THE BLAME GAME

Things will go wrong sometimes. This basic fact of life is so easy to understand yet incredibly difficult for many people to accept. We don't have to like it when things don't go as planned, but most of us can certainly deal with it better.

Regardless of the situation, when adverse things occur, our tendency as human beings is to blame.

Blame rhymes with shame and lame for good reason.

Blaming is just a tremendous lost learning opportunity. When we blame someone or some circumstance it gives THEM power over the situation. "I was tired because..., he didn't do..., she didn't listen to... etc. This is our natural reaction of rejecting responsibility by blaming another person or situation for the mishap.

So next time rather than blaming, try accepting some of the responsibility and fixing things yourself and learn from the situation so it doesn't happen again!

THE HARDEST THING

Turning away business is hard to do, but the sooner you get good at it, the better off you'll be. Rather than trying to do every loan, consider a strategy of creating your own referral network of other lending professionals who do not compete against you.

Use these loan opportunities to start reciprocal partnerships with people who will not only take care of your customers better than you probably could, but also send you business as well. Plus the long term benefit of doing what is best for the customer will return in the form of bigger dividends later.

So be careful with your time and keep your long term goals in mind. Balance is key to the life but not necessarily Loan Origination! 

SPECTRUM TUNING

There are aspects of our lives in which being the Jack is clearly more desirable, but your profession is not one of them. Being a master of one thing generally is more profitable for Loan Officers because trying to sell all things to all people is usually a losing business plan in the long run.

Those loans that have to be brokered and/or take you so far out of your comfort zone can short circuit your days and your plans like nothing else. Often the time and energy it takes to close one or two extra loans is time not well spent. Many Loan officers are experiencing this right now as loan volume is somewhat down. The need to close more loans is admirable but the time expended on some loans can increase your income by a small percentage while silently keep you from doubling your business.

Stick with that you know and do well, be a master of your craft. And for loans that are way out of your comfort zone, consider a new strategy to keep your time focused on what is important, long term growth. Tomorrow we will look at the strategy employed by most masters who understand and avoid the concept of "jacking around."

GETTING BETTER

We can always be in better shape, produce more, read more, have more money, more family time, a better golf or tennis game, etc. The amount of time we dedicate to any one thing will dictate our level of mastery. however, proper balance is achieved for most people by allocating their time amongst those pursuits that bring them satisfaction.

Our choices put us all somewhere on the "master/jack spectrum" in all of our chosen endeavors. On one end of the spectrum there is scattered, the other end obsessive. Closer to the middle we find balance and focus.

Fortunately unlike the market, we can control our spectrums and tomorrow we look at how to tune your professional spectrum to a more productive level. 

MASTER, MASTER WHERE'S THOSE DREAMS THAT I'VE BEEN AFTER

Yesterday we locked upon the plight of Jack, the "non-master" of anything. Jack, it was thought, was sadly reeling in mediocrity due to his lack of mastery. But Jack doesn't see it that way at all.

You see Jack has all he needs and he is extremely content and fulfilled in his life because he enjoys the fruits of many pursuits. He enjoys a balanced life and many pleasures and can't understand how anyone could dedicate so much of their life to any one thing while they miss out on so many of life's other experiences.

Jack himself would tell us the moral of this story is that mastery can be achieved, but always at the expense of missing out on something else. The question for all of us is how much we decide to miss in order to achieve the desired results of doing something masterfully.

To be continued...

THE JACK

"The jack of all trades is the master of none."

This old saying is such a superlative classic that it deserves a closer look...

In this story we find the unfortunate jack, (let's call him "Jack") who is not a master because unfortunately Jack is spread too thin and lacks proper focus to achieve mastery of anything. He has knowledge, skills and experiences that run broad but not deep.

Meanwhile the masters feel badly for Jack because of his inability to apply enough dedication in his pursuits, like they do, to achieve true proficiency at anything.

"Poor Jack" we think looking upon the situation.

However, Jack is very happy and he does not consider himself poor in any way. In fact, the thought that anyone would feel sorry for him makes Jack laugh!

To be continued...

STAND UP!

Previously we have discussed how standing up while you are on an important phone call keeps you sharp and helps your voice tone.

But standing isn't just for significant conversations.

Has something like this ever happened to you before? You show up for work a little later than you would have liked, there are several people you need to call back, your office is a mess, and you have a loan application in your office in thirty minutes. So what do you typically do? You plop down in your chair, click on the computer and wonder how you are going to get it all done.

When work is plentiful and time is short, sitting isn't usually the answer. Try standing next time. Put something like your briefcase in your chair while you stand to turn on the computer, make some phone calls and tidy up your office. By standing you will not only be more efficient but you will pursue those time strained tasks with a sense of urgency since standing is not as comfortable.