Online Newsletter for the Week Ending December 3, 2010

QUOTE: "Grateful people report higher levels of positive emotions, life satisfaction, vitality, optimism and lower levels of depression and stress. The disposition toward gratitude appears to enhance pleasant feeling states more than it diminishes unpleasant emotions." - Robert A. Emmons and Michael E. McCullough: Research Project on Gratitude and Thankfulness (copied from Joe Tye’s SparkPlug Ezine)

NEW AGREEMENT TO PURCHASE AND NEW PROPERTY DISCLOSURE FORMS. The modification of the Agreement to Purchase and Property Disclosure form is becoming an annual event and 2011 is no exception. There are new forms that will go into effect on January 1, 2011. You can see the new forms at: http://www.larealtors.org/news/ArticleDetail.asp?ArticleID=3101 The changes are in yellow and blue. The new forms HAVE NOT as yet been posted to the Commission’s web site and as soon as they are they will be changed out in the Resource Room Forms book as well as on http://www.slidellcalendar.com./ For everyone’s information, it usually takes a few weeks for Formulator to change out their forms so be careful when you are writing contracts after January 1 that you are in fact using the latest version of the forms.

LISTING AGREEMENT ADDENDUM. The Listing Agreement Addendum form was last modified in November 2009. IT IS REQUIRED ON ALL LISTINGS, residential, commercial, LEASES, and land (especially the lease listings). The form was designed to protect YOU to insure you are compliant with the REALTOR Code of Ethics and it enables me to compare the advertised COOP Commission with what you intended to advertise by including it on the Addendum. You would be amazed at how many times the commissions are NOT in agreement. PLEASE DISPOSE OF ANY VERSION OLDER THAN 11/09.

FREE SUBLIMINAL VIDEO – STRONG WOMEN: You need headphones to listen along with the video: http://www.nelsonberrysubliminalblog.com/strong-woman-free-subliminal-video

HAPPINESS AT WORK by Jon Gordon. When you read this, remember, within the Keller Williams Realty organization EVERYONE is a LEADER, (that would also include you-know-who): http://www.jongordon.com/newsletter-112910-happinessatwork.html

SPARKPLUG ON CREATING POWERFUL METAPHORS, a must read from Joe Tye. This really could change your life and business: http://tiny.cc/1e3qg

HERE COMES SANTA CLAUS; HERE COMES SANTA CLAUS, article by Jeffrey Gitomer, very timely and important: http://www.gitomer.com/articles/View.html?id=15960

GOING BEYOND POSITIVE THINKING: A great article from the http://www.salesdog.com/ folks: http://www.salesdog.com/newsletter/2010/nl0503.htm#continued

THE FOLLOWING IS A DAILY NEWSLETTER FROM LEW SMALLWOOD OF AUSTRALIA (thus the reason for the variance in spelling)

Often we observe someone rise from obscurity to achieve great success in life. They flash across the firmament like a shooting star, only to then crash and burn. Why is that so? Often it’s because their talent isn’t underpinned by strong character. Talent and hard work will take us to the top in any endeavour, but only a strong character will keep us there.

Outstanding character is more important than outstanding talent. Most talents are to some extent a gift. Good character, by contrast, is not a given, it’s not set in stone. It is a construct built on the foundation of our values and beliefs. It changes over time based on what it is we give our attention to. Character therefore can be both de-constructed and also re-constructed. It’s built brick by brick, through daily attention to our thoughts and choices and underpinned by our values. It’s built with courage and determination.

So what exactly is character? Character is comprised of the collective mental and moral qualities that distinguish each of us. It’s the sum total of the daily choices we make and our current character is a result of our past choices. Our character tomorrow will be a result of today’s choices. Our choices, as viewed through the prism of our character and our behaviours will become inevitably and eventually congruent. To change our character we need to simply change our choices. Because day by day, what we think, what we chose, and what we do is who we become.

Although there will always be differences of opinion as to what constitutes character, some traits appear to be universal. A recent survey found that integrity, truthfulness, compassion, responsibility, and reverence for life were considered the most important traits. From a practical perspective the world would not function properly if responsibility and truthfulness did not exist. Our character is revealed by our behaviour, and our behaviour is a reflection of our concerns. We cannot think one way and act another. People act in certain ways because they possess a particular philosophy, and we can understand their philosophy by observing their behaviours.

Often the most important aspects of our character are developed in adversity. And just like the best timber comes from the strongest trees; those that have been buffeted by the wind, and tested by the elements such that the tension creates fine close grained timber much prized by artisans and artists. So it is with character. I prize this poem but unfortunately I cannot reference the author. It’s titled: The common law of Life.

The tree that never had to fight: for sun and sky and air and light. But stood out in the open plain: And always got its share of rain; will never become a forest king. But will live and die a spindly thing.

The man who never had to learn to toil; to gain and work his patch of soil. Who never had to win his share; of sun and sky and light and air. Never became an inspiring man; but lived and died as he began.

Good timber does not grow with ease. The stronger the wind the stronger the trees. The higher the sky the longer the length: the more the storm the more the strength. Through sun and cold by rain and snow; in both trees and men good timbers grow.

Where thickest is the forest growth. We find the patriarchs of both. And they hold counsel with the stars. Whose broken branches show the scars; of many winds and much of strife; this is the common law of life.

I encourage you to welcome the winds of adversity; they are a natural part of life. When we learn and apply its lessons we will develop a strong character, one that will sustain us in our journey through life.