Dear Two Rivers REIA member or guest,
Sometimes, we get so hung up on the personalities, that we completely miss "the value" which another perspective can bring.
We may even deny ourselves what could have been an expanding and creating opportunity. We cut off the relationship or we close our minds to another's thought pattern. We'll never learn anything from their life experience. I hope this is not you, and I try very hard to make sure it's not me, without just cause.
If we stop listening, we stop expanding and creating. We stop enriching our thinking, our lives, our ability to enhance our own experience. All of that comes to a screeching halt. We no longer absorb new knowledge since we've made a decision to block out all potential of that happening The inherent danger of not listening? We reduce our ability to learn from the mistakes of others, and if we can't learn from others, particularly from their mistakes, then we are destined to repeat them ourselves.
Why we do that is a whole 'nother subject, yet my point is, it does happen. And when it does, we need to catch ourselves in the process, at least occasionally, to correct our course immediately. (Some are great at this, incidentally, so let me tip my hat and complement those who have already mastered the subject below).
One of the fastest ways to expand, to grow, is to replace the mindset that this is purely a competitive world to recognize that we actually live in a highly evolving, creative world. Making this switch for some can be challenging, because we have to change from a mindset of scarcity to one of abundance. Paul Zane Pilser refers to this in his book, "Unlimited Wealth", a classic in my opinion. It does take courage to research this thoroughly, particularly if we've been embracing the competitive message all of our lives.
To do that effectively, it requires use of a skill set -- active listening. I've found, and I'm sure you have, too, that listening can be challening, at times exhausting, yet the rewards can be profound. Mark Pantak mentioned it in his presentation on April 26th, and I hope I never forget it. "Seek not to be understood, but to understand"; I believe he was quoting Steven R. Covey, a legend in the self-development field, who was quoting St. Francis of Assisi.
As a way to gain perspective, which requires us to slow down and smell the roses, take five minutes and read the poem "Crabby Old Man".
So, you ask, "Well, Andrew. That's very nice, but what does this have to do with Real Estate investing, or even about building this association that I'm part of, or considering being part of?"
To which I reply, "nothing and everything".
There are two major parts to a real estate transaction. (And there are two significant parts to a purchase of products or services).
There is the transaction engineering or transaction management part, and there is the people part. There are the mechanical steps that it takes to get from "find a deal" to "close a deal". And, there are the actions and emotions of the human beings involved, the latter being fully capable of sabotaging the former.
Irrational human emotion can, and will, throw you for a loop, knocking your train right off it's tracks. You won't understand it when it happens, you'll lay your head on the pillow at night and think, "How the hell did that happen? What went wrong in those people's heads, that they would change their mind like that"? And there will be no explanation that helps you to see it. Their action defies logic. We simply have to learn to cope with it -- to pick up the pieces -- and to quickly move on, yet hopefully learn from the experience. The sooner we get back up on the horse, the better, yet hopefully we do so a little wiser and find ways not to repeat that error. (Then devise a process that actually prevents it from happening, but that too is a whole 'nother story).
I could write reams and reams about this, and I'm sure many readers could, too. But time is ticking. Let me be succinct, a trait for which I am not well known.
Networking.
We humans greatly benefit from the power, the challenge and the rewards of human networking.
Networking, a modern day buzz word. And, we must spend a goodly portion of our lives learning how to grasp it's power. Networking is at the heart of "the Secret". Not a lot of people know that; that's why they call it, "the Secret"!
So, what's the your Association's Executive Director trying to get at here, with this single webpage about some Crabby Old Man?
The Power of Networking. Slow down long enough to read the poem, then to contemplate what the power of networking could do in your life, if you will make a conscious decision that you were going to become a master networker, in your short lifetime. If not completely in your life, at least within this association and as it pertains to your real estate investing business. In my opinion, this one skill can flat out change your life, as it has changed mine in just a few years.
Networking is why we have an annual conference. Networking is why we even have meetings, and it's why this word is one of the three primary elements to our mission. Mastery of Networking will do more to propel your business forward, especially when coupled with solid education, than anything else you will ever learn. A decision to become a Master Networker may very well be the KEY to your personal success, especially if the level of success of which you are capable has to date been eluding you.
As I write this, we're approaching the time for our 3rd Annual Conference, yet this message is not time sensitive. It will remain pertinent to every Conference we ever have.
I hope you've chosen to participate in this year's event, yet I hope you choose to participate in each of our annual conventions, and in our monthly meetings. You never know which event could be life changing. Each year, we line up a stellar group of speakers and we devote hours and hours to planning, to ensure we provide maximum benefits to our attendees. We manage the "transaction process" so our attendees can maximize what they will learn, and how many people with whom they can network.
There will be a very nice, broad mix of real estate investors attending and a broad array of products and services will be featured by a very capable set of Vendors and Sponsors. We trust this networking opportunity will prove to be mutually beneficial.
Finally, many will use their Conference experience to take a "giant step" to reach the next level in their businesses. That's the power of networking, and I hope you will capture this power and become a networking master; to take time to listen to the Crabby Old Men, or women, all around you.
For one day, if you're lucky, you'll be one, too. And at that day, I hope you'll have a nurse, or a few friends and family around you who will listen. Make yours a great life!
All my business and personal best,
Andrew C. Lietzow, MBA, CRS, GRI
Executive Director
Two Rivers REIA of Central Iowa