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Orient your new hire for success

Dec 02, 2004

Mortgage Technology and Beyond: Now That You Are Rich(er)John D. SvirskyMortgage Technology, John D. Svirsky One of the many benefits of 2002 has been that so many of us had our prayers answered, whether financial, physical or spiritual. Personally, I have worked on the balance between the three, yet the pressures of the business were so overwhelming and time-consuming, that it was a challenge to find a middle ground and balance these equally-important areas. Many of us made more money this year than ever before. Most of us even surpassed last year's numbers, which were already exorbitant. So, what are you going to do with the abundance you have earned? Without getting too spiritual, one of the tenets of my life has been to take that which I have been given and raise it to an even higher level. For example, when I originally bought my house, it was not pretty, and the grounds were filled with vines and overgrowth. Today, after years of labor and hard work, I have beautiful gardens, and my house is very respectable. Therefore, during the holiday season, I am taking stock of what I have been given. Every year, between Christmas and New Year's, I make several lists for myself. I would like to share them with you, in case you might want to incorporate your personalized version of this into your own life. As I have shared in previous articles, morning is a very special time of the day for me. Others might choose later hours, but more important than the time of day is privacy-make sure to carve out time for yourself, without interruptions from family or business. I use this time to connect with my inner self, my values, and my sense of purpose. I ponder why the hell I am working so hard? I would hate to look back on my life and wonder where my hard work took me. You know the statement: On their death bed, nobody ever wishes that they had spent more time at the office. Therefore, each holiday season, I write a gratitude list. Sometimes, this can go on for pages, because I write down everything I am grateful for in my life. There is nothing too small to be appreciated. I express gratitude for family and friends, and for my choice of values. I am grateful for my home and my belongings-I even write down things I usually take for granted, like hot, running water. Most aspects my life take on a clearer perspective when written down, rather than remembered. My gratitude list helps me become more conscious of what is important to me and what is not. In writing my gratitude list, an unexpected emotion kept coming to the surface, one that I spent more time denying than acknowledging-fear. I could never pinpoint the actual reasons, but fear constantly showed up for my gratitude party, suggesting that my lengthy list was all the result of luck. Perhaps I might have had a good couple of years, but ... I didn't really deserve it. I was simply in the right place at the right time. I didn't work as hard as my colleagues. It also suggested that I must work even harder for my money in 2003, because the rest of the industry is much better prepared than I am. Fear plays on all of my insecurities. So, I found a perfect way to deal with my fear and insecurities-by welcoming their addition to my party. For so many years, I would deny anything that was not positive, but I have come to understand that a positive mental includes some negativity. It means recognizing all of my feelings, encouraging me to act only on those feelings which will help me grow. So, on a separate sheet of paper, so as to not be confused with the gratitude list, I make another list of everything that frightens me. It's simply astounding how many things I feared would happen to me. Give yourself the proper permission, and do not let your intellect rationalize and explain why the fears are not justified. Use this as an opportunity to express what is normally repressed. The fear list can bring up fears we absorbed as early childhood; for example, one of mine is losing my fortune in the ways that I watched my family members do so, and creating a recurring pattern of gain and loss. This particular fear never materialized until I started writing-it was there; I just didn't know it. There is something magical about bringing that which has been buried for so long to the surface. Fear is a terrible thing, but denial makes it even stronger, and eventually fuels it into physical manifestation. After writing down both what you are grateful for and what you fear, the next step is to connect these lists with your goals and desires. If you took a year-long sabbatical, how would you spend your time? Would you sleep later? Would you write more? Would you take up a sport or hobby? Let your unexpressed dreams come to the surface, and do not let your intellect or inner judge discourage or embarrass you. So, get to work, and start writing those lists. It has been proven time and time again-what is conceived, can be achieved. You might even be surprised by what surfaces. John D. Svirsky is a member of the New York Association of Mortgage Brokers, a volunteer firefighter, avid cigar enthusiast, and has been in business for approximately 20 years. He may be reached by phone at (845) 424-3388 or e-mail [email protected].
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