Just the Good News, Please
Let me begin this post by saying that I absolutely believe in the power of positive thinking, but sometimes in life you have to face some rough stuff. Some things can be unpleasant to deal with and make you want to run for the comfort of whatever makes you happy. Of course, there is always total avoidance mode.
My brother and I are dealing with the decline of our mother's memory due to Alzheimer's. Up to now, she's been driving and living on her own. Doing as she pleases, day in and day out. But some things she has said to me and my brother, or that we have witnessed, made us realize that it was time to stop chancing disaster and take her car keys. Her neurologist agreed. To say it went over like a lead balloon, as my Mom would say, is an understatement. She was so angry with us that she refused to return the simple, "I love you." And she was so sad. She felt her life was no longer worth living.
This all seemed too much for my brother. His constitution for the uglier situations in life is more limited than mine. Mom had worn him down, as he considered overthrowing me and giving her back her keys. Just because it feels uncomfortable, doesn't mean we've done the wrong thing. That's something I had to reassure him of. It was because we had processed the many memory flubs and decided we weren't taking chances. We made a decision to act. It was uncomfortable and will be that way until Mom eventually gets used to her new reality. We will have to lean on each other as deal with Mom's reaction.
All of this personal stuff paralleled perfectly with a seller I am working with. I was asked to no longer share negative things with them. Those things were feedback on the home. Of course, anyone who isn't buying it isn't going to give the property the highest praise. However, those that walk away with no interest do so for a reason. And if you pay attention to the reasons, you can usually gleen some helpful information in getting it sold. If it is dark, you can paint a lighter color. If it is priced too high, make an adjustment. Sticking your head in the sand and ignoring the things that may hurt your feelings, well, it's not a practical thing to do. You can't hold on so tightly to the things you loved about a home, that it prohibits you making changes that appeal to a buyer. It is counter-productive.
You can request just the good news in life, or look the other way when the bad news is front and center. It doesn't change reality. And it is possible to deal with reality in a positive way. Maybe it is just me, but ignoring the negative does not create anything but a false positive. To truly get to positive, face the negative head on.
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