“People are working harder than ever, but because they lack clarity and vision, they aren’t getting very far. They, in essence, are pushing a rope with all of their might.”DR. STEPHEN R. COVEY
Real Estate transactions can benefit greatly from this concept. I like to have a series of conversations with my clients to let them know what we will be facing. The first, is an overall picture of what we are intending to accomplish. That often appears easy, “I want to sell my house.” or, “I would like to buy a house” – but to be perfectly honest, if it were really that easy, I wouldn’t have a profession. Once we get into the why, the how, the other factors that come into play, it always helps to create a plan. Many times for buyers, it’s good to refer to that plan later when we experience “mission creep” – suddenly instead of looking at the homes meeting the criteria you initially wanted, you’re wanting to see ones out of your price range or with very different features… Often mission creep is ok, if during the search you start to realize that you actually want something different than you did initially… but if that mission creep goes on without evaluating our initial plan, there is a likelihood that one could get caught up in the moment and find themselves in a home they didn’t want as much as they thought they did, or sacrificed too many other objectives and goals to obtain.
Why a series of chats and not just one initial one? The simple answer is: overwhelm. It is just too overwhelming to pay attention and take it all to heart. An overview with follow up conversations allows for me to get all of the important points across when they are most important. This is especially important in Real Estate, as the “under contract” phase is often a roller coaster. Many find themselves wondering if it really is worth all the headaches, or if they really do want to say goodbye to their house so full of memories.
In a less “Real Estate-centric” application, we use this concept very strongly, and hopefully very effectively, with our oldest, Cameron. Asher is 2 and doesn’t respond well to reasoning, just yet, hahaha. With Cam, we like to look at the goals we have for him, and when his choices fall short of those goals we have a chat about it. So many times interpersonal relationships experience issues when the involved parties have different goals or different understanding of shared goals. By ensuring that we are still on the same page and still have the end in mind, it helps take the confusion and frustration out of such chats, and helps us be unified in a common goal, instead of fighting over the approach to that shared goal.
From the website:
“UNDERSTAND THE END RESULT
Begin with the End in Mind means to begin each day, task, or project with a clear vision of your desired direction and destination, and then continue by flexing your proactive muscles to make things happen.
Habit 2 is based on imagination–the ability to envision in your mind what you cannot at present see with your eyes. It is based on the principle that all things are created twice. There is a mental (first) creation, and a physical (second) creation. The physical creation follows the mental, just as a building follows a blueprint. If you don’t make a conscious effort to visualize who you are and what you want in life, then you empower other people and circumstances to shape you and your life by default. It’s about connecting again with your own uniqueness and then defining the personal, moral, and ethical guidelines within which you can most happily express and fulfill yourself.
One of the best ways to incorporate Habit 2 into your life is to develop a Personal Mission Statement. It focuses on what you want to be and do. It is your plan for success. It reaffirms who you are, puts your goals in focus, and moves your ideas into the real world. Your mission statement makes you the leader of your own life. You create your own destiny and secure the future you envision. ” franklincovey.com/the-7-habits/habit-2.html
I still have my original mission statement, from when I attended a 7 Habits seminar, as a wind turbine technician/crew leader, back in 2012 or so. We were to make it “SMART” (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time bound)… and adapt them as needed. Mine wasn’t necessarily all of those things, but it shows up once a month on my Google Calendar to remind me of my “end in mind”.
“Seek positive challenges, avoid negative focuses, help others to find their own direction. Spend less time daydreaming and more time making dreams come true. Less time focusing on things out of my control, more time controlling the things I need to control. Reassess and maintain the end goal – not be distracted by the steps to that goal. Shrug off the negative, leave behind a positive legacy. ”
Much, in life, has changed. I have a new day job, I have a new career, I have a family… I have so many different goals and responsibilities now – but the basic ideas in my original personal mission statement stand true. Interestingly, my focus as a crew leader, to help those in my crew, has morphed into a Real Estate practice, where I help those I’m lucky enough to work with achieve their goals in often the biggest financial decisions of their lives. Do you have a mission?