Another Day in the Real Estate Office

Friday, August 15, 2008



Happy Birthday to Max ----- today Max turns 81 --- isn't he just remarkable?



Good to Know

Melinda Mitchell writes: "I have clients in Dunes West who tell me they received a letter this week telling them the pending litigation with the city/possible special assessment to POA over the substandard road that has been going on for years was just settled at no cost to the property owners. John Wieland paid the settlement. I also did not realize that owners, even inside the gates, have to join the Club at Dunes West to use the amenities, such as pools and tennis (which are not owned by the POA). I am sure agents who do a lot of work in that neighborhood know all this, but some (like me) may not."



Great News!!!!! Chris Borders was in the office today with fantastic news!! Chris has a ratified contract, 3 listings, and 3 buyer agreements with new clients. This certainly sounds like things are turning around ----- Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Kim Peasley-Parker sent me this article --- it is fabulous ----




The Law of the Garbage Truck™

Copyright 2007 David J. Pollay




How often do you let other people’s nonsense change your mood? Do you let a bad driver, rude waiter, curt boss, or an insensitive employee ruin your day? Unless you’re the Terminator, you’re probably set back on your heels. However, the mark of your success is how quickly you can refocus on what’s important in your life.



Sixteen years ago I learned this lesson. And I learned it in the back of a New York City taxi cab. Here’s what happened. I hopped in a taxi, and we took off for Grand Central Station. We were driving in the right lane when all of a sudden, a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, the car skidded, the tires squealed, and at the very last moment our car stopped just one inch from the other car’s back-end.



I couldn’t believe it. But then I couldn’t believe what happened next. The driver of the other car, the guy who almost caused a big accident, whipped his head around and he started yelling bad words at us. How do I know? Ask any New Yorker, some words in New York come with a special face. And he even threw in a one finger salute! I couldn’t believe it!



But then here’s what really blew me away. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was friendly. So, I said, “Why did you just do that!? This guy could have killed us!” And this is when my taxi driver told me what I now call, “The Law of the Garbage Truck™.” He said:


"Many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they look for a place to dump it. And if you let them, they’ll dump it on you.

So when someone wants to dump on you, don’t take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Believe me. You’ll be happier."


So I started thinking, how often do I let Garbage Trucks run right over me? And how often do I take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the street? It was then that I said, “I don’t want their garbage and I’m not going to spread it anymore.” I began to see Garbage Trucks. Like in the movie “The Sixth Sense,” the little boy said, “I see Dead People.” Well now “I see Garbage Trucks.” I see the load they’re carrying. I see them coming to dump it. And like my taxi driver, I don’t take it personally; I just smile, wave, wish them well, and I move on.

One of my favorite football players of all time was Walter Payton. Every day on the football field, after being tackled, he would jump up as quickly as he hit the ground. He never dwelled on a hit. Payton was ready to make the next play his best. Over the years the best players from around the world in every sport have played this way: Tiger Woods, Nadia Comaneci, Muhammad Ali, Bjorn Borg, Chris Evert, Michael Jordan, Jackie Robinson, and Pele are just some of those players. And the most inspiring leaders have lived this way: Nelson Mandela, Mother Theresa, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King.



See, Roy Baumeister, a psychology researcher from the University of Florida, found in his extensive research that you remember bad things more often than good things in your life. You store the bad memories more easily, and you recall them more frequently. So the odds are against you when a Garbage Truck comes your way. But when you follow The Law of the Garbage Truck™, you take back control of your life. You make room for the good by letting go of the bad. The best leaders know that they have to be ready for their next meeting. The best sales people know that they have to be ready for their next client. And the best parents know that they have to be ready to welcome their children home from school with hugs and kisses, no matter how many garbage trucks they might have faced that day.



All of us know that we have to be fully present, and at our best for the people we care about. The bottom line is that successful people do not let Garbage Trucks take over their life. What about you? What would happen in your life, starting today, if you let more garbage trucks pass you by? Here’s my bet: You’ll be happier.


David J. Pollay is the author of “Beware of Garbage Trucks!™ - The Law of the Garbage Truck™. Visit http://www.bewareofgarbagetrucks.com/ to join the No Garbage Trucks! Revolution. His book, The Law of the Garbage Truck™, is due out this summer. Mr. Pollay is a syndicated columnist with North Star Writers Group, creator and host of “The Happiness Answer™” television program, an internationally sought after speaker and seminar leader, and the founder and president of TheMomentumProject.com



Sales today:

Johnnie Dodds/IOP: Jason Ogdon, Stan Huff , Thomas Horvath and Chris Borders --- no in house attorneys --- what's up, guys?



Manning office: Linda Lesemann

Sumter office: None today



Listings today:

Johnnie Dodds/IOP: Deepa Patel, Stephanie Wilson-Hartzog and Melinda Mitchell

Manning/Santee: None today

Sumter office: None today



Working in the office today: Ute Appleby, Thomas Horvath, Stan Huff, Tom Nelson, Joe Eddleman, Clara Hahn, Susie Schumm, Deepa Patel, Tim Rogers, Thea Riley,



Wearing the Red, White, and Blue to honor our service men:

Ed Ball, Stan Huff, Linda Vincent, Kimberly Bessinger, Becky Hayward ---these are the only folks I saw with red, white and blue. Maybe next Friday will be better.
Please click on the video below.

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

Until next week------------
Liz Loadholt