motivation: Real Estate Agents: What are you doing to survive - 07/09/09 06:17 AM
A long time ago, in a far off place Real Estate used to sell.  Phones were ringing, computers were writing contracts instead of Tweeting, and ATM's cards were used to get money....that green stuff, out of the Bank.  Oh  and that's when the word Bank used to mean the place that we put our money in, now they just take what little we have, and give Real Estate Agents headaches.
 
Our Parents used to talk about walking 5 miles in the snow....using an old typewriter, and black and white TV.  They loved getting a gold watch and a pension after … (25 comments)

motivation: Do you know if kids are allowed in an ice cream truck? - 05/28/09 04:13 PM
What happens when you ask a question, or make a comment, and the person that is supposed to know the business makes a statement that isn't what you want to hear?  Oh I think most of us, or our clients have dealt with this one. But what do you do really.....Do you accept  what the expert says....or do you investigate on your own to ascertain the validity of the statement?

 
 
 
 
I was talking to someone yesterday about my new venture, and while filling out the paperwork I mentioned how excited I was that my Grandkids and … (26 comments)

motivation: Monday Morning Gifts: Who said there isn't any Hope, we did it :) - 03/02/09 02:51 AM
One year ago-a look back is also a look foreward. March is here, and in many parts of the country Spring has also arrived.  I wrote the following Post a year ago, when so many of us were hit with a struggling Real Estate market.  2008 was a tough year, and so many people lost their homes, their jobs, and we in the Real Estate field lost a lot of our friends.  Yes, it was a tough year, but looking at this Post gave me a lot of hope.....as almost all of the people are still here.  I can't say that … (22 comments)

motivation: Dear Diary- Why am I so Passionate about....cat food and education? - 02/21/09 10:22 AM
I have doodled out my thoughts for years, but I have never kept a Diary.  I have written in a couple Journals several years ago, but they weren't really Diaries, so bear with me if this seems to ramble.  Apparently I am to write about what I am passionate about, and as always for command writing I don't know what to write. So I have to think for awhile, and organize my thoughts. Well, I finally figured out that for this Contest, on What we're passionate about that I had to dig deep into my soul to pull out the core passions that have been the … (46 comments)

motivation: Active Rain: Love what you do and do what you love - 12/18/08 05:19 AM
"We don't have to be #1.....all we have to do is keep writing ....add a few more articles, some pictures, Market Conditions,  and  Neighborhood News. We just have to be consistent, and real.....that is what will get our Blog read."  I am in the midst of judging one of the hardest contests I've been involved with to date, just as my Points rolled over the 200,000 mark.  I find it very apropos that I am giving back just as I passed this magic number, as that has been the mark of my time on Active Rain....giving back to the Community.
 
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motivation: Monday Morning Gifts: What do Seagulls and Eagles have to do with you? - 11/23/08 07:39 PM
I was on Twitter when Thesa Chambers  was talking about all the Eagles in her area.  Then Ann Cummings asked a few questions, and poof there were 4 or 5 people talking about Eagles and Owls.  Ann apparently hadn't seen a real Eagle, and asked if seeing a Seagull was close enough :)  Well, as a Sunday morning would go, I decided that maybe with some glue we could add wing span, talons, and a beak to that poor seagull to make it into an Eagle.  But Ann didn't seem to think there was enough glue.....there is the premise for today's Post.  How … (57 comments)

motivation: Blog Action Day- Faces of Poverty - 10/15/08 03:08 AM
How many times have we been confronted with Poverty, stark poverty that rips your heart out every time you see it until you get to the point that all of your tears are locked into a place that is safe from daily interactions? Not the United States version of poverty where even the poorest have it better than in some Countries.  Not the United States where the poorest receive Medical Care, and there are Food Stamps for the truly needy.  This isn't the poverty I'm talking about. 
I'm talking about the Poverty of Children being isolated from the world because of … (32 comments)

motivation: Monday Morning Gifts....Creativity is FREE - 10/13/08 07:57 AM
Week-ends are a time for relaxing with family and friends...at least that's what I always thought.  Growing up we did our Saturday chores as fast as we could, so we would have time to hang out, and play.  Well, as Grown-ups we still want time to play. Incorporating what we enjoy into a day of fun can be quite easy with a little creativity.
I love Photography, and have taught all my Grandkids a little something about it.  Their mother loves taking photos, so how about a Photo Scavenger Hunt?  The family is all together, it costs nothing, and everyone gets to … (38 comments)

motivation: Monday Morning....Change Doesn't Have to Hurt - 10/06/08 03:57 AM
Ready or not, things change.  Monday, 8AM the Phone Rings, and just like that the Week has started. Ready or not here it comes.  Remember that line when we played hide and seek...ready or not here it comes? How did our lives get regulated to a child's game of Hide and Seek?  I swear my Real Estate Career is like that lately....Ready or Not, things change.

