All posts by Keith Thompson

Being ok with who you are

Family

A high percentage of people never become ok with who they are. Many times they die with the music still inside because they never stepped out to become who they are supposed to be. They never became ok with who they are.

One of the most captivating things you will ever see is a person who is comfortable with who they are. It doesn’t matter if they have money or not, what color their skin is, etc. When you meet someone that is ok with who they are, it is a refreshing and captivating thing to see. I have been in some pretty big office buildings over the years and have met folks with big titles; it is amazing how many of those people seem to have it all together that actually have nothing together and are very insecure. It is because they never learned to be comfortable in their own skin.

I have used the example before that it is like cutting the grass and painting the shutters on a house that is falling apart on the inside.

Self-respect, self-love and self-esteem are three very powerful building blocks in any person’s life. If you can teach your children how to have a healthy self-esteem, you as a parent will have instilled in your children one of the greatest gifts you can give them.

The image of the person who is ok with who they are is the person that is able to be content and full of joy through the journey of life, not just at the destination of life. There are people that say “when that happens, when we get that house, when I get that job, when I marry that person, when I make that sale, I will be happy.” They are simply deceiving themselves if they think an event will be the starting point of happiness.

Being ok with who you are does not mean you have to give up on your dreams and stop trying to better yourself. It doesn’t mean you look at yourself in the mirror and say I don’t need to fix my hair, shave, or lose weight. It just means that you should always keep improving your life, health, education, and physical fitness, but you should not look at that improvement as the source of your contentment in life. Being ok with who you are is a cornerstone of your life that can only be secured by deciding it is time to secure it. Let me say that again, being ok with who you are is a cornerstone of your life that can only be secured by deciding it is time to secure it. It starts with a decision to fix the foundation of the house (you) and all the rest is cutting the grass and painting the shutters. KT

Stepping out of expectations

Career, Family, Life

In life, sometimes we need to step out of expectations other people have for us. A lot of times the expectations are wholesome and uplifting, but other times they are mean spirited. Sometimes other people think we will fail and they quietly celebrate the failure. They won’t come out and say how happy they are to see you fail, but deep in their spirit they expect it and hope for it.

George Patton was an Army General in WWII and was very revered as a General, but was also a colorful, outspoken guy with a hard driving personality that got him in trouble at times. In 1940, he became the General in charge of the Second Armored Tank Division at Fort Benning, GA. He later moved on to other commands in the US and overseas as WWII continued on.

Fort Benning, GA is located in Columbus, GA and is next door and across the bridge from Phoenix City, AL. In the 1940s, most of the bars and gambling were in Phoenix City. His troops would go on leave for the weekend and go to Phoenix City to do whatever it was they did during off duty time. His troops would come back to base hurt, stabbed and sometimes shot because Phoenix City was a rough place back then. After several weekly calls to the city mayor in Phoenix City trying to get something done to keep his guys safe, he got mad one day. Being George Patton, he fired up the whole tank division and drove over the bridge to Phoenix City and surrounded the courthouse. When the mayor looked out his window at the tanks that surrounded the courthouse, all the blood drained from his face. Patton walked up to the courthouse and told the Mayor that if another one of his men was harmed in Phoenix City, he would bring the tanks back and literally level the city.

None of the soldiers were harmed again after that talk. Ha

Sometimes doing the unexpected is the right thing to do.

I was told that I would never be successful as a hotel broker; there were other brokers that actually laughed at me and how I was dressed because I didn’t have nice clothes, no formal education, and stuttered when I talked. I could have chosen to meet their expectations and slide away into some other line of work, or I could choose to not let their expectations define who I was. I choose the latter of those two options.

Sometimes you have to step out of the expectations of others and make a new path for your life. Don’t let people who are not supportive of you have control in your life and define your self-image and who you become. Most of the success stories you read involve a person with limited resources and limited expectations, yet they went on to do great things.

In summary, do not give the power of influence in your life to people that do not have your best interest in mind. Choose your friends and influences carefully. KT

What do you need to hear?

Life

Sometimes when we get lost in life’s issues. Hearing the right thing at the right time from the right person is priceless.

Let’s break this down. You can hear the right thing from the wrong person and you could still miss it, or you could hear the right thing at the wrong time and still miss it. When our heart is ready to accept something, we usually are more attuned and accessible to receiving advice.

