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| Action-Focused Questions |
The words psychology and resilience are now very often read in financial and economical literature. This or that company is resilient enough and should make it through the crisis...
On page 117 of his Real Estate Investing in Canada (2009), Don Campbell lays out a method, which, we think, can be applied in many aspects of life, to help us go beyond the thoughts that are blocking us and preventing us from taking actions.
"Here is how the technique works: Every time an excuse-based fear pops into your head, take these three steps:
1. Write. Stop whatever you're doing and write down on a piece of paper the excuse that has occurred to you.
2. Scratch. Cross it out with your pen.
3. Question. Create a "positive spin question" that provides you with what you need to make the excuse no longer valid."
Then Campbell proceeds to give 2 examples of what I would call healthy alternative thoughts to fear-based thoughts:
"Excuse: "I don't have any (more) money to buy real estate."
Positive Spin Question: "I require more money to keep investing. Although this is out of my comfort zone, which trusted advisor can I talk with who can show me how to access more capital?"
or
Excuse: "My job and children fill my days. I don't have any extra time to invest."
Positive Spin Question: "My job and kids are important part of my life, so how do I prioritize my weeks so I can find a couple of hours to focus on real estate?"
Then he goes on to add: "You do not need to immediately know the answers to your questions; answers may come much later. The key is in posing the questions so you know what you're looking for."
Beyond the purely financial aspect, this is a great piece of advice this real estate investment specialist, who, by nature is focused on actions, is giving us: a clear strategy to overcome fear and word the situation (which is no longer a problem but a situation to deal with) in a way that opens up the full range of opportunities for action.
These truths that are valid for real estate investment, are completely in alignment with this idea of ours of creating a "healthy thoughts" machine, which could be used with children living with negative thinking, trying to help them focus on positive actions.