Are You Stuck In A Rut?

I recently took part of a class on coaching for life, work and leadership at Marylhurst University. The class touched on many things that I love about working with people, one being helping another person get to thier goals. My job as a Realtor has often included councelling people. In my research on coaching, I found this article about being stuck in a rut. Though I have loved working with people, I have not always loved all the work associated with being a Realtor. This article offers some great advice, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.


Is Your Life Stuck In A Rut – 10 Ways Out

No matter how motivated, driven or aligned we are, everyone of us goes through a period in our life when we are stuck in a rut. Here are some of the sure signs your life is stalled:

Your energy drops dramatically
You suddenly become undecided, confused as to your next step
Now, playing the game becomes more important than achieving results
Seemingly overnight you are gaining weight, not sleeping and generally in ill health
And the biggy…you stop dreaming about what is possible barely able to make it through what "is"

It can happen without warning to the most optimistic of people.
From the pages of "Achieving Extreme Greatness" – When your life gets stuck in a rut, here are 10 things you can do to help break the habit…

1. Convince yourself it will pass. When you are in a rut it seems that you will never break free, by recognizing that this is simply a phase you are going through, a period that you can change so take the pressure off and change will come faster,

2. Exercise. Even though times like this make any sort of physical exercise even more challenging, you must break free and focus on at least low-grade exercise such as a walk, jog or swim.

3. Get social. We tend to become withdrawn in the low points of our life, a better approach is to join a new sport, hobby, fitness class, support group or other social activity where you can be with others.

4. Change your diet. We tend to become self-destructive in times of trouble within our lives – eating too much sugar and carbohydrates, escaping reality with alcohol and stimulants – by breaking these bad habits we can build momentum that will break out of our rut.

5. Change your routine. Being stuck in a rut is really succumbing to a pattern of bad habits – by breaking your routine, just one step toward change can get the ball rolling.

6. Baby steps. Our tendancy is to wait for some major life event to break us out of our rut when the best way to quickly escape this hell-like, self-imposed prison is to take small steps each day toward improving our life.

7. Change your company. There are times in my life where I was kept in a rut largely by the negative energy of the people around me. When you are stuck in life look around you, do you have positive role models or mentors you can rely on to help you see the light?

8. Take responsibility. Look inward and understand that you have everything you need to succeed wildly today, it's just that you are relying on external factors for your success. By taking responsibility for changing your situation you empower yourself to break free of your rut.

9. Introspection and Meditation. When things around you get so heavy, so meaningless and challenging – give yourself permission to focus inward for 30-minutes each day by practicing yoga and meditation. With just a week of consistent meditation you will be amazed at how less terrible you will feel about your current rut.

10. Know the signs. Take stock each day of your feelings, your accomplishments and how well aligned your actions are with your inner purpose and desire. Recognize how you feel and how you respond when under pressure, out of control and out of alignment. If you can identify these characteristics early you can take control before you get stuck in a rut.

There is no reason to spend another day stuck in a rut. Use these 10 techniques to break free and begin living life the way you really want to once again.
Jeff

found at:
http://www.peak-personal-development.com/blog/index.php/is-your-life-stuck-in-a-rut-10-ways-out/

Choice is Power When Shopping For A Mortgage

When it comes to shopping for a mortgage, it pays to get referrals from  people who have a good relationship with a respected lender.  Talk to your bank, then shop around and visit at least three lenders.  Compare rates, fees and service.  Things on the lending front seem to be changing all the time, so get advice from people in the business, like myself!  Here is a good article I found, enjoy!

Don't rely on lead generation sites for accurate interest rate and loan fee combinations


By Jack Guttentag

Inman News™

Share ThisMortgage lead generation websites (henceforth LGSs) have become a major part of the home mortgage distribution system. LGSs collect information from potential borrowers visiting the sites, and sell it to mortgage lenders. There are dozens of LGSs, perhaps hundreds; I haven't seen an exact count. Among the largest LGSs: LendingTree.com and LowerMyBills.com.

How lead generation sites work

An LGS attracts borrowers to its site primarily by promising to provide mortgages at attractive rates with one-stop shopping.

A prospective borrower visiting an LGS fills out a questionnaire covering the loan request, property, personal finances and contact information. The completed questionnaire is the lead that is sold to lenders.

Each lender participating in the site fills out a form indicating the features of loans they are looking for. This "filter" covers credit score, loan size, loan-to-value ratio, property ZIP code, type of property, and other factors. The LGS sells a lead with a given set of features only to lenders who have indicated that they want those features.

In general, LGSs sell leads to the lenders who will pay the most for them, subject to volume-based discounts. The sites commit that they will not sell the same lead to more than three or four lenders, but skeptics abound.

