Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer will never be the same...

Hi Max!

Just got through watching Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer for the 100th time and I may be underestimating that number. But this time was different.

I'm on Captiva Island in Florida. I'm meeting here for a Star Power Advance, a pow wow with the top 200 agents in the country (and Canada). I wouldn't miss this event for the world. A little for the ideas, a little for the get-away to a nice destination, but mostly because of the relationships I've built with these superstars. We all suffer the same struggles and challenges and with this year being more challenging than most, we are here to help, support, and energize each other. I love going to Star Advance. It's my favorite conference of the year. But this year is different.

As I sit here in my posh resort condo watching Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, I realize that I am about to break down in tears. My eyes were welling up when the other reindeer were making fun of Rudolph and when the parents tried to cover the red nose with a fake black one. Now, for those of you who know me are probably saying, Michael is writing that for impact or effect. No, I was really starting to well up.

I miss little Max (it's been like 12 hours) already and I had never noticed that facet of the movie before, but now I started thinking, "I don't want you to have a defect. I want you to fit in and be friendly. I don't want you to suffer the sadness Rudolph feels when they all laugh at him and shun him from the reindeer games." But I know there will be times that you will face ridicule, jealousy, and "trash talk". I guess my job isn't to shelter or protect you from those situations, but to prepare you on how you can CHOOSE to react. I've been the outcast and misfit in my life many times and quite honestly, a lot of my success can be attributed to my willingness to embarrass myself, take risks, be the outsider, look like an idiot, and step out of my comfort zones easily and often. Somebody once said in conversation that I was a "man without comfort zones." That's not true of course, but I'm willing to face the possibility of rejection, put myself in unusual circumstances, or take the opportunity to meet strong, famous, or successful people because I have a strength forged from facing many situations such as Rudolph faced and a set of parents who allowed me, EMPOWERED ME rather than ENABLED ME to make my own decisions throughout life.

I also need to let you know that you ALWAYS have a safe harbor here with mom and me. Max, home will be your base of unconditional love. That's what family is for and we'll always be here for you. You don't need to run off and fight abominable snowmen and find the island of misfit toys.

Watching Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer one of the all-time classics for Christmas movies was a unique experience tonight. Who knew that you could watch a movie for the 100th time and see certain aspects of it for the very first time?

Being a dad is cool. =0)

To Your Success,

Max's Dad (Michael)

What REALLY matters...

Amid the financial turmoil and the news that the world’s markets are struggling, it’s time to focus on what really matters. To see what really matters, we need to evaluate what doesn’t matter.

The things that don’t matter are the things you can’t control. You can’t control what stocks do on Wall Street. You can’t control what happens with the weather, the price of gas, or the price of a lot of things you want to buy. You can control what you buy and more importantly, you can control your mindset.

First, appreciate what you do have. If you are healthy, count your blessings. If you have a job, be appreciative. If you are debt-free, count your blessings. If you have a loving relationship with a spouse, a child, a parent, or a friend, then be appreciative. Start your day with an attitude of gratitude and everything falls into perspective. What we do have is typically much more than we ever need. Start with an attitude of gratitude.

Secondly, live with a mindset of optimism. You can’t choose what happens to you, but you can choose how you react to those things. Stephen Covey in his book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, describes a monumental moment for him. He was reading about the difference between humans and animals. With animals, when they receive stimulus, they respond instinctively. With humans, we have the ability to CHOOSE. Between stimulus (what happens to us) and response (how we react)there is a gap of time. That gap of time is our ability to choose. We have response-ability, as Covey says. This is such an important distinction. You see, only YOU can make YOU miserable. Only YOU can make YOU happy. On a daily basis I choose happy. You too can choose happy. You don’t need a man or a woman or a child or a different boss or a different market or any of that to be happy. You can choose happy from the outset. When you choose happy, you start to see smiles everywhere you look. You attract more of what makes you happy, and the cycle continues. Unfortunately, the opposite is also true. Sheri and I refuse to watch the news to avoid the negativity. You should especially miss the 10 o’clock news. Watching negativity before you sleep has been found to cause health issues!

Here are some suggested activities on your path to a happier, healthier life:
1) Count your blessings in the morning. Start your day with an attitude of gratitude.

2) Take the first 30 minutes of your day to fill your mind with something positive. Bible reading, non-fiction reading, inspirational music, meditation, etc.

3) Start your healthy day on track with two large glasses of water before you eat. Your body dehydrates overnight and you can get your body back on track with two large glasses of water. Water has also been found to stimulate your brain cells.

4) Smile. The very act of smiling helps your immune system and lights up the room. It’s hard to have a negative demeanor with a smile on your face. Smile.

5) Look to the positive of every event that happens to you. I remember when I was sabotaged by a co-worker during the interview process for a job I really wanted. At the time, I was devastated. I had worked for a solid week on the application, resume, and even proposed an entirely different way to look at things in this profession. But not getting that job took me on the path to real estate and I am very grateful it did. Everything happens for a reason.

6) Talk to somebody about your day. Make that somebody a positive inspiration to you. Research shows that birds of a feather flock together. You can become more positive by hanging out with positive people. The very act of communicating your days’ events helps you realize the impact you are having on the world. You may be just one person in the world, but you can also be the world to one person.

7) Close your day with something positive.. Giving yourself some brain food (reading, inspirational music, meditation, etc.) before bed and you’ll wake up more refreshed!

To Your Success,

Bay-Bee's Papa (Michael)