I recently
read a statement from Oliver Wendell Holmes. He said, “To reach the port
of success, we must sail; sometimes with the wind, and sometimes against
it, but we must sail, not drift or lie anchor.
This quotation and
thought led me to break down the approach for sailing toward
a successful life. The first step for a successful sailor is
to have a specific port he is trying to reach. We who seek
a successful life must also have an objective. The objective
must be clear and concise, crystallized and definite. Too often
we are very fuzzy as to our main objective in life. Our main
objective is beyond what we do. It’s beyond the income, sales,
and money we earn. It’s beyond our business and all the challenges
that surround it. Too often the objective is monetary based.
To earn X amount of dollars or sell so many homes, in my perspective,
is not the one main objective in life. It at best is a goal
to be obtained along the way. The desired end is not the money
itself. It could be what the money could do for us, or the
lifestyle it affords us to have in the future.
One of my favorite
speakers is Jim Rohn. Jim talks about it not being the money
that makes the millionaire. It is what that person became in
order to attract the million dollars. It’s the skill, mindset,
discipline and character that person developed that truly are
valuable. The money can be fleeting, but the other skills of
character, mindset, and discipline last forever.
One of the hardest tasks in life is to set that clear objective. If it were
easy, everyone would do it. Everyone would achieve success. We are often stopped
by the difficulty of the task. The difficulty should be viewed as an advantage.
Now that’s a novel mindset, isn’t it? The more difficult the task, the fewer
are the people who will master it. The fewer people who have mastery, the lower
the level of competition will be. Few people have mastered success. That’s
why there is so much opportunity. Studies have shown that the peak earning
years for people are in their 50’s and early 60’s. For many it takes that long
to master success. It takes years of trial and error to get it right. Most
people never hit the mark or get it right. If we are progressing, learning
and moving forward, we are successful…provided we have a definite aim or objective.
The second key point
in the Oliver Wendell Holmes quotation is the section that
referred to ‘against the wind or with the wind.’ There will
be days when things go smoothly and we are with the wind. We
are hot and everything we touch turns to gold. We gain appointments
easily. We create trust effectively with our prospects and
clients. The market around the country is responding favorably
with listings selling within days. A skilled sailor will sail
long and hard on those days. He will insure that he makes the
most miles he can by sailing longer, harder, and with more
focus and intensity. How often do we let up when we have things
rolling and the momentum is with us. When we have favorable
wind, do we take a mental break? Do we let up? That’s the time
to pour it on.
It seems human nature
to let up or to ease back on the throttle of success. People
often neglect what they did that created the momentum in the
first place, but you must not. Carpel Diem…Seize the day. Seize
the opportunity when the conditions are favorable. There will
also be days, weeks, and maybe longer when the wind is against
you, when you feel like you are right in the middle of a squall.
A highly skilled sailor just realizes that this is a passing
storm. He may not know the length and breadth of the storm,
but it will pass in time. When the storm hits you need to understand
it will pass on. You can weather the challenge. A sailor will
also go back to basics in a storm. He will take down the spinnaker.
He may remove the jib. He might even lower the mainsail slightly.
He focuses all his attention on the most important thing to
get him out of the storm.
He focuses on the
mainsail. What’s your mainsail in life? What’s the mainsail
in your business? Do you focus intently on the mainsail in
times of trial or are you concerned about the spinnaker? There
will always be peripheral stuff in your life and business,
but don’t take down the mainsail. Keep working the wind. Use
your mainsail…weather the storm.
The last essential
is for you not to stop, never quit. Perseverance leads to success.
Champions don’t stop when they encounter adversity. They keep
focus on the objective and don’t let the tides drift them off
course. You can learn a lot from a skilled sailor. The skills
and challenges are the same in sailing as in real estate. Decide
on an objective. Plot the course. Navigate the winds and challenges.
Celebrate when you arrive.
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