Do you ever wonder what is holding you back? Do you ever wonder what is stopping you from having all the clients, all the money, and all the transactions that you desire?

Chances are that you have all the skills and knowledge you need.

Have you ever said to yourself, “I know what I should be doing, I’m just not doing it.”? That is a clear signal that you are being undermined by self limiting beliefs that may not even be conscious, such as:

"I'm not worthy of success”,

“It's selfish to pray for money”,

“Rich people are dishonest”,

“I should just be happy with what I have and not want more”,

“I am a failure and not worthy of money.”

Let me give you an example from a client of mine: Although his efforts to be successful were sincere, he had unknowingly been carrying around “anti-success” beliefs his whole life, such as:

“I don't have what it takes”

“I can't be successful like others”

“I have to settle for less”

“I have to struggle and sacrifice to make money”

“I'm not worthy of having money”

In our weekly sessions, it became clear that the origins of these self limiting beliefs went back quite a ways. A real breakthrough for him came during one of our sessions, when he recalled that as a child he tried extremely hard to get his parents approval. Because his parents were not forthcoming with their approval, he concluded subconsciously that he was a “failure”, and that he did not deserve success. This resulted in him never achieving the level of success he wanted, not getting the transactions that he deserved, and beating himself up continually with self "put downs”.

When he realized where all of this came from, he had the insight that his whole feeling of unworthiness was false. He further realized that it was not his fault that his parents did not approve of him, as they were withholding people.

He began to install Empowered beliefs such as:

“I am successful”

“I am worthy”

“I am generous with my approval for myself”

His assignment was to practice giving himself a generous amount of positive self talk everyday. In fact if he caught himself putting himself down, he resolved to intervene, interrupt the process and put in a positive new thought in its place, such as “I can do anything I set my mind to do.” Once he began practicing his Empowered Beliefs, he could practice the Law of Attraction without the interference of counter intentions.

Not surprisingly, his energy increased, as well as his clients and income. His story illustrates the importance of identifying and reprogramming self limiting beliefs.

So many real estate professionals today are wondering, "How can I stay positive in today's market?" Like any discriminating real estate professional, you realize the value of a positive mental attitude. Here are 8 ways that you can create and maintain a positive mental attitude in today's market.

1. Avoid toxic people

What does this mean? Who are the toxic people? Toxic people can be well-meaning people but when they talk to you, they are coming from a negative attitude about money, finances, and especially about the current real estate situation. They may be fellow real estate professionals who want to gather around the water cooler, they may be relatives who are just trying to protect you; they may even be friends and family. You will know if you've been around a toxic person, because you will begin to feel deflated. Here's your job: either change the subject or walk away. Better yet, speak up for yourself and mention that you want to think positively about yourself and about your business. If you see one of them coming your way find a way to avoid the interaction because it does not serve your highest good (or theirs).

2. If you've tried everything and exhausted ways to avoid toxic people, then you may have to set an internal boundary.

You can do this very simply by having your own inner conversation if someone is saying something negative to you on the outside. A great example of an inner conversation when someone is complaining about their business or about the marketplace is to say to yourself, "that may be true for you but it's not true for me." This can become your inner mantra.

3. Avoid the media

Why? Remember that the intention of the media is to sell newspapers and magazines. The more they can paint a negative and fearful picture, the more their sales go up. In fact there is a saying in the newspaper business, "If it bleeds, it reads." That may seem harsh, but pick up any newspaper and you'll see what I'm talking about. Why subject yourself to slanted, negative spins on the economy when you can find just as much information to point to the positive?

4. Successful real estate professionals do well in any market.

Were you aware of that? Knowing that fact, none of us can continue to use the excuse about the market being bad. In fact, I am coaching several clients right now who in the last six months have doubled and tripled their incomes. In addition to the right marketing strategies and regular lead generation activities, you could help yourself with this empowered belief: "I now draw clients to me who are ready, willing and able to make a transaction in the next 30 days."

