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LoanTrader Realizes Significant Operational Efficiencies Via Automated Underwriting Engine

Nov 18, 2001

Total Success: How to Achieve Your Personal Best Every DayBill "The Coach" Sparkmanmotivation, organization, success, Sparkman, Bill Sparkman, The Coach Is there a secret to success? Does one idea, concept, belief, or strategy enable you, if mastered, to achieve fulfillment and improve your skills and abilities leading to Total Success in your life and the mortgage business? I believe there is really no secret formula to a successful life or career, but there are concrete steps that can be taken, and if practiced and perfected with the right attitude, can lead to continued improvement and sustained success. Winners in the mortgage business, and in life, are constantly trying to improve on their best performance. Each day, they raise the bar to achieve a new personal best. Most people want things to be different, but few are willing to do the work required to produce breakthrough results. The fact of the matter is that most people dont want to work; they just want to be better. They arent looking to do what is required to get in good physical shape; they just want to look and feel better. They want to win the lottery, but arent buying a ticket. To achieve better results, you must be willing to do everything that is required to become a champion. There are no shortcuts, and you have to be ready to pay the price for measurable change. The first step is identifying the areas of your career and life that must be improved upon so that not only measurable but lasting change can occur. Ive highlighted seven of these areas that need to be practiced and perfected daily. Preparation It begins with clarity. You must have a clear picture of what you want and when you want it. Less than 20 percent of all mortgage originators have a written plan or strategy that is directing their actions on a daily basis. They are reactionary in their daily efforts, and chaos seems to be the theme of their business. Most people think that goal-setting and planning are wonderful things, yet they spend more time planning a two-week vacation than they do creating their own successful mortgage business. They talk about being in business for themselves, but dont have a business plan clearly written. If you are not experiencing the results you desire, it may be time to revisit your business plan and make the adjustments necessary to be successful. If you dont currently have a written plan, now is the perfect time to create one. Confidence When you set high goals, you will face challenges along the way. How you respond to those challenges will ultimately determine the level of your success. Two of the challenges you will face on a daily basis are fear and confidence. Your business will be driven from one or the other. Confidence moves you forward, while fear keeps you stuck. Confidence comes from the greatest gift you can give yourself, the gift of believing in yourself. Self-confidence is a required step in all great undertakings and achievement. Vince Lombardi said, Lifes battles dont always go to the stronger or faster man, but sooner or later, the man who wins is the man who thinks he can. Confidence is truly a choice. If you dont know how to be confident, or think you need more experience before you can be confident, start by pretending. Often acting as if you have confidence will bring on the real thing. Go for it and take the plunge into the pool of self-confidence. You cant get wet by standing on the edge. Strike with confidence today. Positive Action A positive mental attitude is simply not enough to effect changes. Positive action, sustained over time, is what will produce the results you are seeking. The world is filled with positive thinking and positive talking underachievers. The common denominator of all greatness is finding purposeful meaning in your career and in life, and having the energy required for keeping yourself in action long enough to get to the finish line. In The Art of Worldly Wisdom, it tells us that mediocre people who apply themselves with a white hot burning desire go further than people with superior talent who dont apply themselves. It takes no talent or extra ability to hustle. Do it now! Concentration What you focus on, you bring on. Underachievers find it simple to get distracted from their goal. To achieve what you say you want, you must stay focused on the goal and the work at hand. Great mortgage originators are not easily sidetracked, and when sidetracked, they get back on track quickly. Look at your business and your life, and get rid of all your current distractions as soon as you can. They may be in the form of people, unfinished projects, a messy desk, or even the latest technology. Keep your eye on the ball. Passion Truly loving what you do can attract more customers to you than anything else. Most people want to be around positive, powerful, high energy individuals. You become a magnet for people of those traits when you live your life passionately and enjoy what you do. If you cant be passionate about the loan business, you may be in the wrong business. You can do, be, or achieve anything you want with enough enthusiasm, fortitude, and passion. Endurance All significant achievement in life comes from sustained commitment. Being committed once in a while, or selective commitment, isnt sufficient enough to maintain career-best performances or the results you desire in any area you truly care about. Life and the loan business is a marathon, not a sprint. You gain on your competition by out-lasting them. Most people give up on their dream too soon. Success is often inconvenient. Winners have the ability to tolerate the obstacles to success that striving for a worthwhile goal provide. It is their stubborn persistence that separates them from the pack. Dont give up! Celebration You must take time along the road to success to celebrate your wins, no matter how small they may seem. You must become your own best cheerleader, it isnt anyone elses job. Dont become so attached to obtaining your goal that you miss out on living life along the way. Stress, burnout, and anxiety stem from not creating balance in your business and your life. Your capacity to enjoy the mortgage business and life is in direct proportion to your ability to create and maintain balance along the way. To excel in the mortgage business, you must be in great shape mentally, spiritually, physically, and emotionally. Celebrate life daily. Slow down and enjoy. Total Success in the mortgage business and life comes from total commitment. Achieving your personal best takes work. Real change begins by matching insight with action. The first step is to identify the areas of your business and life that you could improve upon and get better. The second step is to make the necessary adjustments in your behavior as quickly as possible to ensure new results. Do more of what is working and change what isnt working. Dont hesitate. If not now, when? Having a career-best year begins with having a career-best day. A career-best day comes from giving the best effort you have to give, again, again, and again. Bill "The Coach" Sparkman is a mortgage industry Sales Trainer, Consultant, Speaker and Seminar Leader. To receive product and seminar information, call (888) 600-1114.
About the author
Published
Nov 18, 2001
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