I couldn’t think of anything better to bring you in this season’s Inhouse than one of my favorite core values of our great real estate company. Embrace continuous improvement.

Imagine what our world would look like if growth never occurred. That would be quite a sight in the simplest form of the word. Babies as far as the eye could see and no one to help them grow into the person they were created to be. But what if we carried that same thought past the physicality of growing and viewed the process of growth that occurs in the mind? This growth has a much greater capacity in that it not only can shape the present, but more importantly, the future. The most powerful concept and idea that any person will ever adapt to is the concept of continuous improvement.

This concept is not merely an idea but should be classified as a universal business principle that has incredible weight and power in our lives. A universal principle should be seen as a controlling factor in any outcome and the more it is known and understood, the more it can be leveraged for one’s benefit.

Consider gravity. No matter what I believe about gravity, it is holding my feet to the ground right this second. If I don’t know about, or choose not to believe in gravity, it is still holding my feet firmly to the ground. Some other principles and laws will allow me to counteract the effects of gravity.

Knowing and understanding these laws and principles will allow me to use these forces as an advantage as opposed to them becoming a hindrance or impediment in my life.

Author Jim Rohn has said that we are the average of the 5 people that we spend the most time with. Let’s carry that further with the idea that you are the average of not just the 5 people, but of the 5 sources that you learn from.

This is principle number one that I’d like you to connect with.

For most people in America, the list is pretty easy to compile… television, social media, movies, Internet games, magazines. More people can tell me who is married to Brad Pitt than could list the 3 major parts of any business that must exist for it to succeed or the top 3 things you can do to organize your day and minimize stress in your life. But we live each day wondering how is it that some people seem to have success and we seem to be stuck in a rut. If I told you that you could accomplish incredible things in the world, would you believe me?

Why is it that many people feel that they are relegated to being average? Why do we end up feeling like just another person lost in the shuffle of life doing the same things every day, over and over and over again? At almost 50 years old, I have to wonder how many times I’ve brushed my teeth by now. Perhaps one of the greatest obstructions to stepping out of the ordinary and attempting to attain the extraordinary is the common opinion, that perhaps, I already know everything that I need to know. But imagine for a moment that this belief was eradicated from your mind. Picture waking up in the morning with the feeling that you did not know what you needed to know to survive the day. What would you do? How would your day, week, year, and life change? The problem is that once you believe you know everything, you can’t learn anything. If you believe you know most of what you need to know to be successful, then you will seek to learn just a little bit.

Leaders are learners… to the extent they believe they need to. Spend a day with the most successful people in the world and you will see a stack of books on their nightstand by their bed… they are forever learning, a belief they only know what they know and need to learn more. That leads us to the introduction of another universal business principle that will change your future.

The problems that have been created in our lives cannot be solved with the same thinking under which those problems began. New knowledge and information are necessary to effectively resolve those issues.”

People tend to look at problems in life and business from one of two perspectives. The first is to throw our hands up in the air and bellow about the miserable hand that we’ve been dealt and to give in to the depression of our bad luck. The second is to understand that practically every issue that we face can be solved if we go on a mission to find the knowledge and information that will lead us to the solution.

I love what Richard DeVoss says about success.

The only thing that stands between a person and what they want from life is often merely the will to try it and the faith to believe that it is possible.”

What are you willing to believe about yourself and what are you willing to try to do to make it where you want to go? Most of us understand what wisdom is, but are we willing to choose to set aside the time necessary to attain it? Wisdom is defined as ‘the body of knowledge and principles that develops within a specified society or period’. If I asked you if you wanted people to consider you to be wise, of course, the answer would be a resounding yes. So what is the path to attaining this wisdom? That is entirely up to you.

When my first business was failing, I threw my hands up and said “I just can’t do it.” My Dad said, “… CAN’T never could because it never had a chance. If you believe you CAN’T, you are right. If you believe you CAN, you are also right.” That would mark the last time in my life that I ever believed that I couldn’t do something. My thought process became more positive.

Go Serve Big!!!