5. Look for the opportunity in today's marketplace

There are many opportunities in today's market and successful real estate professionals are taking advantage of them. Did you know that Donald Trump is buying up as much property as he can? Why do you think that is? He is a smart businessman, to say the least, and knows that this is the best time to buy. Let your prospective clients know this and then say to them, "Let's get you a deal." Few could resist this invitation.

6. Remember that your success depends on your mindset, not on the outer conditions of the market.

"If you believe you can or you can't, either way you are right," Henry Ford. What mindset do you choose to nurture inside yourself? Do you want to believe,"I can "or "I can't". Your beliefs create your reality so whatever you choose to believe will become true for you.

7. Remember to engage the Law of Attraction as one of your most powerful tools

The law of attraction states that you get what you focus your attention on. Furthermore, your beliefs create your reality so choose your beliefs carefully. Here's a tip: instead of saying "I can't possibly succeed in today's market," choose instead to focus one of these beliefs: "I achieve whatever I set my mind to" "I am a money magnet in any situation" "I attract clients who appreciate and respect my expertise" "My success depends on my attitude, not on any outer circumstances"

8. Be proactive

In any marketplace there are always people wanting to buy and sell homes. They need your help and they need your expertise. Your job is to become visible to them. In today's market, they are not likely to fall in your lap. However with a good system of lead generation, you can contact them and use your intention to attract your ideal clients. Clear out any self limiting beliefs that stop you from picking up the phone. Follow the suggestions mentioned above and you'll be happy to notice that are only are you staying more positive, but also your income is increasing as well.

OK, so you’re standing in line in the supermarket, or you’re in an elevator, or you’re at a party, or you’re in a networking group. Sooner or later, someone is going to say to you, “So what do you do?” This is what you want, free publicity so to speak. However, how you handle this question could determine whether this person becomes a prospective client, a prospective referral source or just walks away.

This article exposes the 3 mistakes you could be making and why they don’t work. Then you’ll discover the ideal answer and understand why it’s important to use it. Here are 3 common answers:

Mistake #1: You say to little.

You say something like, my name is Jane Doe and I’m with _______________________ Real Estate Company. And then you smile hoping the other person will ask you a question. Probably they won’t. This is a mistake because you have made a short statement that doesn’t engage the other person’s attention. It doesn’t invite questioning. The other person may politely say what they do to fill in the awkward silence or they may excuse themselves in some socially graceful way.

Mistake #2 You say too much and ask for the business

You say something like, “My name is Jane Doe. I work for ____________________________Real Estate Company and I specialize in country homes. I love the country and I love to show country property. It feels so good to get outdoors, breathe the fresh air and help someone find a home they love in the country. So who do you know who is seeking to buy or sell a country home?” This is a mistake because you said too much about yourself, did not ask a question that would engage the other person’s attention and it’s way to early to ask for the business. You should be cultivating a relationship with that person. Remember, people do business with you when they know, like and trust you. With someone you just met, you’re still in the “getting to know each other stage.” The most you should ask for is their business card and give them yours. If you have a connection with that person and would like to contact them in the future, you might consider adding them to your Sphere of Influence and sending them an Item of Value once a month.

Mistake #3: You talk on and on about yourself and your career

I know this may sound hard to believe but you’d be amazed at the things people say when they are nervous and trying to make small talk. So someone says, “So what do you do?” and you answer, “My name is Jane Doe and I’m with ___________________________ Real Estate Company. I have been with them for 5 years. It’s a great company. All the people there are so friendly and helpful. I am so glad I chose real estate. I love the flexible hours and the income potential. This really beats my corporate job and ….” This is a mistake because it’s “all about you”. The only things you’re promoting here are (1) The nice atmosphere of your office and (2) what a great career real estate is . If you keep going you might talk the other person into becoming a real estate agent but they won’t be a prospective client or referral source. So, what should you say?

In my 12+ years of specializing in coaching real estate agents in doubling their incomes I have found one amazing answer that does wonders and I’m about to let you in on that secret.

