So where have I been? What the heck’s been going on?  Where do I start! Frankly the last couple of months have been a crazy whirlwind of stuff…

• We Went to Uruguay!
  I was able to take my whole family on a mission trip to Uruguay for the whole month of July.  Yes, even our 9 year old and 4 year old!  What a huge blessing this was to our family!  I’ll save the details for another time, but I’ll just say God was good, we saw clear reasons we were supposed to be there, and the experience left a profound impact on all of us.

• My Little Girl Went Under the Knife!
  We returned home from Uruguay to our youngest daughter Kelsey (age 4) needing kidney surgery.  She’s had kidney reflux for a while now and we knew surgery was a possibility, but the suddenness of it all still just kind of threw us for a loop.  I’m sure you can imagine it was just so, so sad to see her like that!  But thankfully she’s really back at 100% now and doing just great!

• I Got Funky!
  Returning from Uruguay I found myself in this strange, funky mix of feeling inspired and exhilarated by our experience, and at the same time oddly unfocused and unmotivated, and really struggling to force myself to work (which is very unlike me).  It’s even made me question what I’m supposed to be doing at all. I mean real mess-with-your-head type stuff.

• My Dad Got an Air Head!
  The short story is this: I got an unexpected call from my sis after church last Sunday that my Dad was in the ICU in his hometown of Columbia, SC.  Apparently with a sudden and severe brain injury due to a badly broken nose, which started seeping tons of air into his brain and spinal fluid started leaking out.  Now he’s in just a heap of pain, and the hospital’s still trying to sort out what to do.

So that’s the roller coaster we’ve been on these last couple of months, and why you haven’t heard from me in so long.  Today I’m sitting in room 849 beside my poor Dad, just being here with him as he battles through this.  I’ve been here since last Sunday and I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be here. Time will tell.

Which brings me to two important things I want to share with you…

First, Regarding My Dad…

Frankly I’d really covet your warm thoughts and prayers for my him.

Imagine like the worst migraine you could possibly think of — times ten — nonstop. Big doses of morphine and Vicodin are just enough to get him temporarily to a 6 or 7 on the 10 point pain scale, and really for only an hour or so.  It really just sucks to see him in this much nonstop pain, and to still not have any solid answers on what’s next.

He seems to be slowly improving, but we’re far from being out of the woods. There’s still a half dozen different things that could go wrong at any time.  The guy’s only 62 and has a lot of life left him him.

So I know this email reaches people of many faiths, but if you’re the praying kind, I humbly ask you to please offer up a prayer for him. His name is David Moses. AND THANK YOU.

Regarding My Personal Funk…

Can I continue with the vulnerability for a moment?

As mentioned, I returned from Uruguay simultaneously exhilarated and inspired by the whole experience, and also flat out unmotivated, totally unfocused, and baffled by feeling this way. I’m not a lazy bones – just ask my wife!  But I’ve felt stuck in the mud of uncertainty, and really struggled to get much done.  A tough, weird, and challenging place to be sure.

But I’m happy to say, I’ve started to turn a corner…

All this time in hospitals lately has given me a lot of time to think…to ponder…and to really wrestle with all this.  And all this time in my own head, plus some heartfelt counsel with my lovely wife, my pastor, some close friends and even those crazy FLIP VIPs cats, I believe I’ve come to a welcome, albiet sobering realization…

“I’m Seriously Lacking a Specific, Clear Life Vision”

And I’m now convinced this is the core issue underlying this crazy funk I’ve found myself in.

Now hang with me here…

It’s kind of a weird concept, this “life vision” thing. But trust me — once you start to get it, the light bulb goes on and you realize just how huge it really is. Let me explain, and see how this resonates with you…

Here’s how my buddies Steve Cook and Shaun McCloskey (of Lifeonaire) aptly put it…

“With Lifeonaire, we teach people how to come up with a vision for their lives.  Having a vision  might sound a little bit foo foo and even complicated, but it really doesn’t have to be. In essence it just means knowing exactly what you want life to look like. It means deciding and planning your outcome in advance rather than waiting and responding to whatever happens to show up each day.”  

“I speak with far too many people who find themselves waking up one day asking themselves, ‘How did I get here?’  Sadly most people spend more time planning a weekend vacation than they do planning the rest of their lives. They simply let life happen and end up wondering why they’re not very satisfied with the results.  But the most truly fulfilled people I know didn’t just get there by accident.”

So there is is…and this is exactly what I’ve been facing head-on lately.  And it’s forcing me to wrestle with some really tough questions. Questions I thought I already knew easy answers to, but I’m realizing now how sadly mistaken I was.

