I recently talked about the importance of creativity when pursuing realistic financing for your buyers. Does "creativity" mesh with "realistic?” I thought about it and came to the conclusion that they can work wonderfully together. There’s a sort of Zen-like harmony to blending creativity with a healthy, reality check.

Being creative means allowing yourself to step beyond the boundaries of conventional solutions. You look at a problem and come up with all the possibilities to tackle that task. It doesn’t matter how far-reaching your initial thought is. Give yourself permission to wander. Don’t dwell on the problematic aspect of the situation but focus instead on where you want to end up. What is the desired result? Then explore the ways in which you can travel the road from Point A to Point B. And, unlike your high school geometry teacher proclaimed, it’s not always a straight line. Look at some alternative routes.

Stop focusing on the brick wall in front of you. You can’t find the financing? Wrong! You haven’t found it yet. You can’t sell a certain house? Wrong! You haven’t yet identified the right buyer. The key is "yet.”

Just because you’ve hit obstacles doesn’t mean you can’t reach your destination. Brainstorm ideas. Come up with options. Then weigh the possibilities. How can I make this happen? What steps do I need to take? A well-tuned reality meter doesn’t say "no"—it just says "not yet."

Myers