Here’s the scoop. When the other person, asks , “So what do you do?” you need to ask them a question to engage them. The question is, "Well, you know when people are buying or selling a home how nervous and stressed out they can get?” Pause and let the other person respond with a “yes”. Then you say, “Well I take care of all the details and paper work, I hold their hand through the process and make the whole thing a relaxing, enjoyable experience for my client. My name is Jane Doe, and I’m a real estate agent with _______________________company.

Now, what do you think you’d feel or think if you heard that? Most likely you’d want to do business with that person. Why? There are 3 reasons: They didn’t talk about themselves. They showed that they have a thorough understanding of the issues and problems people face when buying or selling a home. They provided specific solutions to the client’s problems. When you give this kind of answer there are a lot of benefits. Can you guess what they are? The other person will be genuinely interested because you’ve engaged them. The other person will begin to trust you because you put the client’s needs before your own. Finally, you answered in a unique way and that sets you apart from the crowd. So the next time the person has a real estate question, they are going to call you because you have demonstrated that you care.

With those kind of benefits wouldn’t you want to use this answer, memorize every word and have it roll off your tongue the next time someone says, “So what do you do?” You bet you would. Just watch your income increase.

As a business coach for real estate professionals for the last 12+ years, I often hear the same question from my clients, "How do I stop procrastinating and do what I need to do to pick up the phone?" This article will give you a strategy guaranteed help you overcome the old pattern of procrastination.

Here's the KEY: Pick a goal that is manageable for you.

I was working with the client this morning named Steve who had been feeling stuck all week and unable to pick up the phone. We identified that he clearly had an avoidance pattern going on. I asked that part of him to tell us why it had been preventing my client from making his prospecting calls. It very clearly answered, "30 contacts today seems like too much. Steve will fail, and then he will be criticizing himself. I don't want him to go through that pain so I'm stopping him from making the calls altogether."

We did some negotiating with his "avoidance part" and it wasn't long before a win-win agreement was reached. The "avoidance part", now called his Ally, was very agreeable to Steve making the calls as long as he would lower the number to 20 contacts a day when he sat down to prospect. Steve knew that he could do 20 contacts today, he done it before and he felt very confident of his ability to do that.

Furthermore, a part of him that had been preventing him from taking the phone was now agreeing to be his Ally with a brand-new job description. The deal was this: Steve's part was to get on the phone and make 20 contacts a day.

The Ally's part was to:

1. Nudge him to get on the phone

2. Praise him for his efforts

3. Protect him from self judgment and criticism

At the end of the session, Steve reported feeling energized and highly motivated. We worked out some action steps and accountability along with a set of empowered beliefs. With his new and more realistic goal of reaching 20 clients instead of 30, the procrastination stopped.

Here's a Tip: Procrastination is just another word for fear. Next time you are procrastinating ask yourself these questions:

•What am I afraid of?

•What self limiting belief is driving me?

•What is a manageable action step?

Pick something you know you can achieve, take action, feel successful, and use that as a springboard for your future action.

Take a moment to think about the word "marketing". What thoughts come up for you? Do you wish it would go away? Do you start to think of yourself like a salesperson?

Do you have self-limiting beliefs, like "I can't market myself"? What feelings come up for you, do you get tense, do you get a knot in your stomach, or do your jaws clench?

Old beliefs about marketing:

Most people think of marketing as aversive and painful. "They make comments like, "Why can't I just do my work and have the clients come to me? I hate marketing." This is because most people have old beliefs about marketing.

Some of these are:

• Marketing is phony

• Marketing is begging

• Marketing is pushy

• Marketing is drudgery

New beliefs about marketing

Since our beliefs create our reality, It makes sense for us to reprogram any beliefs that would interfere with our success. Here's some way to think of marketing that will actually make you feel passionate about marketing. • Marketing is an authentic expression of who you are. If you are doing what you love, then expressing what you do with others is authentic.

• Marketing is actually the opposite of begging. It's a gift. If you give a presentation to a group, write an article or take a prospect to lunch, you are giving.

• Effective marketing is not based on being pushy. It is based on the Law of Attraction. Imagine yourself as a magnet, drawing appreciative clients for your services.

