I have the great privilege of being mentored by one of the best Real Estate agents in Singapore, ERA company. My mentor and recently acknowledged god-brother, Shon Foong sent this very insightful email which is written by Tony Schwartz posted originally here and I’d like to share it with you as well!
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When you face difficulty in your course of work, with people you dont feel good with, when someone dont understands you..
What enduring principles can you rely on to make choices that reflect openness, integrity and happiness?
These 10 works for me:
1. Always challenge certainty, especially your own.
When you think you’re undeniably right, ask yourself “What might I be missing here?” If I could truly figure it all out, what else would there be left to do?
2. Excellence is an unrelenting struggle, but it’s also the surest route to enduring satisfaction.
There’s no shortcut to excellence. Getting there requires practicing deliberately, delaying gratification, and forever challenging your current comfort zone.
3. Emotions are contagious, so it pays to know what you’re feeling.
Think of the loving kindness your mom, dad or loved ones did for you. How did he or she make you feel? That’s the way you want to make others feel.
4. When in doubt, ask yourself, “How would I behave here at my best?”
We know instinctively what it means to do the right thing, even when we’re inclined to do the opposite.
If you find it impossible, in a challenging moment, to envision how you’d behave at your best, try imagining how someone you admire would respond.
5. If you do what you love, the money may or may not follow, but you’ll love what you do.
It’s magical thinking to assume you’ll be rewarded with wealth for following your heart. What it will give you is a richer life. If material riches don’t follow, and you decide they’re important, there’s always time for Plan B.
6. You need less than you think you do.
All your life, you’ve been led to believe that more is better, and that whatever you have isn’t enough. It’s a prescription for disappointment.
Instead ask yourself this: How much of what you already have truly adds value in your life? What could you do without?
7. Accept and Love yourself but never stop trying to learn and grow.
You were always happy before and dont forget who you really were. Learning new things everyday brings happiness and freshness in your life.
8. Meaning isn’t something you discover, it’s something you create, one step at a time.
Meaning is derived from finding a way to express your unique skills and passion in the service of something larger than yourself. Figuring out how best to contribute is a lifelong challenge, reborn every day.
9. You can’t change what you don’t notice and not noticing won’t make it go away.
Each of us has an infinite capacity for self-deception. To avoid pain, we rationalize, minimize, deny, and go numb. The antidote is the willingness to look at yourself with unsparing honesty, and to hold yourself accountable to the person you want to be.
10. When in doubt, take responsibility.
It’s called being a true adult.
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xx