I started at first slugging it out with questions like:

• What will it take to get me excited & motivated again?
• Am I really doing what I’m made to do?
• What is it that truly brings me the most fulfillment?
• Am I doing what am I best at?  And what I’m really most passionate about?
• What do I do that brings others the most value, satisfaction and joy?
• What’s my real motivation for doing it all anyways?

And man, them are some tough questions!  But that was just a starting point.  As I’ve continued trekking through the vision crafting forest, I’m pressing into questions like:

• What are the things that are really most important to me in life?
• Does my life truly reflect that these are most important to me? (Youch!)
• What do I want to be most remembered for?
• If I could write my own eulogy, what would I want it to say?
• What experiences in my life have brought me the most joy? Real, lasting joy that I can still experience today when I think of them?
• At my core, what is it I will need to do in order to truly win the game of life? (Hint: having the biggest bag of money is not the right answer)

Ouch!  Clearly these are gut-check questions dealing with a heck of a lot more than MONEY. They deal with your MISSION. Your CALLING. Your SWEET SPOT. And ultimately finding and fulfilling your PURPOSE in life.

“So What’s the Point?”

Ha, I’m so glad you asked!  ;-)

Well I’m still working through this process at the moment.  Things are getting clearer for me, but I’ve still got work to do.  More questions (beyond those above) are still to be answered.  And to be really honest it’s kind of painful, but also exhilarating, inspiring, re-focusing and inspiring at the same time.

But I’m sharing this with you for two reasons:

First…
…This process will absolutely craft the shape of things to come from me.  Including REI Tips, real estate, family time, church, friends, service opportunities, and everything else I do.

Once my vision is crafted, rebooting myself will become an exciting process of refocusing myself on exactly what it will take to get me there.  Which will mean saying “Yes” to many things and “No” to many others, with crystal clarity of how they will and won’t help me accomplish my vision.   (Yesssssss….)

Secondly…
…I’m inviting you…no, I’M CHALLENGING YOU to delve into this process for yourself!

Look, I’ve a feeling more than a few others can relate to all this. And if this stirs anything within you, don’t ignore it!

Don’t be Afraid to Wrestle with the Tough Questions

Yes, these are questions that really rattle your cage and mess with your mind…in the best possible way.  Questions that force you to clarify who you really are, what you really care about, what you’re really made to do, and whether or not you’re really accomplishing it.

These are very good questions, well worth wrestling with.  And within the honest answers I’m convinced you’ll discover what true fulfillment and ultimate success really look like — for you.

So what say you?  Are you up for the challenge?  Anyone else stirred up?  Convicted?  Alarmed?  Confused?  ;-)

Do This…

Start by taking some time to seriously ponder the questions I’ve posted above. Do it on paper, not just in your head.  And plan on investing at least 30 minutes up to a couple of hours.  And if you’re really serious, consider a larger paradigm shift.  Consider becoming a Lifeonaire.

Also, here are some other vision-related articles I really found helpful…and you may as well…

• “What’s Your Vision?”
• “Life: Define it Backwards, Live it Forwards”
• “What You ‘See’ is What You’ll Get”

And Do This…

As always I welcome and appreciate your comments.  Please share what you think about all this below!

Thanks for listening and caring…

PS – UPDATE ON MY DAD…

Thanks again for keeping my Dad in your warm thoughts and prayers.  I’m happy to report he’s been released from the hospital and is doing much, much better now. The air that’s been pressing on his brain seems to have finally been reabsorbed by his body, and spinal fluid no longer seems to be leaking. His head’s still hurting pretty bad, but not nearly on the super-migraine level it was for a week plus. He’sstill  likely got another 2-3 weeks of bad headaches ahead, but all things considered, we’re feeling very good right now.

I’ll be honest – I came to Columbia with funeral clothes packed. We weren’t sure he’d make it. But God’s done his thing and verified this 62 year old cat still has the best of times ahead of him!

Hear me when I say THANK YOU for your warm thoughts and prayers during this last week and a half.  THEY’VE BEEN FELT, and mean more than you know. What an honor to have a community of folks to lean on when life throws tough crap at you like this.

Now…back to working on my vision…  :-)

a

T

The sun’s about to start setting, and the gorgeous red-head is sitting beside me quietly reading some, new Janette Oke novel she stumbled upon in town today.   I’m just about to go fire up the grill for some beef and veggie kebabs…. Mmmmmm… Good times.

So anyways I stumbled upon something meaningful myself today and wanted to share it with you… truly one of the best things I’ve seen in a long time… It’s a bit off the real estate investing topic today, but that’s OK.  I think you’ll get a lot out of it anyway.