• Marketing is not drudgery. In fact, it is a great way to meet new people, an adventure into new friendships, and connections.

I find that so many of my clients avoid marketing when it comes to their sphere of influence. And yet statistics show that your sphere of influence can be the greatest source of referrals. This article show you how to dig in and get the “gold.”

Tip 1: Define and Rate your Sphere of Influence When is the last time that you took a good look at your sphere of influence? What is the total? What are the categories in that group? Do you have past clients, friends, acquaintances, people you hardly know? Before you do any thing else go into your data base and group your sphere of influence in categories. Do you know who in your sphere is likely to refer to you? Do you know who in your sphere already works with another agent? How many have moved away? Start deleting the inappropriate ones. Be sure to ask all of them this question at some point: “If you were buying or selling a home do you have a real estate agent that could help you?" If they say “yes” delete them. There is no point in continuing, they are not prospects. By keeping in touch With your sphere of influence as we will describe below, you’ll begin to find out who is an A,B, C, or D.

A= someone likely to refer to you

B= someone who with a little more contact with you, would refer to you

C=Questionable

D= Delete

Tip 2: Send an Item of Value to your sphere each month In my 12+ years of coaching Real Estate agents to double their incomes, I am amazed at the fact that sometimes their sphere never gets a mailing. Or sometimes the mailing is not well thought out. I worked with a client today who admitted that the material she was sending to her sphere was standard and boring. We brainstormed about Items of Value that would be interesting, fun and unique. So far she has come up with recipes and inspiring quotes. What do you send to your sphere of influence? Is it something you would want to receive and find valuable? If so, then I guarantee that your sphere will like it too. How many creative Items of Value can you come up with?

Tip 3: Overcome your blocks to calling your sphere Everyone I have ever worked with resists calling their sphere. They tell me things like

• “I don’t want them to think I want something from them”

• “I’m afraid they won’t like me”

• “I don’t want to be like a telemarketer”

The list goes on, but I think you get the idea. What you need to understand is that you’re a giver. When givers give to other givers, they get back. So, in other words, if you send an Item of Value , you are giving, when you chat with them and listen to what’s going on in their lives, you’re giving again. So at the end of the call, say something like, " Oh by the way, if you hear of anyone even whispering about buying selling a home, please give me a call with their name and number.” Then say, “I’ll be happy to send referrals to your business, as well.” Guess what? You’re giving again. After doing these calls monthly (after your mailing of Items of Value) you’ll begin to know your sphere of influence and they’ll know you. You’ll begin to learn which ones are you’re A’s, B’s, C’s and which ones to delete. Then what will happen is that you’ll be in their stream of consciousness. So you’re the first one they’ll think of when they think of real estate. Don’t be surprised if you get referrals in the first few weeks.

Tip 4: Be in the right mindset Don’t make these calls if you’re feeling anxious, upset or desperate. Remember, desperations doesn’t sell. So psych your self up in the right mindset. Think of your self as a giver and how happy they are going to be to hear from you.

Tip: if you have been thinking negatively, switch your focus to what you are grateful for. That usually puts you in a much better mood to pick up the phone.

Tip 5: Make it a daily ritual Just like brushing your teeth, calling some people out of your sphere of influence is essential. Even one a day is OK. Only call several times a day if you want your income to raise quickly. Decide when to make your calls and keep at it until you’ve reached the people you were trying to call. Expect that several weeks after doing this; it will feel a lot easier. An extra perk is that you’re going to be deepening some great relationships and you’ll experience the same pleasure of calling them us as you would with a good friend.

Have you ever noticed a voice in your head that puts you down?

This same voice finds things about you that aren’t right and makes you feel that whatever you do isn’t OK. In fact , you can never please that voice, have you noticed?

In the 30 years that I’ve been coaching people in confidence building , I have found that one of the biggest obstacles to marketing is that pesky little voice (sometimes it sounds huge) that brings down your energy to zero and stops you in your tracks.

