Queen of Bliss, Joeann Fossland

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Is Your Stress Real??????

Do You Have Stress????......
Or, what I’m learning from my body

I am healthy and well and I never get sick! My blood pressure, cholesterol, and the functioning of everything the medical profession tests with blood work and CT scans are all good! I am grateful every day to have a body that functions so well! I have worked diligently to live a life I love and balance my work with relaxation and rejuvenation time.

So, it’s come as a surprise that I’ve manifested a couple of nagging conditions one of which bears the description degenerative (does that mean OLD???). Well, I don’t buy into the acceptance that my body is just getting old and I need to live with it. I am certain that my beliefs and actions can impact my body. I like the idea of Regenerative-rather than degenerative.

My tolerance for acceptance when my body messes with me is very low. So, I am consciously to listening to my body to know what has to happen to bring it back into alignment. I am even grateful it is giving me information that could make a difference in the quality of my life for the next 40 years. I’ve heard 80% or more of health issues can be related to stress.. I am thinking about stress. I find most of what I call stress is self-inflicted, rather than a burden to be borne. Not a fixed reality but rather my intrepretation about how the circumstance affects me.

In coaching, we tap into the wisdom of our own bodies: Everyone get whispers and gut feelings when something is “off” or needs attention. If we ignore or refuse to listen, the message gets louder and more persistent. Finally, if unattended, it will become a crisis. In addition, our self-talk, beliefs and expectations (our story) play a big role in what manifests. This, of course, is good news because it means we CAN feed ourselves more positive messages and choose our reactions to circumstances that don’t fit with our wants and expectations! Remember: We have each have the ability, in any moment, to change the quality of our lives and we can choose our reactions, even if we can’t change our circumstances. This applies just as powerfully to business situations as it does to health situations.

Two of my friends had very powerful experiences. A couple of years ago, Speaker & Author, Bernice Ross had been traveling and working very hard. She kept saying, “I need a break.” But not taking one. Finally after a few weeks of telling herself and everyone else this, she broke her arm. It wasn’t the break she was looking for!
Even more serious, another friend was distraught because her daughter was moving far away. She said, ”It’s going to kill me if you go.” The night before her daughter left, she had a massive stroke. Thankfully, she did not die. The recovery and problems from such a major stroke have taken their toll, though. These days, she’ll listen carefully to others and will sometimes remind us, how important it is to be careful with to what you are saying to yourself.

Last week, I posted some tests and check up items you should do regularly to take care of your physical body. I heard from quite a few of you that you’ve been putting things off. Make 2011 the year to take care of you. Let’s take this a step further. Ask yourself:

  • What in your life causes you stress? Maybe it’s not your body, but your business or your finances or your relationships.
  • How could this, even if it does not look ideal, hold benefits for the rest of your life?
  • What message is there for you? Are there whispers about changes that you need to be made? Or things you are putting up with that need either acceptance for what you can’t change or boundaries?
  • Is there one thing, in 2011, if you stopped doing it, would make the most difference in your quality of life?

This has led me to also look at how I am managing the areas I call stressful. Am I making proactive choices to help my body? I was given potent painkillers and told to take them whenever I needed. In attending a great informational seminar by The Laser Spine Institute, the doctor pointed out this is common practice but the problem is the pain pills don’t help the problem, but they just work in your mind so you don’t care you have it ( and, of course, the are addictive)!

What are you choosing to do to manage your feelings of stress? Are you addressing the underlying problem or using alcohol, eating, TV, or other mind numbing tools to ignore your pain? Or are you choosing exercise, meditation, support of friends, gratitude and laughter?

If stress is impacting you, don’t wait until it screams and becomes a crisis. Today I offer an invitation for you to make a conscious choice to take charge. Make 2011 the year that is deliciously wonderful!


2 comments • Joeann Fossland, Master Certified Coach • January 26 2011 12:27PM

Your Most Valuable Business Asset is.......... You!

Are you taking care of you?

It’s so popular this time of the year to be working on your business plan for the coming 12 months, and what can get overlooked is your personal plan. If you physically are not in great shape, it is hard to have the energy and focus to get the business results you are striving for. As in construction, the stronger the foundation, the higher you can build!

To simplify of all this planning, I ask my clients a few questions:

  • What one thing if you started doing it regularly, would contribute most to your quality of life?
  • What one thing if you stopped doing it, would contribute most to your quality of life?
  • What one thing in business, if you did it consistently, would most benefit you?
  • What one thing personally, if you did it consistently, would most benefit you?

