Reporting live with breaking news: The Pity Train has just derailed at the intersection of Suck-It-Up-and-Move-On and We-All-Have-Problems-So-Get-Over-It. After much screeching, it finally came to a stop in front of Shake-It-Off Dump, the regional garbage transfer station.
That’s an e-mail someone sent me last week. I smiled as I read it, recalling a few of my own poor-me parties. In the housing industry today, it’s easy to climb aboard the Pity Train and settle in for the long haul…like a cartoon I saw recently in which an employee was telling his boss, “I’m not ready to improve my life. I’m still in the complaining stage.”
When you’re stuck aboard the Pity Train, here are some suggestions for getting off and moving on:
• Resist the temptation to blow life out of proportion and make permanent mountains out of temporary molehills.
• Don’t dwell on circumstances. The more you think about them, the more discouraged you can become.
• Keep a current “to do” list and, each day, do the toughest thing first. It will give you a sense of accomplishment and you’ll feel better.
• Use the down time to fortify your skills and add some muscle to your market. The new-home industry will bounce back and so will you. Until then, work harder on improving your salesmanship, honing your closing skills and learning how to be a strong negotiator. Replace the Pity Train with profitable training.