Not only one of my favorite actors, but also just a huge inspiration, Will Smith is one of the most successful people on the planet.  Please invest a moment to watch this video.  Let it seep into the cracks and crevices of your mind and heart. Let it speak truth to the lies you’ve allowed yourself to believe.  And then, if you too feel moved, inspired and empowered, please share your thoughts with the rest of us below……

Your Thoughts?……

a

It’s not an easy thing to admit, but I basically have no choice at this point. And frankly I could use your support. So here goes…

The Last 4 Days of My Life…

…have been monumental for me in so many ways.

I’ve just returned (late last night) from the ridiculously gorgeous lake region of Maine, where I’ve been locked in a lake house, steeped in masterminding with about a dozen of the coolest people on the planet — an impressive gathering of industry/thought leaders with whom I’m honored to be associated…and many of whom you’d likely recognize (Jack Sternberg, Peter Conti, David Alexander, Joe Kaiser, Ken Wade, Tim Randle, Sam Bell, just to name a few).

Side Note: I’m actually in two strong masterminds right now.  If you’re not already connected with your own trusted mastermind group, please do whatever you can to make it a priority.  This should absolutely be one of your core values.  And if you’re in any way unclear on the purpose or power of the mastermind concept, go read Think and Grow Rich again.

As any authentic mastermind will, these good people offered me motivation, clarity and did their very best to sharpen me.  But they also relentlessly called me out on some stuff.  And frankly some of it made me kinda mad at first, as I felt more than a little defensive.  But in my heart I knew they were right.  And the bottom-line result for me has been exceptionally motivating and clarifying.

But as part of this, I’ve been challenged in no uncertain terms to publicly admit that…

I’ve Been Holding Out On You…

Please know that my intentions have been pure. But the simple fact of the matter is, I’ve been holding something back from you for the last 6 months or so, and now I have to come clean…

So I have a personal favor to ask: Would you please watch this odd, little 2-minute video I made for you, and then let me know what you think? I could really use a little friendly support.

But one friendly caution: I started out shooting this video for you, but it was quickly hijacked as you’ll see.  I wasn’t really in control of the end result.  So I apologize a little in advance for the “french” you’ll probably hear. But anyone who knows him will testify that the enigma that is David Alexander simply cannot be contained…

After You Watch…

Truth be told, I could really use your support and feedback. And I also need you to help hold me accountable to the commitment I just made.

Look, I realize some parts of this may seem a little cryptic. But there’s a reason…this isn’t about “information” at this point. This merely begins my “coming clean” process, and it’s really about…

• Accountability…doing what I committed to do…
• Making a public declaration I now have to keep…
• And no longer allowing my own inner demons to stop me from serving you the very best of what I have to offer you…

I’ll have more to share with you on this soon. But for now, I’d really love hearing what you think below please…

Thanks so much in advance, guys…

a

Anyone who’s ever done (or attempted) a short sale should find this one…well…just watch it and see…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PisLiFW51mM

Comments?

a

This has got to be one of the most heart-breaking stories I’ve encountered in a long, long time.  Quite honestly it made me weep.

But even more importantly (and the reason I’m sharing it) it’s a story of God’s indelible grace, the ability to see immense blessing right smack in the middle of tragedy, and of gratefulness for how truly good most of us have it in this life.

Jeannie Blaylock of First Coast News (in Florida) first broke this story of a baby girl born without a face.  I’ve looked for updates and the most recent thing I can find is 2006.  If anyone knows anything more recent about this little girl, please let us know.

Some key excerpts from the story…

When most parents have a baby, they spend months dreaming about what their bundle of joy will look like. Will she look like mom? Will he have dad’s eyes? But for one local Navy family, the birth of their daughter didn’t give them the answers to those questions. Their daughter was born without a face. Little Juliana is missing 30 – 40 percent of the bones in her face.

“She has no upper jaw, no cheek bones, no eye sockets, and she’s missing the corner of her ear,” explains Tom.

Her birth defect is called Treacher Collins Syndrome. Doctors say it’s the worst case they’ve ever seen.

Juliana has to eat through her stomach, and she has a trach to breathe. Already, less than two years into her life, she’s had 14 surgeries. Doctors say she could need at least 30 more.

“God never gives you more than you can handle. I figure she has a lot to show everyone… to show the world,” says Tom.

Click here to see the news story video

The end of the article tells how you can get involved if you want to help the Wetmores. It’s a sad story, but it is also a testimony to how God can carry anyone through anything, and about what is truly important in life. Huge kudos to this couple for giving Juliana the chance to live, and for loving her in spite of the incredible difficulties.

