A poignant lesson I learned from +Byron Katie about ten years ago is this, "just because you think something doesn't mean you have to believe it". I was going through a very rough spot dealing with critical challenges that would make or break me. A coach I hired to help be break through and get to my next level shared Ms. Katie's video with me and boy oh boy, did it ever change the way I view the thoughts that float across my mind! In the video, Ms. Katie told the story of a young woman who wasn't trusting of her spouse and would build elaborate stories around her thoughts which caused huge problems in her relationship. That's right, you do not have to believe everything that comes across your mind. What we need to do is hold those thoughts that causes distress up to the light of truth and call out the lies when we see them. Yet we all fail to do this or have failed to don this at some point. A common example I come across is parents freaking out and thinking the worst if they haven't heard from a child or if their spouse is late getting home from work. Once we go there, our mind just take the story and run with it, building a great production with full graphics - kid laying in a ditch dead or spouse cavorting with another woman! It is incredible where our minds will take us if we do not learn the art of taming it.
It is definitely true that you cannot change the past, or some circumstances, but you can always change the way you see things. I know this for sure, because I have proven it over and over again. I will give you a few examples to put things in perspective, pun intended.
After the Y2K (anybody remember that) and post 9/11 stock market melt downs I was very discouraged and I had choices. I could stay with the negative news, become defeated and find another career as what happened to many advisors, or I could change my perspective. I changed my perspective, I changed the way I positioned my self with my clients and prospective clients and it worked out very well for the clients and me. As a result of this change I became more straightforward with clients made it clear up front that I would not take on any client who is only chasing returns - that is a recipe for disaster, in my opinion. I also changed the way I view my role as an insurance and investment funds advisor. The truth is people are overwhelmed with jobs, family and community involvements and just do not want to take the time to deal with learning a lot about the financial markets, taxes and so forth. Rather than getting upset or annoyed when I have to explain the same thing the 100th time, I started telling my colleagues that as long as people remain people, in that they would rather somebody else do for them what they could easily do for themselves, I will always have a job. It is not that they can not do it, it is not that they are not smart enough, it is just that they do not want to do it and they are willing to pay me to do the work for them, what is wrong with that? It is a win-win, that's the power of perspective!
Then came the great crash of 2008, now how do I deal with that? More than any time before a level headed advisor was what clients needed. My then 21 year old son, soon to graduate from Wilfrid Laurier University came home one evening and saw the tired look on my face, he hugged me and said "mom, how are you going to position your clients for the long stock market growth ahead? That is what you need to be doing for your clients right now!" As the great leader +John C. Maxwell say "If you have a pulse you need encouragement." I spend all day every day encouraging people and was so appreciative of this coming from my young son, it meant the world to me to hear those words.
I continue to apply the POWER of PERSPECTIVE in my life everyday in every area of my life. My doing so, I gain understanding and I am more compassionate. I am more in tune with my thoughts and therefore I am able to change they way I feel and change situations and outcomes. That is real POWER. Everybody have this power, put it to work and watch what happens, you will be amazed.
Have a #Powerful #Perspective filled weekend.
BEVERLEY ALLEN, FLMI
Beverley
Investment Fund Advisor & Life and Health Insurance Advisor
Desjardins Financial Security Investments Inc.
Desjardins Financial Security Independent Network
Ontario Central Region (OCR), GTA West Branch
5070 Dixie Road
Mississauga, On L4W 1C9
#MoneyTalkwithBevAllen
P.S. You can find out more about Byron Katie at www.thework.com and follow her on twitter @ByronKatie.