For me and for many of my coaching clients, what would make the most difference is exercise or eating plans that would support us having the energy to excel this year.
As in creating your business plan, an assessment of where you are right now should precede the creation of goals for the year.

So.... in addition to the exercise and eating right, the obvious actions, here is a checklist of 10 items to include in your personal assessment to help you be as healthy as possible this year.

  • I have had my teeth checked and cleaned in the last 6 months. You could also add: I floss daily here!
  • I have had a complete eye exam in the last 12 months.
  • My blood pressure is in normal range.
  • My cholesterol is healthful & in normal range.
  • I do not overuse caffeine.
  • I do not overuse sugar.
  • I have had the tests recommended for my age and gender
    • Pap & Pelvic Exam
    • Mammogram
    • Colonoscopy
    • EKG
    • Fecal Blood Test
    • Prostate
    • Bone Density (by getting my 1st at 50 and finding out I had osteopenia-I was able to treat it and 12 years later, my bone density is better than it was then!
  • I have no concerns I am putting off seeing a medical professional about.
  • I devote regular time to activities that promote relaxation: meditating, journaling, excising, laughing.
  • I have a circle of friends I regularly spend time with and can share my feelings with.

While, there may be other items specific to your own situation, this checklist gives you the foundation to include your health as a priority. 
Then include some action steps to be on top of everything and create some healthful habits:

  • Make appointments that need to be scheduled
  • Get a partner or coach to give you support on areas you want to build new habits around
  • Schedule time on your calendar with those friends, for the meditating & exercise

How well are you taking care of your most important business asset (YOU)? May you find yourself healthier at the end of 2011 than you are today, feeling great and thriving!

4 comments • Joeann Fossland, Master Certified Coach • January 21 2011 07:29AM

The NEW e-PRO!

 

New Technology for a New Year! The NEW e-PRO®!

 

One of the most exciting offerings at the NAR Convention in November, was the roll out of the new e-PRO® Certification program. The old course was created in 2002 and had been updated, but the time had come to completely re-invent the delivery & content.

Working together with the Social Media Marketing Institute (SMMI), the National Association of REALTORS® has redesigned the e-PRO® curriculum to meet the challenges of TODAY's real estate market.

 

The 2010 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers found 89% of consumers start their search online! With today’s increasingly accessible technology, these savvy real estate consumers are able to find the information they need online, at any time. But, for many, it is more confusing than useful. I’ve been saying: “no longer is information power…it is the interpretation of information that is powerful these days.” 

So….have you updated and re-invented your processes & systems? Do you know the best ways to use the latest real estate email marketing, web strategies, and social media to make sure they find you first?

 

The new e-PRO® certification is designed to connect you with consumers where they are already interacting: online. Today’s consumer spends time doing research before they contact a real estate agent and only those agents who have created a presence and strategy will capture their eyeballs. Learning how to extend & enhance your real estate marketing online, demonstrates to consumers that you are tuned in to their lifestyle needs, and gain their trust – and their business. 

 

As I talk with agents, I find many know they need to be using these tools, but are confused about how to go about it so it isn’t a horrid waste of time. Has your business planning for 2011, included a technology plan?

 

Ask yourself these 4 questions:

1. Who is your target audience? Think location, income, age, lifestyle

2. Who do you already have existing relationships with? This is your “low-hanging fruit”

3. What tools and strategies do you need to add or tweak to impact reaching these people?

4. What amount of time and money will you need to budget for our 2011 goals?

 

These questions create the foundation for a workable technology plan that will create results and success in 2011.

 

Once you have the plan and strategies in place, you are ready to make some decisions about your tools.

Some topics worth considering:

·        How close are you to having a paperless office? What new tools do you need? Are you using a tablet computer, digital signatures, efax?

·    Do you understand and are you using cloud technology? Gmail, Google Docs, Google Calendars all synch with your smartphone or computer!

HOT TIP: www.dropbox.com is a free utility that will allow you to store files in the cloud, automatically backing them up as well as giving you the ability to easily share large files.

·    Are you creating video tours for all your properties? Do you have a Flip camera or Kodak Zi8?     

Keeping up with the new technologies is no longer an option. It is a necessity for anyone who wants to thrive in the coming years.

 

 

 

The new e-PRO® certification will give you everything you need to not only create your strategy, but to also learn about the tools you need. 

