Success in all we encounter comes from this one thing.

Soon it will be 110° here in far-northern California. Having been here since 1998 I’ve adopted the mantra of Shasta County locals who simply say, “It’s dry heat- no worries”. To complain repeatedly about the weather may cause some to suspect you’re ‘not from here’.

The weather is just one example of the innumerable things we must process daily. The trick is to know which things we should direct our time and attention to and those we should simply pass by. 

For example, there’s a loan condition that needs to be addressed. Now that’s something you should direct your time and attention to working with the homeowner and loan processor. We don’t want to neglect those things which we can influence. 

But how about rising interest rates? Being out of your control the best approach is to to accept this reality without protest knowing that such matters are certainly out of your control. 

How about this? You want to make a good impression when speaking in front of your local board of realtors. Great. Now is the time to prepare, plan, and practice for the big day. Knowing you control your effort and not the outcome you do your best to increase your odds of success.

But what if two of the forty-some realtors in the room don’t like you? You cannot control how other human beings feel about but you can learn to separate one’s bias or point of view knowing that not everyone will like you. In fact, the more people who know and like you the more people will disapprove or take exception to you.

Generally speaking, our character and personality are determined by how we interpret the events we encounter. You could say it’s a process of classification. That is determining which things we can exert our will upon and those which are uncontrollable. 

Author, marketer, and philosopher Ryan Holiday put it this way: “Success—in all things, in whatever we do—still comes from that same acquiesce, from the joyous acceptance of what’s in front of us, even suffering and difficulty. And that is the secret to your success!

What are your thoughts? Please chime in with your two cents in the comment section below and don’t forget to thank our sponsor Atlas Valuation by clicking on the banner below this video. Have a great weekend and go out there and succeed!