Please welcome Agent Genius’ newest writer, Ken Brand. Ken is a great writer and is known for his progressive thinking, professionalism, leadership, and wisdom, bringing to the table thirty years of real estate experience.
A beat down…
I’m not talking about a smash mouth physical beat down. Nope. I’m talking about something worse, an insidious psychological, emotional and mental beat down. The flavors of beat down that spill your spirit like blood, saps your resolve, fractures your optimism and bruises your faith.
Specifically, I’m writing to you about the pyschiological beat downs served relentlessly by CNBC Financial News clones, drama queen headline cheez from our nationwide/neighborhood newsprint media and YAHOO! internet news types too. Adding insult to injury, velvet gloved hammer jabs delivered by lurching legions of doom and gloom, half-zombie, half humans [well and some not so-well meaning friends, family, co-workers, et al’] who seize every opportunity to taint and turn you with their biting despair, unease and Woe-Is-Us-isms. These are the insidious psychological beat downs I’m speaking of. What should we do about it?
Cycles of Despair and Sunshine…
…Today, Tomorrow and Next
How long will the beatings last? Nobody knows. The very Rainman-Wonder-Kids who never saw it coming, are now predicting when it will end. Huh? No human knows when the pall will be replaced with sunshine speak. Rest assured, it will get better? When? Your guess is as good a mine or theirs? Now that we know the game….
What CAN You and I DO
In The “Until It Sunshines” Meantime?
WE CAN approach what we do by looking at things WE DON’T HAVE TO DO. Yea!
1. When “beaters” call roll and invite “victims sheep beatees” to step forward to receive their daily beating, let’s excuse ourselves, step backward and do something personally, physically, emotionally, intellectually, spiritually or professionally productive. I ask you, “What kinds of productive things could we do? Make a written list. Better yet, for your fellow Agent Genius Tribe members, list a jewel or two in the comments section. They’ll thank you for it. Me too.
2. Let’s understand that commercial news reporting is big bu$iness, Cataclysm reporting $ells, addict$ and hypnotize$ viewers. Addicted viewers tone in 24/7 – ratings leap higher. Juiced ratings sell ads for more money. It’s big business, semi-news, spun for hypnosis, addiction and heart wrenching skew.
Watch the news if you must, don’t drown in it, inhale it or swallow it. Better yet, We Can feed our brains, imaginations and aspirations with interesting, provocative and informative books and blogs. Any recommendations? Here’s three books. Tribes: We Need You To Lead Us– Seth Godin / How To Be That Guy by Scott Ginsberg and Half Asleep In Frog Pajamas by Tom Robbins. If you have a couple of all time, “you gotta read this” recommendations, share them in comments. Please. Thanks.
3. When spiritless zombies invite you to join their pity parties,say think “Zombie Be Gone”, wheel and split. Hang out with positive achievers. I ask you, “What does a positive achiever look and act like to you?” Care to share your thoughts? Leave a comment. Are you one?
4. We don’t have to be average and ordinary, AKA ” a follower”. Be a leader for your Tribe (Tribe = people you love, hug, work with and for). As leaders we might focus on these three things. What’s a leader look, act, walk and talk like?
A leader…
- a. Causes people to feel significant. (How can you do this? What makes you feel significant?)
- b. Causes people to feel safe. (What makes people feel safe? What makes you feel safe?)
- c. Causes people to feel they have an improved sense of well being. (Why would people feel better off with you than without you?)
You can’t control the outcome…
…you can control how you react, proact and interact.
My friends, thanks for reading. Keep the faith. I’ll close with this paradoxical thought “Hope is a crappy strategy, yet without hope the people perish.” and this cartoon from rebel Hugh MacLeod of GapingVoid.com fame.