 

 I am excited to be able to teach this in Scottsdale tomorrow and am booking the course around the country! Be among the first in the country to experience the NEW E-PRO!

 

 

Here are some specifics:

Benefits of the e-PRO® certification are:

Taking your real estate marketing online and taking advantage of social media technology to form new relationships with today’s consumer.

Showing consumers that you are up-to-date on the latest technologies and current real estate marketing trends in the industry.

Offering your customers the benefits of enhanced listings, video tours and immediately accessible information.

Giving your clients confidence that you have advanced training and a network of resources to guide them through a real estate transaction.

Making the most of today’s social media technologies, techniques and best practices

Implementing powerful real estate email marketing and electronic marketing initiatives

Employing efficient e-office strategies

Working effectively with rich media technologies

Identifying tools that fit your budget, resources and capabilities

Creating on online presence, and understanding the importance of real estate web site promotion

 

Learn the way you like! There are 2 options:

Day 1 is now offered in a live classroom setting, you not only receive individual attention, but you gain valuable networking opportunities as you navigate through the curriculum.

Or you still have the option to complete Day 1 online at your own convenience.

Then Day 2 of the course will be offered exclusively online in early 2011 through REALTOR® University,NAR's exclusive online desitination for official NAR designations. This lets you to put this new technology to test and helps you determine what electronic strategies will work to your advantage.

 

If you already have your e-PRO Designation, you will be offered a discount to take the new course online to update your skills, tools and knowledge! Technology and learning to be productive with it is one of the most important skills for working with the consumers of today and the future.

Don't be left behind! 

5 comments • Joeann Fossland, Master Certified Coach • January 10 2011 08:55AM

What One Thing?????

While I've been helping people create their business plans for 2011 with some complexity doing a 4 week webinar series and offering my 2011 Awesome Year Plan.....

Here's a very simple way to make a difference in your results: Answer these questions:

 

WHAT ONE THING WOULD
MAKE THE MOST DIFFERENCE
IN YOUR QUALITY OF LIFE?????

 

If you did it regularly?

 

If you stopped doing it?

 

 

 

I guess that’s really 2 things!!!

 

Would love to hear your thoughts!

 

 

4 comments • Joeann Fossland, Master Certified Coach • January 08 2011 02:14PM

Are You Breathing?

If you are reading this, I’ll have to assume the answer is yes…. the old joke when I got into real estate in 1983 was that you could get hired if you could fog a mirror. It was also the test for one of those old assumable loans too! These days, it certainly takes more than just breathing to be successful or to get a loan!

Many of us may be breathing but not really being aware of it most of the time.

You see, I shared I am a recovering “Type A” and, as such, am intrigued with ways of being very effective and focused without an hour of yoga or sitting in meditation for 25 minutes. I have tried! I really, really have, but can’t say embracing either felt right for me. I know they’d probably be GOOD for me, but so would no wine, cheese or chocolate for the rest of my life. I’m looking for a healthy balance that feels right and includes indulgences! We’re always making choices, aren’t we? So my quest is how to live life to the fullest, and still stay healthy and sane!

What’s all this got to do with breathing? In my research on productivity, happiness & success, repeatedly the topic of breathing crops up. So here are some random thoughts and resources for you to take as they fit for you.

  • Master Chunyi Lin says most of us are breathing about 25 times a minute and leaving 40% stale air in our lungs. He suggests you can energize, calm and focus by slowing your breathing down to 10 breaths a minute for several minutes. Try this for 2-3 minutes next time you feel stressed, angry or overwhelmed. BREATHE.......
  • Dr. Andrew Weil says in his book Spontaneous Healing, “ You can learn to regulate heart rate, blood pressure, circulation and digestion by consciously changing the rhythm and depth of breathing.”
    • Three exercises that are very simple are described in his book. Observing the breath, start with exhalation and then let yourself be breathed. All this can be done in just a few minutes each day.
  • One of my favorite intuitive speakers & teachers, Sonia Choquette, teaches how important our awareness of our breath is.
  • To learn some simple ways to practice: David Harp wrote a little book I like calledThe Three Minute Meditator: 30 Simple Ways to Unwind Your Mind While Enhancing Your Emotional Intelligence

One of the messages that has resonated with me in 2010 is that my job is to take care of me. Being more aware of my breathing and using it as a quick centering technique is something I can do! How about you?


