How do you stop scarcity and fear?

[Mike Watson]

Sorry about the long post.  I think it is pretty cool though.  I had an amazing portfolio going for almost 17 years and got hurt very deeply in the world-wide crash a few years back. 

It took a deep toll on me.  I went from abundance to scarcity.  Formidable to fearful.  Coming back from that was one of the hardest things I've ever done.  

How do you get through scarcity and fear in your business?  Below is a list of habits and beliefs that have given me the strength, courage and support to push through almost everything. I decided to share them here and hope you find value in them as well:

1. Wealth follows worth, literally. Most people want some kind of wealth in their life, but seek that through outward actions or education. Financial wealth, intrinsic worth, divine purpose, amazing relationships and wonderful health can only happen when we change on the inside. And until we change, nothing around us will change either. Life delivers us WHO we are, not what we want. We can only create and retain wealth when we change our worth. Once you create inner worth, wealth will have no choice but to flow to you.

2. The past only has the power that you give it. You can easily learn to re-purpose your past and give it different meaning. Most people harbor pain and often guilt and shame from their past. These feelings are major stumbling blocks for success. By changing our attitude about what happened, we can change the effect those items have on us. For example, someone hurting me deeply in the past might be seen as, “I am a loser. People use me. I can't trust others.” Or, something like that can be seen as, “The pain from yesterday gave me perspective, focus, sensitivity, compassion and a launching pad for future success for today.” Your attitude, depending on what it is, can make either of those statements true.

3. What you focus on grows. If we focus on problems and trials, those expand. If we focus on future and growth, those expand also. Your perspective is powerful enough to make you profitable. Spend your time and energy building, acting, doing and trying. Every single putt in golf that doesn't reach the hole, doesn't go in. Take way more action than you deem necessary. Move mountains. Err on the side of action, not FEAR.

4. Large accomplishments are made up of a bunch of small accomplishments. Most unhappy or unsuccessful people lack momentum of any kind or level. You will never accomplish big things if you can't constantly conquer and master small things. Most mornings I get up and start work with a list of intentionally easy items. Accomplishing those things right away, gives me momentum, comfort, a sense of satisfaction and strength to take on the rest of the day.

5. Make every little thing a big thing. I love to turn little things into big things. And I don't mean that I sweat the small stuff. I mean that all the little things that get us down, become easy when we understand how significant accomplishing a bunch of small and simple tasks can be to us. Additionally, we miss a lot of joy in life. I love to drive down the road with my kids and yell out when we are on the freeway, “We passed Center Street everyone. We did it!” Of course we passed Center Street, we were going miles past Center Street, but the change in the mood is immediate and palpable. Try this! The next time your child does something good, sit them down, look them in the eye and tell them how amazing they are and how much you love and appreciate them. That little thing they just did might still seem little, but the feelings they have to address the rest of their day will be HUGE.

6. If you can't do something, you must do it immediately. When something is bothering you, the longer you wait to address it, the more guilt, shame, fear and pain you will feel. And the task still won't get done. These issues absolutely destroy momentum and can affect everything else in life. As soon as I feel depressed, upset or down, I immediately try to get out some paper and write down a list of things bothering or stopping me in life and I attack them immediately. You will love how much freedom, self-confidence and worth you will feel AND you will create momentum, courage and passion in your life. Immediately too!

7. No more of the mindset, "If this happens, then I will do that." Or, "When this happens, I will do this." Get rid of the “If/then mindset!” It is holding your future success hostage. Take your future by force. Put your beggar's cup away. Some of the most frustrating things I hear in coaching and training are all the reasons why someone is waiting to become a superstar. When I finish school, when work calms down, when my kids graduate, when the market improves, then I will become successful. No, you won't become successful you will simply find a new excuse and delay. Congratulations. Get in or get out. If you are going to make a mistake, err on the side of action. Make a mistake DOING something, not sitting around and complaining or lying to yourself. Success might be closer than you think and even if you fail, you learn, grow and can get stronger to try again. Taking action is a muscle. Work that muscle out.

8. Stop lying to yourself. I've always wondered why and how people are so very comfortable lying to themselves. I see it all the time. And oddly, when done correctly, most people like to be called out on it. It is freeing to address what is really holding you back, instead of continuing with the self-deceptive lies. We all have excellence in us. We don't usually tolerate others lying to us, but somehow we allow s

9. No means go. When I get told, “No” by something or a situation of some kind, I tell myself a couple of things. First of all, “No means go!” Try harder. Become more creative. Recruit other people. Focus on the problem and it will become clearer. The word, “No” means to me that I have asked the wrong question or that I am speaking to the wrong person. People full of excuses and self-doubt allow a simple “no” to be the final answer.

10. The clearer your problems are, the easier they are to solve. Study your problems, Expose them to the light of day. Share them with friends. Pray about them.  I have seen that the more I study and expose my problems to review, the easier they become to eliminate. And nothing beats removing the negative and making more room for success.

11. Quite living so far below your potential. We live in a society that makes everything about underachieving okay. We dumb everything down because that one person somewhere might get offended somehow. Gives participation trophies for last place. We post the smallest ways we are upset and offended on Facebook so others can come running and coddle our self-deception. No wonder so few people are truly successful and fulfilled. Greatness is within us and therefore within our grasp, if we will consistently reach for it.

12. If you don't believe in yourself, it won't matter who does. If you do believe in yourself, it won't matter who doesn't. There is a divine light in all of us. We all have immeasurable talents and abilities. We should lead with confidence and effort, not doubt and fear. Find momentum with small accomplishments and activities. If you don't know how to do something, believe that you can figure it out and then believe that you can do it. Then DO IT. There is never a time you shouldn't believe in yourself. Perception will conquer reality, always. And whatever your perception is, will become your reality. If you want a new reality, create a new perception of YOURSELF.

13. People who focus on YOUR past, only do so because they are unhappy with their present. And this only bothers you because perhaps you are living in your past a little bit too much. Quit worrying about what other people think. Quit worrying about your limitations or inabilities. Worry about how much of an effort you are making. Worry about what you are doing to grow and progress each day. Worry about how big your desire to succeed is.

14. Find your water. Sigmund Freud said something along the lines of, “Everybody is a genius. But, if you judge a fish by it's ability to climb a tree, it will spend it's whole life believing that it is stupid.” Most of us know that we are a fish and that we haven't found our water. We've been trying to climb trees our whole lives. We haven't found what it is that we were put on this earth to do. FIND YOUR WATER. There is greatness in all of us, we just have to find and identify it. Then we can flourish in it.  

Real estate rules.  Hope you enjoyed a few of these things.  

Mike Watson