In his classic book, “The Magic of Thinking Big,” author and Ph.D David Schwartz writes, “To do anything, you must first believe it can be done.”
He explains that when you believe something is impossible, your mind goes to work backing up that premise and proving why it’s impossible. However, when you believe … really believe … something can be done, your mind goes to work to find ways to accomplish it.
Great baseball player Satchel Paige never told how old he was, although it was obvious he was up in years because he had been playing ball for so long. One day he was being pressured by reporters to tell his age.
“Satch, c’mon. Tell us how old you are,” a reporter coaxed.
Satchel turned the question around and asked the reporter, “If you did not know how old you were, how old would you be?”
To Satchel Paige, a person’s age didn’t define what they could accomplish. Both he and Schwartz knew the secret: It’s all in your head. What’s important is what you believe.
It’s about attitude and how you view the world through your mind’s eye. Look for the good and you’ll find it. Look for the bad and you’ll spot it everywhere. Perceive the housing market as favorable and it will awaken the optimist in you. See it as failing and your internal skeptic will detect signs of doomsday.
Depending upon what you believe, your mind will either apply the brakes or accelerate.
So, let me ask you: If you did not believe the housing market was down, how many homes would you sell this week?