6 comments • Joeann Fossland, Master Certified Coach • January 07 2011 01:50PM

5 Simple Tips for Social Networking

Do you participate and reap rewards from social media?

Many agents feel it is a waste of their time or it isn't bring the rewards in the way they expect or want. People’s experiences seem to fall into several categories:

  • The ones who are closing business and have clear objectives
  • Those who are high profile & having fun, but not closing business
  • Those who see it as a giant waste of time but feel it is something they must do to be competitive.

Where do you fit? The tips below may help you increase your level of effectiveness.

Here are my 5 Simple Tips:

  1. Relax, enjoy & be social. Remember...it is not about selling, advertising or marketing. It is SOCIAL! Use the same strategy as you do for farming: it is a long term venue where you can connect, meet and nurture relationships. By relaxing, enjoying and connecting in a strategic manner, you’ll naturally increase your name recognition & trust and make stronger connections with friends (who have friends). At least 80% of what you post should not be “selling”, posting open houses or listings. Engage with your friends, sphere of influence.

     

  2. Be Strategic. You will want to know:
    1. Who you want to reach

    2. What’s important to them

    3. What % of your overall business you want to generate from this

     

  3. Work a consistent daily plan. Plan 15-30 minutes a day for the business social media. Do this at the same time of day. Piggyback on the times the most people are also on: 7-8 AM the lunch hour, and 6-8 PM are the times of heaviest usage, when the most amount of people will see your posts. 
    1. Wish people Happy Birthday

    2. Accept and Invite new Friends

    3. Look at the post of your “A” lists (those people who are most important to you)

    4. Post 2-3 updates. Use something like www.Hootsuite.com so you can write several posts and schedule for different times of the day and post to multiple platforms.

    5. Answer direct messages or leave some “likes” or comments

     

  4. Give Value. Link to your blog, share something interesting, ask a question, link to other valuable articles or sites. What is interesting to those people who are your target market? What hobbies do you enjoy? What tips can you give people? Becoming the neighborhood expert or sharing a daily tip about your city are fun ways to be seen as someone who knows what’s going on.

     

  5. Don’t Complain! People have enough negativity. Contribute to their lives in a positive way! People quit reading people who complain…

I don’t agree with the naysayers who say this is a waste of time. I believe to get the most business success, you need a well thought-out marketing plan for your business with several different methods of attracting clients. Your choices in the amount of time and energy you devote to your various marketing strategies should be directly related to the needs of your clientele.

As the Gen Y-ers continue to become a bigger force in the home buying and home selling markets, the agents who are comfortable with technology and who use Facebook, Twitter, & FourSquare will have ways of connecting we never dreamed of 10 years ago. Are they (first time home buyers) a niche that is part of your mix? They are expected to be over 50% of the market in the next couple of years. That may or may not be for you.

Like anything you want to learn….getting started is the first step, followed by consistent learning.


1 comment • Joeann Fossland, Master Certified Coach • January 06 2011 01:01PM

Putting More $$$'s in Your Pocket!

It’s Not What You Make, It’s What You Keep!

In today’s economy, most of us are looking for ways to maximize our income. It was a big Ah-ha for a few of the participants in my Business Planning Teleseminar this year when I said,” one of the most important actions you could take was looking for where you could save money since you get to keep every $ you save, whereas each dollar you add to your gross will be diminished by expenses and taxes.” In other words, saving $1 gives you $1 and making another dollar probably only gives you 50 cents!

Actions to take to save in 2011:

  • Re-negotiate with your vendors and service providers. Call EVERYONE-the phone company, your insurance agent, your website provider and ask for a better deal.
  • Look at last year’s expenses to determine where your business was generated. Drop or modify expenses that aren’t bringing in business.
  • Assess all those items that you are being charged for automatically every month. I was paying $15 a month for Netflix and after I cancelled, they offered me the same deal for $8. And then I find I can do this for free with my Wii. Are you paying for a service you aren’t using or that you could get at less expense?
  • Are you maximizing your expenses? Do you log your mileage? Keep good receipts for entertainment? Snacks & tunes for your office?
  • Sign up for Groupon or Restuarants.com to save money on your meals out and other services. Restaurant.com runs specials frequently when you can buy a $20 certificate for $2. These also make great gifts for clients.

Spend time on your budgets and you’ll put money in your pocket! I’d love to hear what you are doing to save money and thrive in 2011!


3 comments • Joeann Fossland, Master Certified Coach • January 05 2011 10:46AM