This voice is sometimes referred to as the Inner Judge, the Inner Critic or simply the Gremlin

An example:

One of my clients, Mary, sounded tired and depressed. She said “I don’t know why but lately I have been doing a lot of self judging and I can’t get the motivation to gather prospects.” When I asked her what was triggering this resurgence of the Inner Judge, she explained that her birthday was coming up and she did not feel that she had accomplished what she thought she “should” have.

We did a short visualization and she described this “should” voice as looking like the grim reaper, dressed in dark cloak and hood. The grim reaper said that it was judging her so much because underneath it all, it wanted her to “get her act together and be happy.” She told the grim reaper that while she appreciated its intention, the strategies it used were actually making her miserable. She concluded, “If you aren’t going to stop picking on me then you’ll have to leave.”

The result? The Inner Judge (grim reaper) left the room and was replaced by what she describes as an Ally, someone who would always be loving and supportive of her. Her assignment for the week? You guessed it, letting the voice of the Ally give her positive self talk and remind her of all the good things about herself. By the end of the session, she sounded confident and energized. I’m betting that if she does her assignment , she’ll be back on the marketing track.

What is your Inner Judge like?

Here’s a tip, start to notice that voice inside of you that beats you up. Make a decision to stop identifying with that voice. In fact, whenever the berating comments begin, stop and take deep breath and create positive new thoughts. In this way you’ll be building the voice of your Ally. As you go through the ups and downs of marketing, that Ally will always support you and encourage you that “you can do it”. What positive new thoughts would you like your ally to say to you? One of my favorites is “I love and approve of myself.” Try it and watch the results.

What does your Inner Ally say to you?

In my work as a Law of Attraction business coach I meet with people every day who have dreams of creating success in their business. Sadly, most of them are saying the same thing, “I hate marketing, I just want to do what I’m good at without having to market myself. “ The truth about getting more clients is that it’s not that difficult, it just requires following some simple steps.

• FOCUS: How do you get to where you want to be unless you know where you are going? I always teach my clients a visualization technique in which they imagine where they want to be professionally in 1 year from today. How much money do you want to be earning? How many hours a week do you want to work? What kind of clients do you want to work with?

• STRATEGIES: Once you’re clear about where you want to be, you need to create strategies to get there. I tell people, “if you already knew what strategies to use, you’d probably already be there.” Strategies help you to chunk big visions into tangible, bite size action steps

• ACCOUNTABILITY: How accountable are you to yourself? Most people I meet in business for themselves, find it far too easy to slide in keeping their agreements with themselves. The magical thing about coaching is that when you have a witness to your accountability, you are much more likely to do what you said you’d do. Just knowing that someone cares and will ask you every week, “How did that action step go?”, is huge incentive to staying on track.

• DISCOVERY: As a former psychologist, one of my passions is helping people discover how they block them themselves and get in their own way of success. What I find is that everyone needs to reprogram some self-limiting beliefs, like “I don’t have what it takes to succeed” or “I don’t deserve to have a lot of money”. Another block is that most people suffer from subconscious sabotaging strategies, like procrastination . These need to be reversed. Finally , everyone I’ve ever met has a monstrous , overly developed inner critic, which I call the Gremlin. In discovery you learn to identify the voice of you Gremlin and learn to tame it way down.

• PERSPECTIVE: We all spin our wheels and get caught up in our narrow perspective. The best investment we can make in getting more clients is to have people around us that give us the option of another perspective.

• SUPPORT: If you are in business for yourself , you need all the support you can get. As you put yourself out there to get more clients, you are assuming the responsibility of helping these clients. Who helps you? Who do you lean on? It is invaluable to have a support team or a committed ally in your corner.

• CELEBRATION: How often do you celebrate yourself? As a coach who teaches people how to get more clients I find that learning to celebrate not only your successes but also your efforts is the way to a long a healthy career. By learning to stop, pause and validate yourself for what you’ve done keeps this process light , fun and exciting. Also, think of how impossible it is for your gremlin to beat you up, if you are busy celebrating yourself! It is one of of the joys of my work that I get to help people truly celebrate themselves.