I Welcome Your Comments Below…

a

Man, this is one of the best things I’ve seen all week.  Gotta share it…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-RLqLx1iYI

Answering the question in your head…

Yes, it’s a real local commercial.  For a real, local business.  And it’s pure, unadulterated genius, don’t you think?

Memorable Line of the Month…

“A bouncer in Birmingham hit me in the face with a crescent wrench five times…and my wife’s boyfriend broke my jaw with a fencepost…so if you don’t buy a trailer from me…it ain’t gonna hurt my feelings…”

YESSS!!!!

What to do…

Firstly, I’d Tweet or Facebook this if you’re a Tweeter or a Facebooker.  I did…cause I think it’s that awesome.

Secondly…I’d love to hear your thoughts.  Leave a comment below….

a

Please watch this short video for what this is and how to win…and please freely enjoy the two cutest kids in the world at the very end

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkavaK4mjnE

IMPORTANT UPDATE – EVERYONE WINS: This contest has run it’s course, and “The Shift” video referenced here has been taken offline and is no longer available at the moment.  Sorry…you missed it.  BUT…please take a moment to read people’s “Pivotal Moments” in the blog comments below this post.  They’re inspiring and motivational to say the least…

So it all started last night when I found myself watching this inspiring little “SHIFT” video just before supper……and something started stirring within me…

To be really frank, I think this is going to hit home pretty hard for some people, especially if you’ve been struggling a bit in your real estate stuff lately.

Let me ask you this…

Ever feel like the success you’re reaching so long and hard for in your REI endeavors always seems just out of reach?  Like the world is somehow conspiring against you, and no matter how hard you try, how much you learn, or how many hours you put in, things just keep getting sabotouged over and over again?

Look, like it or not, the fact is we’re all defined by basically just a handful of “pivotal moments” in our lives.  I’ve certainly had my fair share.  Many of them quite wonderful…..marriage, children, Faith…..and others, well, just plain awful…..death in the family, wife with cancer (recovered), epic business failures…

If you can relate to this at all — and even more so, if you’re desperate for change and maybe a whole new “pivotal moment” to set things straight and push you in the right direction again…

Then here’s your assignment, and my contest/bribe for you:

STEP 1: Please start by watching the same video clip I watched last night:  Enjoy this video about 2 guys and their game-changing “pivotal” moments… (you may have to opt in first)

STEP 2: Take a personal inventory of the pivotal moments that have shaped your own life up to this point – and whether or not they’ve helped propel you forward or held you back.  Have they been success accelerators or success eaters?

STEP 3: List your results in a comment below this blog post, along with what you now realize you should SPECIFICALLY do differently to create another pivotal moment that propels you past the crap that’s been holding you back.

THE PRIZE: Take your pick — your choice of either half off the SIMS training system being launched this Wednesday 8/12 (I can pull some strings to make this happen) or take your pick from one of the many fine REI home study courses now collecting dust on my home office shelf.

STIPS & DEADLINE: 500 words or less please, and all entries must be posted by 11:59 pm EST on Tues 8/11/09.

OK………GO!

IMPORTANT UPDATE – EVERYONE WINS: This contest has run it’s course, and “The Shift” video referenced here has been taken offline and is no longer available at the moment.  Sorry…you missed it.  BUT…please take a moment to read people’s “Pivotal Moments” in the blog comments below this post.  They’re inspiring and motivational to say the least…

a

…Good evening and welcome to the Annual Contractor Awards….

…This year’s proud nominees are…

And the Winner Is!…

a

Here’s a couple of guys who could really use some help in this arena…

DC “Virtual Short Saler” Fawcett and Nathan “Stick Boy” Jurewicz.

How these guys EVER came to be short sale “gurus” with these kinds of shenanigans going on, I’ll never understand.

Enjoy, “How to Control the BPO (Not)”…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbquUeqWHfU

a

Gosh, it can be so easy to get discouraged in this business, ya know?

I sure do.  I know all too well.  Whether it’s the upside-down market, fierce competition, stingy lenders or whatever, sometimes it just seems like everything’s just working against you, trying to stand between you and the success you’re working so fiercely to achieve.

But let me ask you this…

Where are you pointing fingers?

How much responsibility should really be placed elsewhere versus on you?

Please watch this clip from the most recent Rocky installment. Regardless of how you feel about Rocky or Stallone, the power of what he says at minute 2:12 is undeniable.  And if you can relate to what I said above, then this might just be exactly what you need right now…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfMKE5b1DyA

Comments?  Please share ‘em – we’d love to hear ‘em…

a