Lead generation sites from a lender perspective

Lenders view LGSs as one more way to market themselves. They can advertise online and in a variety of media, hire more loan officers to solicit business from real estate sales agents, invest in affiliated business arrangements with title agencies or others that will refer customers to them -- and they can buy leads.

While each approach has its advantages and disadvantages, for many lenders the purchase of leads appears to be a relatively attractive option for some part of their marketing budget.


Don't rely on lead generations sites alone to do the shopping for a mortgage for you, call today for a list of good lenders in our area who can meet with you and provide you the service you are looking for.

Is it the time of year for bites?

Mortgage rates stay low, buyers not biting

By Inman News


Mortgage rates are hovering not far above record lows set during the first week in October, but demand for purchase loans hit a low last week not seen since 1996, surveys of lenders show.

Freddie Mac's latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey showed rates for 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaging 4.11 percent with an average 0.8 point for the week ending Oct. 20.

That's virtually unchanged from 4.12 last week, and not far above the all-time low in records dating to 1971 of 3.94 percent set during the week ending Oct. 6. Rates on the popular 30-year fixed-rate mortgage were at 4.21 percent this time a year ago, before climbing to a 2011 high of 5.05 percent in February.

For 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, rates averaged 3.38 percent with an average 0.8 point, essentially unchanged from 3.37 percent last week. The 15-year mortgage hit an all-time low in records dating to 1991 of 3.26 percent during the week ending Oct. 6.

At this time a year ago, 15-year loans were averaging 3.64 percent, before climbing to a 2011 high of 4.29 percent in February.

Applications to refinance were down 16.6 percent from the previous week, but refi requests still accounted for 77.6 percent of all mortgage loan applications.

In a forecast issued Monday, economists at Fannie Mae said they expect rates on 30-year fixed-rate mortgage loans to average 4 percent next year and 4.2 percent in 2013. Fannie Mae's forecast calls for sales of new and existing homes to grow by less than 1 percent next year, to 5.28 million, before picking up by 6.5 percent in 2013.

"In this type of environment, the housing market remains very sluggish and consumers' willingness to dig into their savings to purchase big-ticket items is very low," said Fannie Mae chief economist Doug Duncan in a statement. Duncan said leading indicators "point to housing sales bouncing near the bottom at least through the end of 2012."

The large inventory of distressed homes working their way through the market is putting downward pressure on prices, Duncan said, and with fall and winter being a weak seasonal sales period home prices are likely to show declines after firming for several months.

In My Opinion

I have been told since I started in real estate over ten years ago that the slowest months are November and December.  I will say that I have seen some of my busiest times during these winter months.  It is true that the numbers as a whole reflect a slowdown, picking up again after the first of the year. 

Yet I have experienced the savvy buyer taking advantage of the market during this time of year, as well as a wise seller who understands that competition is down and they can showcase their home beautifully during this time which results in attracting serious buyers. 

Don't let the market determine when it is a good time for your move, take advantage of low interest rates and good inventory and motivated buyers today.  Call me, so I can arrange a market report for you which will provide details on what your next step should be.

Ramona

Do You Feel The Change In The Air Again?

Last May I wrote about the change in the air, and spoke about my return back to school.  My time at Marylhurst has been amazing!  I have grown as a student, business woman and a person.  I have a ways to go still before I get to march across the stage and get my degree, but I am on a great solid path to achieve it.

I want to announce that I have taken a position with Highrises.com as a preferred agent for them!  They specialize in the condo market, an area of the market which I have been passionate about, but have not focused on before.  I am proud to be part of this great team which will allow me to sharpen my knowledge of the market and get me downtown more!

It does not end there though.  I can still work in all aspects of the real estate field as I have always done.  After ten years in the business, there is quite a bit of experience I bring to the negotiating table on your behalf.  Just give me a call to see how I can help you take advantage of low prices and low interest rates.  (they are crazy low right now!  As low as 4.15% for a 30 year fixed on approved credit.  Are you kidding me??  This is AMAZING folks!)

Check out the site:

ramona.highrises.com

And call me:

360-909-1540

Happy Fall!
Ramona

Change Is In The Air

Can you feel it? There is a change in the air. Not only because we see longer days and a bit more sunshine due to it being May and springtime, but there is a definite change in people's attitudes. Perhaps I am just noticing what is important to me now. We often have our reticular activators attuned to whatever is happening in our lives, perhaps this is what I am experiencing.