The biggest mistake that most real estate agents make in dealing with their clients and colleagues is that they are unconsciously committed to "people pleasing." This article shows you the signs to watch out for. These signs will clearly show you whether you are inadvertently falling into a "people pleaser" pattern. If so, you'll be shown an alternative strategy. You'll learn what it means to commit to "win/win" or "no deal."

Part 1: How do you know, if you are a people pleaser? Here are the signs to watch out for:

1. You don't feel in charge of your business. It seems that your clients are running you around. You find yourself accommodating to their schedules and feeling that you have "no life of your own."

2. You find yourself wasting time with people that you thought were "prospective clients", only to find out that they were not really committed to working with you.

3. You find it hard to speak "the truth" to your clients. For example, you find it hard to tell them specifically how to price their home. You may also find it hard to insist that prospective buyers agree to a "buyer's agreement" with you.

4. You take on clients that you know you shouldn't. You intuition is telling you that there is "trouble ahead." You don't see the red flags, because you want to be "nice" and you don't want to hurt anyone's feelings.

5. You find it hard to pick up the phone and call on prospects. It could be that you find it hard to call your sphere of influence, your former clients, or even warm leads. You tell yourself, "I don't want to bother anyone."

6. You let your colleagues and associates encroach on your time. Perhaps they pass by your office and think that it's a good time to talk to you. You have trouble setting boundaries with them and saying, "Sorry, I'm busy now." You want them to like you.

7. You also want your clients to like you, so you bend over backwards to meet their needs. I've even had some clients who took on the job of babysitting children of their prospective clients. They thought if they could just please them enough, they would get the business. 8. If you are a broker or a manager, you put up with having people in your office who shouldn't be there. Their energy is negative, and they pull down the morale of your office.

Part 2: A case history of a broker and her "hard to let go of" agent.

One of my clients, I will change the names to ensure confidentiality, was a broker of a small office. About a year ago, she failed to follow her intuition and hired an agent who turned out to be hostile and negative. "Looking back on it, "she said," the red flags were there." For a year, my client, Jacqueline, had been trying to let this agent go.

As the year went on, not only did the agent fail to produce, but she became increasingly hostile, picking fights with other agents in the office. My client felt sorry for the agent, Mary, and tried to overlook the difficulties. Under the surface, what was really happening was that my client had been taught when she was young to "put up with people" instead of speaking her mind. Although this served to help her survive as a child, it really got in the way of her being a successful real estate agent. This interaction with Mary brought it to a head. She would either have to speak the truth and tell Mary to go or she would have to put up with more "slacking and negativity."

Because she felt sorry for Mary and afraid of any negative repercussions of letting her go, she procrastinated the difficult task of letting Mary go. Finally, after a few sessions of coaching, she got the courage, the understanding, and the right words to end this negative relationship. To her surprise, there were no repercussions, no fights, and no fallouts. Instead, Mary handled it calmly and swiftly. Before the end of the day, Mary had packed up and left the office.

My client was so relieved. She felt like a burden has been lifted off of her shoulders that had been weighing her down for nearly a year. She and I discussed how this happened, the red flags that she ignored and how she could prevent this from happening again. She then committed to "win/win or no deal."

Part 3: Win/Win or no deal - what does it mean? When you commit to "win/win or no deal", as Stephen Covey says, you are agreeing to never again enter into a relationship in which you will lose and the other person will win. In other words, you are deciding to relinquish your old "people pleasing pattern." Remember, the "people pleasing pattern" is based on the self limiting beliefs that "other people's needs are more important than your own." Dropping that paradigm means embracing a new paradigm -- "my needs are as important as other people's needs."

What can you expect as the results?

• You can expect that you will be more highly tuned in to your intuition and "gut feelings." If your "gut feeling" says, "No" then you will listen to that rather than your "mind", which doesn't always tell the truth.

• You can expect that prospective buyers you work with will respect your policies because you will insist that they agree to a "buyer's agreement." You can expect that when they do finally buy a home, it will be from you.

