add Enjoyment to Your Day: We know you to work and you love what you do. But make sure you are incorporating your recreational hobbies into your day whenever possible. When you are having a stressful day, that family bike ride or trip to the movies will keep you motivated by giving you something to look forward to.

Take a Break After Meals: We know that you can’t spend the whole day at lunch, but try to avoid the “eat and run” routine. If you rush back to the office immediately after lunch, it will feel like you had no lunch at all. Take a walk to the nearest park, or enjoy a latte and the newspaper at the coffee shop. It’s okay to add a little bit of “me” time into your everyday life to take some of the edge off.

Stretch: No wonder you’re tense! You’ve been sitting at your desk following up with clients all day! Or maybe you’ve been out showing properties and haven’t even had a chance to sit down. Take five minutes to stretch once a day. The effects of this simple exercise might surprise you. You may look a little goofy, but trust me, you’ll feel better.

Take Your Shoes Off: Sounds kind of silly, right? Taking your shoes off during the work day will offer an “at home” vibe and make you feel more comfortable with your surroundings. Encourage your team members to do this, too, and you will all be feeling less tense in no time. Just remember to put them back on before a client comes in! If you aren’t ready to embrace this one, wearing loose, comfortable clothing is a great alternative.

Express Your Feelings: This might sound a little cheesy but it’s a good tactic towards getting stuff off your chest. We’ve all heard that holding in our thoughts and feelings is unhealthy. And although it may not be easy to open up, it’s helpful to maintaining a peace of mind. At the end of a stress-filled day, find a place or person to express your thoughts with.

There are many more ways to reduce stress, but these are just a few. I hope these are helpful as you consider your workload!

Make it a great (and stress free) day!

Contact Carrie 
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Ponder this for a moment: Everyone alive on this planet today will likely be dead in 100 years from now (major breakthroughs in life extension notwithstanding). We have just so much time and when it’s over it’s over, fini, caput. So given this context, is what you are currently doing and even more importantly, who you are currently “being” represent your full, ideal life?

It’s a safe bet how 99.99% of people living in the developed world will answer this question. Money, possessions, deep loving relationships, exciting lifestyle, etc. won’t cut it if you are in “prison”. A prison where the seemingly impenetrable bars are made of nothing more than of our fears about living fully, outrageously and from our hearts.

How many of us have “comfortable” relationships, comfortable jobs, comfortable lifestyle, comfortable distractions and so on. The more affluent of a society we live in, the easier it is to be sucked into “comfortable” rather than living fully —which by definition means allowing oneself to fully and intensely feel pain, pleasure, love and overall lust for life. Striving to be comfortable, safe and protected is like soundproofing your soul as the universe is playing Bach’s 5th symphony. You know something great is occurring and you are afraid of what might happen if you let go of all self-imposed protections to experience it.

Imagine what your life (and by extension, your business) would be like if you were “fearless”. Not that you can or even should eliminate all fear, but playing full out in spite of fear. Breaking free of the self-imposed prison bars of fear. Freeing yourself up to infinite possibilities you never could have imagined…

Fate loves the fearless.

~ James Russell Lowell

Our hearts are always whispering to each and every one of us. It is very hard to hear when we bury ourselves in work and distractions. We each have our own true path during this blink of an eye we call life. Your heart is your guide and your head is your servant to help you achieve what the heart knows is best for you. You don’t have much time left, so use it wisely.