OK so it is time for a change, but sometimes we are so stuck in our fears, our preconceptions, and our "What if's" that we don't do anything.  We immobilize ourselves; we're not ready.  … (35 comments)

motivation: Show You Care....Thanks Twitter and ActiveRain for being Good Global Neighbors - 10/04/08 12:29 PM
Social Media...we keep reading how blogging is good for business, and for networking. As a member of Active Rain, whether new or old, we have learned what it means to be a part of a community, something bigger than just ourselves.  As a member of Twitter we have expanded ourselves even more......to that big outside world of the Internet. Well, both Twitter and Active Rain are being called upon to be even larger members of the Global Community of Humanity.  All of us are being asked to participate in Blog Action Day 2008. And both Twitter and Active Rain are participating....here's how you … (38 comments)

motivation: Calling on our Active Rain Friends....thanks Nannette Saunders for being there - 09/22/08 12:12 PM
OK, I am on the phone right now with Nannette Saunders in Virginia. I am trying to put my very first video on Active Rain. I messed up the first attempts, and Nannette just laughed....talking about us " non-techie" Californians, and told me to start over. 
So here goes.... After a few trys here is my very first Video I made without any help. Well OK that's a little lie, Nannette had to calm me down, show me where to put the stuff, and walk me through the U Tube and Active Rain Components.  She also made me a friend on U Tube so that she could try to find … (20 comments)

motivation: Monday Morning Gifts.......Alive with Choices - 09/08/08 05:45 AM
I am just amazed that a whole week has gone by.  I have no idea where it went, it seems to have been a blur of Work, Gustav, and concerns over the plight of others. But where ever it went...it's gone and today is a new beginning~ it's Monday :)
 
Today we might have to finish off a few things from the week-end when some businesses were closed, and we might have a few calls or e-mails to return.  But after that...it's all new, it's all our choice. No matter what....today we are alive with choices.
 
How we choose … (33 comments)

motivation: Monday Morning Gifts: Family, Friends Compassion and Prayer - 09/01/08 05:11 AM
This morning I feel many of us might have conflicting emotions because of all the things going on.  On one hand we have our friends that are affected by Hurricane Gustav, and on the other hand we might be enjoying the last week-end of Summer. Family, Friends, Compassion and Prayer.....at least one of these will probably consume a lot of our Monday Morning.
 


Family, Friends, Compassion and Prayer
 
  It can be confusing to have such strong conflicting emotions at the same time. One thing that is very important is it's OK to enjoy a BBQ, it's … (15 comments)

motivation: Marketing: Learning from Marti Garaughty & "Art of Marketing You" Tutorials - 08/30/08 03:33 PM
The Art of Marketing You Group, here on Active Rain, has become my new best friend.  I love new ideas, and love things that can increase my business.  Like so many people, time seems to be more abundant than money these days. Reading Active Rain, and other Real Estate Networking sites  keeps us on top of any new changes to the Market, or anything new for Marketing or Technology.  Following marti garaughty's Blog and Wallpaper Tutorials is like a soap opera....each week we just want more :)
Well, Marti's last Post............was a great Tutorial on how to make our own Wallpaper.  … (26 comments)

motivation: Tuesday Truths....Burning that Bra Didn't help everyone - 08/26/08 04:46 AM
Today.....August 26th is Women's Equality Day.  The 19th Amendment was certified as part of the U.S. Constitution on August 26, 1920.  This Amendment gave women the right to vote, and supposedly we were to have equal rights.  In our country women today are "mostly" equal to men.  There are still discrepancies in pay, and opportunities, depending on where you live, but on the whole life is much better for women.

 
I remember my Grandmother's pride when she would tell us about being the first Woman hired at McGraw-Hill to earn the same salary as a man.  She was a mechanical … (16 comments)

motivation: Monday Morning...a simple gift....Friends - 08/25/08 07:22 AM
No matter what job we have, no matter how many social networks we belong to, it's all about relationships.  Who are your friends?  Who's on your Subscribed List...Do you even know most of these people?  Today think of what makes a Friend....either online or off.  Today let at least one of your Friends know you care.  Life is too short to not let people know they are important.

Today....that might be all we have.  So today I would like to Introduce someone that consistently contributes to  Active Rain although I rarely see many comments on her Blog.
I have written … (27 comments)

motivation: August is one of the hottest Months....Protect our Children - 08/16/08 04:14 AM
What does the Purple Ribbon stand for?  Last week when I was at the Clinic on the REZ I saw Purple Ribbons tied to all the Posts, and little signs supporting August as Purple Ribbon Month.…..a Campaign to remind everyone of NOT leaving a child alone in a car. Yes, it’s a Law, but not everyone follows the law, and children die or get hurt unnecessarily.

Kaitlyn’s Law, was named after the 6 month old that died after being left unattended for 2 hours in a car by her babysitter. It is also known as the” Unattended Child in a … (20 comments)

motivation: Tuesday Truths.......How $34 and 7 pounds changed my Real Estate Career - 07/29/08 02:57 PM
We've all had times in our lives where things weren't the best.  Some people have relationship problems, some have financial, work, children, or health problems.....we all have had problems, no one  is exempt.  But what happens when we lose control, and allow our "issues" to overcome us? 

 
 
 Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.
~John Quincy Adams~ 
 
 
 
 
Let me go back a little for those of you that don't know me.  I was doing very well in my business until the end of 2006.  Last year was … (109 comments)

motivation: Monday Morning ...a morning of anticipation - 07/28/08 03:59 AM
Good Morning everyone. Hope everyone enjoyed the week-end, and if not hope you at least were productive :)  I'm not sure that Mondays mean the same to a Real Estate Agent as they do to an Escrow or Title person, or some Lenders....see Agents don't all get week-ends off, so Mondays can be just another day.  But no matter what they are the start of a new, fresh week.  So let's get started....

Sometime this week find time to just Relax......take the time.  We all need to just be sometimes and remember what it is we work so hard for.......the … (30 comments)

motivation: Monday Morning Gifts... Think of Yourself as a Ware, and then Sell It :) - 07/14/08 03:05 AM
OK, it is that day again...Monday.  The start of another week. The coffee is brewing and I have set my days agenda up..Let's see, check e-mails, get the stuff ready for printing, arrange my call list, and grab that first cup of coffee.  Yep, it's 7 am....and by 8:30 I will have done an hour and a half of blogging, checking mails, and then get ready for the day. The beginning of a new week.........

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
This guy might have the right idea.......do … (32 comments)