• You can expect that your clients and colleagues will gain respect for you because you are finding respect for yourself. Please note that you don't need your clients to "like" you. You just need them to respect you. (As an aside, studies have shown that it is not so important as to whether they like you, but rather, what's important is that they perceive that you like them. When they perceive that you like them, they feel protected and taken care of, and will give you their business.)

• You can expect that you will be telling the truth to sellers about how they should price their homes and you will be telling the truth to buyers as to how much they can expect to get for their money. • If you are a broker, you can expect to be much more particular when you hire agents. You won't be worrying about pleasing people, and you will be better able to evaluate the character, and work ethics of your team. • You can expect to have better control of your own schedule. You will be clearly setting boundaries and defining when you are able to work and when you're not. Not only will your clients respect you for that, but you will find that you finally "have a life."

• You can expect to be more courageous in your prospecting. No longer will you be trying to "please" everyone you call. Rather, you will be coming from the mindset of "I have something valuable to offer", and "this person is lucky to hear from me."

• You can expect to back out of deals that you recently entered into when you were trying to be a "people pleaser". As soon as you sense that this deal is going to be difficult or draining to you, you'll remind yourself, "that it's Win/Win, or no deal."

• You can expect to be more assertive with your clients, with colleagues that stop by your office and pull on your ear, and even in group situations when you need to speak publicly. What is the underpinning of all of this positive change? The key is that you approve of yourself. This is the greatest confidence builder that you have - your own approval of yourself. When you have that, you are no longer "outer directed", i.e. trying to get the approval of others. You are inner directed and finding your own "inner approval." Finding your own "inner approval" is a process.

It doesn't happen overnight. Usually you need the help of a mentor or a coach to help guide you out of your old "people pleasing pattern" (which is usually your blind spot) and into a healthy pattern of self approval, leading to a "win/win" or no deal.

THE BIG MISTAKE:

“The market is so slow and I don't even know where my next sale is coming from.” How often have you heard someone say that when business is down and the economy is questionable?

It seems logical, doesn't it, to tighten your purse strings?

“What! Are you suggesting that I should invest in my business now?” Even though it seems logical to tighten up and constrict spending, it is actually based on a “scarcity” mindset. In a scarcity mindset you focus on lack in your business, and on lack in outer conditions and the market. The result is a constriction in the flow of energy to your business. In fact, when you focus your thoughts on lack in your business, you have a problem even before you begin. Hence, THE BIG MISTAKE. Are you constricting the flow of energy to your business?

Here are some signs to watch out for:

1. What are your thoughts?

• I don't have enough clients

• My competitors are stealing business

• I can't succeed in today's market

Here's an example that contains a scarcity mindset: “There are so many new agents entering the business there isn't enough business to go around. Maybe I should just get a real job.” Have you ever had that thought?

2. What emotions do you experience?

• Fear

• Stress

• Struggle

• Anxiety

• Worry

Any of the thoughts above are likely to create the emotions of worry, fear and doubt. You find yourself dwelling in these negative feelings that will prevent you from attracting to your business and the very things you desire, such as more clients and more income. Your thoughts create your reality. Therefore, if you focus on what you don't want, like the lack of money, you'll get more of that.

3. ACTIONS

When you're stuck in a scarcity mindset, not only does it affect your thoughts and feelings, but also your actions. For example, “I was going to take the weekend off, but now I better not. Business is slow and I don't want to miss a call from a prospective client.”

Do you see how this is a scarcity mindset? What is the person missing out on? If you said “self-care and self maintenance”, then you are right. This is one of the actions that goes by the wayside when you're focusing on scarcity. You're simply afraid that you won't have enough so you ignore the importance of taking care of yourself.

So what is the big mistake?

The big mistake is that you are focusing your thoughts on outward circumstances, like the economy, to determine your mindset. If the economy is down you are down. Stephen Covey calls this the “reactive” mindset. You believe that you are acted upon, rather than being “proactive” and there is a constriction of energy to your business.