I sell hotels, and sometimes we are the second broker that gets hired, which is not always a bad thing. The first broker told the seller what the value was, but the seller was not ready to hear it. By the time the second broker gets hired, the seller is more open to the idea that his value expectations are too high. Therefore, it needs to be hearing the right thing at the right time by the right person.

I have a friend who owns an auction company in Texas and he says, you want to be your wife’s first love, her second husband, and her third real estate agent. Ha. I made myself laugh.

The last example is I have a friend who lived at home with his mom and dad until he was 31 years old. His mom loved him, cooked for him, washed his clothes, cleaned his room, gave him good affirmation, ran interference for him if he had a problem and just basically doted on him. You guessed it– he was spoiled and then struggled in all areas of his life. So, what I am saying is too much love and parenting can also be a bad thing.

What is it you need to hear? At times we all need to hear love, respect, affirmation, words like “you can do it” and “you will be great,” etc. Sometime you need a challenging word from the right person that will kick you into gear and make you stop feeling sorry for yourself. What I am saying is we all need the right word at times in our life. Some of us need to be uplifted and some of us need to be challenged. One of the greatest awakenings of my life was the first day in boot camp in the US Navy. There were no words of comfort, affirmation or words like “come on I will help you” or “you can do it.” No siree, It was “you ___ maggot, do this or do that or stop that.” I am not saying those words helped me during boot camp, but they did force me to grow up and be a man and do it very quickly.

You ask what the point of this blog is. Here it is: get yourself ready to hear what you need to hear so that it has a positive effect on your life, your business and your family. KT

When the student is ready, the teacher will appear

Life

There are several variations on this quote from centuries ago, but the message is a pretty powerful point. It’s says that when the student is ready, the teacher will appear.

This means that regardless of how great the teacher is, what the objective is, or the reason you should make a change, you or anyone else will not make any change in your life until you are ready. That’s pretty deep, so let me hit it one more time. Until you are ready to change, you will never change. Once you are ready to make a change, you will find the inspiration to make the change.

Often people have a near death experience and afterwards really begin to fix the things that were wrong in their life. Why wait until you almost lose it all before you decide? It could be a relationship issue, weight issue, health issue, financial issue, morality issue, confidence issue, eating issue, fear issue, intimidation issue, or any number of situations that need some repair in our lives.

Sometimes the issues can be fixed and sometimes they can’t. Take relationships for an example. It is good if you can fix them and move forward with a great relationship, but the important thing is that you tried. I have some clients that simply don’t like me, and I don’t like them either for one reason or another. They know and I know there is no amount of effort that is going to change the situation. You just have to be bold, be confident in yourself, and know that you tried to do the right thing. After that, you just walk away and be a gentleman or a lady about it.

I was talking to someone the other day that was having an issue at work with a coworker. The fact is there will always be that person anywhere you go that you just can’t get along with. I don’t care if you are on Wall Street, Main Street or a pastor of a church. You just need to develop a way to not lose your temper and be the one that keeps their cool and takes the high road.

So in summary, we as adults will never change until we are ready to change. When we are finally ready, we will find the inspiration to make the changes we need. KT

15 things mentally strong people do

Career, Life

Mentally strong people come in all shapes, sizes, ages, nationalities, and religions. Regardless of any of these differences, they respond to life and adversity in similar fashion, and the following are several things I think they all do.

  1. They let the past be the past and refuse to mentally watch videos/ memories of past failures.
  2. They are bold and intimidated by no one, yet they are kind and honest.
  3. They celebrate the success of others.
  4. They are givers.
  5. They never talk bad about people behind their back.
  6. They are always honest, even in the small details.
  7. They don’t feel the world owes them anything, and they are prepared to work for what they get.
  8. They are able to see the best in people.
  9. They carry hope and love with them at all times.
  10. They choose to walk in joy and have a thankful heart.
  11. They have a boldness and an anointing about them in everything they do.
  12. In their eyes, people see honesty and trust.
  13. They are able to be fully mentally engaged, whether it is at work or home.
  14. Instead of just saying it won’t work, they present a way it can work.
  15. They are open minded, approachable and easy to get along with.

I trust your 2015 year is tremendous. KT