Change Your Perspective; Change Your Life
Have you ever made a mistake and dwelled on it, focusing on what you could have done differently and beating yourself up for not making the right choice? We all do it from time to time. Perhaps you didn’t get that highly coveted listing whose commission would’ve allowed you to meet your financial goals for the year. In this situation, many of us would ruminate, “I should’ve prepared better,” or, “I should have arrived a few minutes earlier instead of stopping at the coffee shop.” We replay different scenarios in our heads as if we’re trying to will a different outcome. The mistake may continue to haunt us in our businesses as we try to avoid repeating the scenario again.
However, you know what we miss in the process? Perspective. We forget that the mistake had such a strong impact on us that we now arrive at listings five minutes earlier so we can take a few calming breaths and get “in the zone.” We forget that right after we found out we didn’t get the listing, we received a call from an A+ client, referring us to their dearest friend who’s in the market for an investment property. We forget that this referral was a huge pleasure to work with and became one of our favorite clients. We forget that this referral-turned-A+ client referred us to five more people in their lives, one of whom became a top client and our business mentor. We forget that the financial outcome of all of this business is worth several times the commission of the listing that got away and allowed us to not only meet our annual financial goals but also to purchase an investment property and fully fund our retirement accounts. No, we don’t focus on that; instead, we rehash the mistakes we think we made in that initial listing.
According to Mitch Albom, the author of “The Five People You Meet in Heaven” and its sequel, “The Next Person You Meet in Heaven: The Sequel to the Five People You Meet in Heaven,” there are no mistakes. The things we perceive as mistakes are lessons that lead us to avoid doing something a second time and lead us to new opportunities that change our lives and impact the lives of others. Mitch says, “It’s all in how you look at your missteps. Rather than seeing a door close, if you consider ‘something else opened for me,’ it’s a whole different view.”
Mitch Albom sat down with Brian Buffini for episode #123 of “It’s a Good Life” to discuss his new book and more. Click here to listen.
Buffini & Company