What is our reticular activator? The reticular activator system, or RAS is a part of the brain that has a big role in making your goals happen. It is the part that gets turned on when you are focused on something, or experience something exciting. For instance, when you test drive or purchase a new car, have you noticed that you now see that car everywhere, where before you seldom noticed it? Or, think of walking through a busy airport with lots of noise. Do you pay much attention to the noise? Probably not. But, what if an announcement comes over the speakers concerning your flight? Your ears perk up and you listen. This is your RAS in action.

Advertisers know this system and use it to get you to notice their products over another one. We can train our RAS system, to find out more please visit this site: www.set-your-goals.com .

I recently started school at Marylhurst University near Lake Oswego, OR. I decided to study Business & Leadership with a sub focus on Organizational Communication. I have realized that in my many years of helping clients buy and sell homes, investment properties and working with other Realtors that my love is in communications. Yet, I can not forget my business background. I am very thankful for each of my relationships with clients and agents which has lead me to this path of obtaining a higher education. I plan on using my degree within the foundation my husband's company is organizing, and to help other business owners to grow their business. Stay tuned for other posts on how this process is going.

ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH THE MOST COMMON EXCUSES FOR NOT WORKING OUT?

ALL RIGHT! HERE WE ARE, THE END OF JANUARY, AND WHERE ARE YOU?

ON THE COUCH, A BAG OF POTATO CHIPS, AND A SUPER SIZED GALLON OF COKE, OR WHATEVER MCDONALDS HAD ON THEIR CLEARANCE MENU!

IF THIS SCENARIO SOUNDS NORMAL, THEN YOU MOST LIKELY HAVE AN ARSENAL OF EXCUSES TO PULL FROM, THAT GO FAR BEYOND A 'TOP 10 LIST!'

NEW YEARS WAS A LONG TIME AGO YOU SAY, AND MAYBE I WAS OVER ZEALOUS, SLIGHTLY EXTREME WITH MY RESOLUTION!

In fact, every time you entertain the idea of exerting yourself, you find that the thought of it makes you crave salt, or a Happy Meal!

Better to avoid the thought all together, you reason?

Maybe you are right, after all, if you lift weights and gain muscle, than suddenly quit. Your new muscles will turn to fat and you could very possibly be worse off than before you separated yourself from the couch and chips!

Not only that, but the more often you leave the house the greater your chances are of snipers, terrorists or mountain lions assaulting and harming you in some way.

The excuses are endless, if your waistline too seems endless, you may want to read on, unglue your buttocks, and stop sabotaging yourself!

WHY DONT WE EXAMINE A FEW COMMON EXCUSES PEOPLE USE TO TALK THEMSELVES OUT OF EXERTING THEMSELVES!

1. YOU REALLY HATE TO EXERCISE- its boring, time consuming and you get sweaty.

The longer you follow healthy behaviors, the easier they become and the best part is, you actually start to enjoy them. Your first step in getting to that happy place is to change your attitude.

As you see results, it will give you incentive to continue. Think about this: it takes a lot more time to go to the Dr. for all the problems associated w/being overweight than it does to work out three times a week! Not to mention the plethora of other health benefits you receive from exercise.

Sorry, the sweaty part is a given! You are not working hard enough if you don't get sweaty!

2. YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO EXERCISE- it's hard and looks complicated. I could hurt myself!

Do you know how to walk? Can you read? There are numerous books on the subject, you can check them out at your local library. Walk to the library and get one!

If you have a computer there is a large amount of info, including tutorial videos that you can down load and follow at home.

Ask someone you know who works out to help you. Hire a personal trainer for a few sessions to teach you the basics.

3. WHAT SHALL I DO WITH THE KIDS?- I don't have anybody to watch my children.

A very valid reason. You cannot leave them to fend for themselves. Its against the law!

Most gyms have child care, kids love these places. They are filled with toys and new things to stimulate their interest. Just make sure you bathe them thoroughly when you get home!

Think about any relatives that could possibly lend a hand. Or a friend that you could trade babysitting with.

4. I'M AFRAID MY MUSCLES WILL GET TO BIG AND I WILL LOOK DEFORMED- Are you kidding me? Unless you are taking steroids and training eight hours a day, this isn't something you should worry about in the least!

Being overweight distorts your features and changes your looks greatly. You have to decide if you would prefer your looks to be changed by fat or by muscle. It is clearly a personal choice. Than take the necessary steps to move in that direction.

5. WOMEN SHOULDN'T LIFT TOO MUCH WEIGHT- Unless you look like Starla from Napoleon Dynamite (who I would venture to guess takes roids) as a women, you really are not in danger of gaining to much muscle.

