Volume 5 Issue 9 in now online!

Volume 5 Issue 9 is now online at the website, www.sfreguide.com 

We want to thank everyone for getting their ad’s in on time.  Because we uploaded the magazine 1 day early, we will have Issue 9 in all Publix locations on Friday the 17th instead of Monday the 20th.  YOUR ad In the South Florida Real Estate Guide will have 3 extra days or the weekend, before other publications hit the streets.

Just a reminder that as a current advertiser, we set up a free website for you that is linked to our website.  You can easily upload your listings from the MLS by just typing in the MLS#.  Your listings are then pushed out to Google, Yahoo, Trulia, Oodle, Pad4Pad, USAHomesearch, Overstock.com and other search engines.  Since we are also linked to Xdeadline.com, the SFREG can be accessed worldwide.

In our Real Estate Commentary Section one of our contributors is Nancy Proffitt.  She is a Certified Business Coach and president of Proffitt Managment Solutions & Profitt Managment Leadership Institue.  Her articles will make you sit back and think of how you run your business and inspire you, even in this difficult market.  We hope you find something in her articles that may lead to a little or large change in what you do daily, that just may grow your business!

Optimism:
The Key to Living Longer & Happier
by Nancy Proffitt
“Success is measured by your ability to maintain
enthusiasm between failures.”―Sir Winston Churchill

Mahatma Gandhi, Thomas Edison, Helen Keller, and Christopher Reeves are just a few names that come to mind in a discussion about optimism and success.
 
People who are successful in life measure high on assessments of optimistic attitudes. It would be easy to presume they are optimistic because they are successful, but there is enough research to show that the optimism comes first.

Traditional wisdom puts forth the idea that to be
successful, you must have two things:

1. Talent, aptitude or skill
2. Motivation

More recent research shows that a third element
contributes strongly to success:

3. Optimism, particularly in the face of adversity

High scores for optimism are predictive of excellence in everything from sports to health, elections and sales. When Metropolitan Life used an assessment of optimistic attitude to select and hire salespeople, those scoring highest on the optimism scale outsold others in their first year by 27 percent.

Optimists are more resistant to infectious illness and are better at fending off chronic diseases of middle age. In a 1980 study of 96 men who had their first heart attack, 15 of the 16 most pessimistic men died of a second heart attack within eight years, but only five of the 16 most optimistic men died.

Dr. Martin Seligman, author of Learned Optimism, has shown that optimists not only do better educationally and in their careers, they also enjoy superior health and longevity

When You Hit that Wall…

“For myself I am an optimist – It does not seem to be much use being anything else.” - Anonymous

Think about the times during the day at work that you

are blocked and feel discouraged. What do you do when you hit that wall?

The optimistic individual perseveres. In the face of routine setbacks he or she persists. He or she keeps on going, particularly at the crucial juncture when the competition is also hitting the wall and starting to wilt. In the face of major failure, the optimist persists
.
Optimism helps every time your work gets hard. It can make the difference between getting the job done well or poorly– or not at all. Even in non-competitive tasks, such as paper work or writing, an optimistic attitude can make the difference.

Procrastination is the result of not having an optimistic mindset to start and finish a task. But at the root of putting things off is the internal dialog when facing an unpleasant, routine or boring task. A pessimist thinks all sorts of negative thoughts when facing such tasks. The optimist thinks positive thoughts that actually encourage and energize.

Failure often does not stem from laziness, or from lack of talent or lack of imagination. It’s often simply ignorance of some very important tools not commonly taught in schools or in workshops.

A Dynamic Optimist vs a Passive One
“Don’t ever become a pessimist; a pessimist is
correct oftener than an optimist, but an optimist
has more fun and neither can stop the march of events.”  Robert A. Heinlein
On the surface, optimism may appear to be a simple case of “don’t worry, be happy.” However, an effective assessment will show that there are degrees of optimism. Not all kinds will move us forward in life.

Max More, Ph.D., has proposed two distinct kinds of optimists: those who are “dynamic” and those who are “passive.” Dynamic optimists have an active, empow

ering attitude which creates conditions for success by

focusing and acting on possibilities and opportunities. Passive optimists simply tell themselves that all will work out just fine. They expect other people and organizations will solve the problems.

Dr. More proposes that effective optimism requires study, understanding and

practice. A passive optimist, while more effective than a pessimist, sees no need to take action. They think positively but don’t know how to turn thoughts into actions. Those who are really dynamic in their optimism turn their thoughts into behaviors. They apply optimism in diverse ways to attain goals in career, finances, spirituality, health and leadership.

Optimism Can Be Learned
Pessimists, passive optimists and dynamic optimists all selectively focus their attention. Dynamic optimists interpret their experiences differently than other people. They also influence outcomes differently by translating effective thoughts into specific kinds of actions.

The differing ways in which optimists and pessimists focus their attention lead to noticing different things, experiencing different motivations, and taking different actions. The pessimist focuses on problems, pains, and pitfalls. The passive optimist sees only what is encouraging and enjoyable, but blinds him- or herself to potential obstacles. This leads to missed opportunities or limited success.

The dynamic optimist dwells on the constructive and enjoyable while de-emphasizing pain, difficulty and frustration. Such a person can look at a frustrating event, fully accept its reality, and then choose to interpret the event in a way that leads to action, growth and mastery. They recognize dangers but have a wider vision open to solutions, possibilities and assisting forces.

 

Nancy Proffitt, MBA, Certified Business Coach is the president of Proffitt Management Solutions and Proffitt Management Leadership Institute, an internationally recognized Leadership coaching firm dedicated to unleashing the full potential of individuals and organizations.

She may be reached at 561-682-6060 or
email:Nancy@proffittmanagement.com .
Visit her website at www.proffittmanagement.com