Do you have a good vision on your mind about how the year is going to end? Are your goals in writing and visible to you each day? If someone asked you where you are going, would you be able to tell them or could you confidently say, “Come on! Follow me and I’ll show you!”
In Steven Covey’s timeless “must-read” classic book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, he describes Habit #2 as “begin with the end in mind.” All things are created twice; you must see things in your mind’s eye as you hope for them to be in real life.
Wild About Wildlife
I arrived in Montana this weekend for a few days helping my mother get settled into her summer home in Northwest Montana. While here, I help get her home up and functioning, get her oil changed in her car, help her grocery shop, and make sure she’s all set for a few months before I come back to get her at the end of summer. Oh yeah, there’s also some time for some sightseeing around the spectacular Flathead Valley of Montana.
After flying from the Eastern time zone to the Mountain time zone, it was no surprise that we fell asleep fast the first night (4:45 am wake-up calls to take morning flights will catch up with you). We woke early and headed south to one of my favorite places in my state of birth, the Bison Range in Charlo.
Red Sleep Mountain Drive is a 19-mile, one-way gravel road that takes you around the Range. As we headed south along the Eastern shore of Flathead Lake, we spoke of our hopes that we would see lots of animals. We were “beginning with the end in mind.”
If Covey is correct, then we were very successful people today as our 3-hour drive along the rolling meadows and all the way up to the high point on Red Sleep Mountain (4,885 feet). We started by spotting several antelope on the West Loop. That was a good omen for the rest of our travels through the range.
By the time we headed back for Kalispell, we had seen many bison (some from just a close distance off the road from the safety of our car), deer, chipmunks, ground squirrels, a very elusive and rarely seen badger, and two coyotes. Of course, we saw hundreds of local birds including magpie, red-winged blackbirds, doves, hawks, and the state bird – the meadowlark. Hearing the birds singing loudly across the open expanse where visitors can see up to 50+ miles in all directions reminds why Montana is called the “Big Sky” state.
What Will You “See” This Week?
Try it for yourself. Write the script for your week ahead. How will your next month turn out? Will you thrive in this challenging market by securing new listings, win some contracts in multiple offer situations, or simply schedule a few appointments to meet new clients? If you’re a manager or broker/owner, will you meet some potential new team members or create some opportunities to help your current agents? If you’re not in real estate, what can you see yourself doing that will lead to more opportunities for you and your family in the future?
I’ve got a few more days here in “God’s Country” so I’ll be sure to keep my eyes open so I can hopefully see more wildlife. It would be neat to see a bear, moose, mountain lion, or bald eagle. But I’ll be happy seeing any wildlife on our short visit to Glacier National Park or driving along the rural roads and highways before flying back home.
Oh yeah, I’ll also be looking forward to building relationships, solving problems, and having fun.
I hope you see some awesome opportunities this week too.
