 Sharron Richardson, Franchise Support Manager with EXIT Realty Corp. International, publishes a monthly newsletter for EXIT Administrators. In the January issue, she reminds them that true leaders are mindful to maintain a nourishing mental diet.
Happy New Year! 2009 has arrived. You have finished up 2008 and you are organized and ready to go. Let’s take a look at the concept of Input Equals Output, or Garbage In = Garbage Out. This applies to all areas of your life. Many of us set personal or professional goals at this time, and while you may have created a plan of action to get there, have you considered what you are exposing yourself to each day, and how that might affect your progress and ultimate results? Activities which are not directly related to your goals still affect you, which in turn affects your thoughts and behaviour. Every thought you have either takes you closer to or farther away from where you want to be, from who you want to be.
As an experiment, I spent two weeks listening to EXIT Realty Founder & CEO Steve Morris’ affirmation CD on the way to work. I then spent two weeks listening to the news on the way to work. There was actually a marked difference in my mindset when I arrived at my destination. When listening to affirmations, I arrived feeling focused, centered, and optimistic. My breathing was deep and regular, and I felt calm and alert. When listening to the news, I usually arrived feeling sad or angry. There is not a lot of good news on the news. I certainly felt slightly cynical, and somewhat weary. I’m not saying you shouldn’t be aware of the world around you. As a member of the human race you have an obligation to know what’s going on. However, there is no need to saturate yourself with input which continually takes from you rather than enhances you.
Take a look at what you are allowing into your life, even by default. Examine whether or not it is ultimately going to help or hinder you. Empty calories are fine on occasion, even reality television can be a short escape, but are you getting a steady diet of it with no substance? Books on leadership – and we can define a leader as not necessarily someone who has followers, but someone who is capable of leading even if only themselves – all confirm that true leaders are mindful of what they are exposing themselves to. They recognize that the steady diet of the media-equivalent of empty calories may not directly affect their plan of action but the lethargy, cynicism, sadness or generally negative results of such input ultimately affects their output. It impedes their progress.
Read things like the EXIT Recruiter to find out what’s going on with your company and your people. Does your brokerage or your region have a blog or website that you can read or maybe contribute to? Exposing yourself to others’ innovative ideas can open up your perspective, consciousness, your work, even your life. You may read about a great promotional idea in the EXIT Recruiter, and be able to implement it in your office. Read books, listen to radio programs, and watch television shows that inform and leave you with a feeling of optimism.
My challenge for you this year is to get into the habit of reading one book per month. No, not “Confessions of a Shopaholic” or “Twilight” (do that on your own time). I’m talking about books designed to challenge, teach, and inspire you in your work and in your life. To encourage you, I have started an EXIT Book Club and I will be posting updates on our new Administrator Forum on the EXIT Resource Center (see the “Announcements” section of this newsletter for details on the new Forum). Your mission in January, should you choose to accept it, is to read “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”, one of the best books on personal development ever written. And not having time to read is no excuse as many books are available on CD. You can listen in the car or on the treadmill (just download it to your iPod). The 7 Habits is a great starting point to kickstart the new year with the kind of input which will greatly improve your output. Fill yourself with substantial, constructive information this year, and you will see for yourself the impact it has on all areas of your life. |
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