When you are proactive, you don't focus on what the economy or the market is doing, you are coming from an internal state of prosperity consciousness. You don't look to outer conditions to determine your state of mind, you determine your own state of mind by your thoughts, emotions and actions. In essence you create the mindset of being the deliberate creator of your life.

The solution:

If the mindset is the problem, then how do you switch to a more positive mindset?

1. Commit to building a “prosperity” mindset

A “prosperity” mindset is not something you are born with, it's not in your genes; it’s something that you develop through practice. Think of it as a muscle that you exercise. The more you exercise it, the stronger that muscle becomes. It's the same with “prosperity” mindset. Successful people have one thing in common – they believe in their own success and their ability to attract money into their life. They look for opportunities and find them... everywhere. Why? Because they had an internal prosperity consciousness and they focused on that state of looking at external conditions.

2. Adopt the beliefs of success

It's easy to adopt a successful mindset - it's just a shift in focus from scarcity to prosperity. The way you make that shift is to have a set of beliefs that are congruent and prosperous thinking. For example, Walt Disney once said, “All of our dreams come true if we have the courage to pursue them.” Here are the beliefs of successful people:

• Change is to be embraced because it represents more opportunity for growth and expansion.

• Determine what you want, and assume you'll get it. Don't worry about the ‘how’.

• There is an answer and solution to every challenge.

• Discomfort is part of charting the unknown.

• Obstacles will not stop them from attaining what they want.

• Money needs to flow in order to grow.

You'll notice that if you practice the beliefs above, you will experience positive emotions that expand the flow of energy to your business.

3. Be clear on what you want

How can the universe give you what you want unless you are clear about what you want? A challenge for you here is to break the “want” barrier. Accept the fact that it is not only appropriate and proper, but critical, for you to want anything, of any kind, to any degree. The main thing is to be clear about what you want for your business. I hear too many people saying, “I want to be successful” without even knowing what success means to them. I suggest visualizing your ideal professional life in 12 months from today. See yourself doing work you love and noticing approximately how many hours a week you're working. Ask yourself what kind of people you want to be interacting with. Who are your ideal clients? Are they motivated, decisive and respectful of you and your service to them? What is your income in 12 months from today? How much are you making per year or per month?

4. Clear away any opposing beliefs

When you think about your ideal professional life, what beliefs do have that are opposing your vision? Here are some beliefs that I hear on a continual basis when people are honest with me about discussing their blocks to success: “I like doing my work, I'm just not good at marketing.” (Remember, it's only a belief) “I'm really not smart enough or energetic enough to achieve what I want.” (Remember, it's only a belief) “The real estate market is so tough right now that I can't possibly make the income I was hoping for.” (Remember, it's only a belief)

5. Take inspired action not frantic action

What kind of action are you taking? Are you taking action because you're afraid? If you are, your action may be frantic action rather than inspired action. What is inspired action? Inspired action comes from your intuition and listening to your gut instincts. You follow your heart, you follow your hunches; you don't wait for someone to hand you a formula because there is none. You will know if you’re taking inspired action by the way you feel by the results you are getting.

You’ll be feeling relaxed and confident and the results that you will be getting will be one or more of the following:

• Increased clientele

• Increased income

• Increased passion for your work

As a review, remember to avoid THE BIG MISTAKE by being conscious of what you focus on. Don’t let the outer conditions determine your mindset. Keep a mindset of prosperity and practice the beliefs of successful people. Keep remembering to expand the flow of energy to your business, whatever the market is doing. When times seem tough, it is especially important to stay away from a scarcity mindset. Instead, go within and look for the opportunities for new ways to market yourself from a prosperity mindset.

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Dr. Maya Bailey, author of, Law of Attraction for Real Estate Professionals, integrates 20 years of experience as a psychologist and 12 years as a business coach with her expertise in the Law of Attraction. Her powerful work creates a success formula for real estate professionals ready to double and triple their incomes. Get Dr. Maya's free report, 7 Simple Strategies For More Clients in 90 Days, by visiting www.90DaystoMoreClients.com