Facts about women and muscle gain:

Women typically don't have the amount of hormones (testosterone) necessary to build huge muscles. In fact, even men struggle to gain muscle which is one reason steroids are such a popular drug with men who want to build big muscles.

Strength training is not just for men. Nothing could be further from the truth. Lifting heavy weights can benefit both men and women and, in fact, challenging your body with heavy weights is the only way you'll really see results and get stronger.

There are women who have been lifting heavy weights for years, and have never even come close to looking like a bodybuilder. Remember, muscle takes up less space than fat. When you add muscle, that helps you lose fat (along with your cardio and healthy diet), which means you'll be leaner and more defined.

We could talk all day about this subject, but you get the gist!

WHERE THERE IS A WILL, THERE IS A WAY!

THAT IS OUR MOTTO! AND ONE OF MANY REASONS WHY YOU NEED TO CHOOSE THE RAMONA KAUHI TEAM FOR ALL YOUR REAL ESTATE NEEDS!

WHO ELSE CARES SO MUCH ABOUT YOUR WELL-BEING?

RAMONA KAUHI

KELLER WILLIAMS REALTY

360-909-1540

LICENSED IN BOTH OREGON AND WASHINGTON, FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE OF COURSE!

HOW TO KEEP YOUR NEW YEARS RESOLUTION!

THE FACTS: ONLY 46% OF PEOPLE WHO MAKE NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS ACTUALLY KEEP THEM!

We are about to let you know how you can avoid being

'THE DREADED MAJORITY!'

Lets begin with the three most popular new years resolutions. Yes...you guessed it, losing weight, exercising, and quitting smoking. With losing weight being the the landslide winner of course!

A big part of keeping our resolution is understanding why so many of us fail.

One reason could be that a lot of us make resolutions to do only things that we are not otherwise likely to do. Only an anorexic would resolve to eat ice cream at least once a week, and only a workaholic would resolve to spend more time in front of the television. Thus we use the occasion of the New Year to try to change behavior that may be the most difficult to change. Making failure a distinct possibility.

In spite of these odds, we power thru, we make resolutions because we have decided that it would be best to do whatever it is that we are resolving to do. But, if we have already made that decision, why don’t we just do it?

Aristotle had an interesting view, one that fits well with our everyday experience of failing to do what we know to be best. Our reason may tell us what is best to do, he thought, but in a particular moment our reason may be overwhelmed by emotion or desire. Thus, the problem is not lack of knowledge, but the failure of our reason to master other, non-rational aspects of our nature.

That view is supported by recent scientific studies showing that much of our behavior is based on very rapid, instinctive, emotionally based responses. Although we are capable of deciding what to do on the basis of rational thought processes, such decisions often prove less powerful than our instinctive feelings in moving us to action.

What does this have to do with keeping resolutions? Richard Holton, a professor of philosophy at MIT and the author of “Willing, Wanting, Waiting,” points out that a resolution is an attempt to overcome the problem of maintaining an intention when we expect that, at some future time, we will face inclinations contrary to our intention. Right now, we want to lose weight and we are rationally convinced that this is more important than the pleasure we will get from that extra slice of cake. But we anticipate that, faced with cake tomorrow, our desire for that rich chocolate texture will distort our reasoning so that we might convince ourselves that putting on just a little more weight doesn’t really matter all that much.

Now that we have identified the reasons why we have difficulty keeping our resolutions, we need to focus on techniques to overcome our inclination.

Some experts recommend breaking your resolution into a series of small steps:

1. Tell your family and friends about your resolution

Gain support...give your friends and family permission to slap food out of your hands!

Gives you accountability

2. Regularly remind yourself of the benefits of achieving your goal

Fit into your 'skinny' jeans, make your ex feel regretful, not wincing when you pass a mirror, over all better health.

3. Give yourself a small reward each time you achieve one of the steps towards your goal

Just don't let that reward be a trip to the bakery every time you spend a half hour at the gym. How about a shopping trip to Nordstrom, or maybe a new workout outfit!

4. Keep track of your progress towards your goal

Keep a journal or put a chart on the fridge door. Better yet, put up a pic of yourself that accentuates the things you find undesirable about your body!

Individually, each of these factors seems trivial. Collectively, they are ways of exerting our self-control not only now, but in the future as well. Let's not be to hard on ourselves, never feel that just because we have slipped up, maybe devoured three pieces of New York style cheesecake, that we have to give up! We can choose to sabotage ourselves or be our own best friend!

NEVER FORGET: THE RAMONA KAUHI TEAM SUPPORTS YOU AND YOUR NEW YEARS RESOLUTION!

WE CAN HELP WITH ALL YOUR REAL ESTATE NEEDS!

CALL TODAY 360-909-1540