| Act with Certainty by Deborah Hill You're at the movies. They're showing a baseball game and it's the final inning. The score is tied. The bases are loaded and there are two outs, 3 fouls and 2 strikes on the board. The pitcher is winding up and the batter is in place, ready to hit. What's the next film shot? The camera pans in to the eyes of the pitcher and then the batter. What are we looking for? Certainty. The person who wins will be the one who is not only confident, but knows deep in his gut that he's going to be the one who wins. He has the resolve, the intent and the knowing that he will take the challenge and come out on top, no matter what the final outcome. To be successful, you need to act from this place of certainty. Carol was a brilliant and capable real estate investor. She was able to research the best deals and had a refined intuitive understanding of the market. She could pick the properties that would make money. As they say in the industry, she could "smell" the great deals. But, Carol wasn't making much money. She came to me after she had lost out on a deal that could have made her a fortune. She was distressed and overwrought. Success had eluded Carol for years. To remedy the matter, she'd taken many courses on investing and consulted with several associates about how to make money in the industry. She came to me wondering if she should switch careers. I told her that she would fail in whatever she attempted because she was lacking one essential ingredient, trust, faith and conviction about her own decisions. She lacked certainty. The deal that Carol had just lost was a choice one. Other investors had overlooked the deal because the property was supposedly designated for environmental preservation. Carol had been at the courthouse when she'd overheard that the owner had begun the process of preserving the property but had changed his mind and stalled the process. The original owner then died, and the family intended to sell the property. Carol immediately researched the family information and called them. They were excited to talk to her, as they wanted to unload the property quickly. Carol knew the market and offered a price that was fair, but also one that would be profitable for her when she resold it a few years later. She drew up the contracts and then told her father about the deal. Carol's father had been raised during the Depression and he believed in having a large amount of cash stashed away in case of emergency. Carol had some cash saved, but her father felt she needed more. So, she hesitated a few days to consider his suggestion. She became doubtful about her financial situation and began to reconsider whether or not she should buy the property. She took a few days to think it over. During those few days another investor heard about the property, offered a slightly better deal than Carol's, and purchased it. The deal was the talk of the investment community because it was most likely going to make the investor fairly wealthy. Carol had missed out on the deal because she had doubted herself. People who succeed do so with certainty. They make mistakes, but they move on. It's essential to trust your gut and to act on it. If you don't feel certain, don't do it. You'll often fail. If a deal seems great, but you can't be certain about it, it's probably not the right deal. However, if you get that gut feeling that it's right, and you feel certain about it, go with it -- even if your friends, your family, your logical mind says no. When I invest in stock, I look at the financial data. I research the company. I watch the market and the pattern that this company's stock is exhibiting. Then, when it feels right, I buy. Sometimes I find a stock that seems like great deal, but I can't muster the certainty to buy it. I can't get behind the purchase 100 percent. When this occurs, I pass. Sometimes the stock goes up. Most often it does not. In contrast, there have been times when all of the statistics were good and I convinced myself to buy, even though I felt uncomfortable about it. These stocks dropped every time. The key in all situations is to trust your own instincts and go with your gut 100 percent. Sink your teeth into everything you do. Nibbles beget small, unsatisfying meals. When you're certain, you move within the energetic flow of success. There are other aspects of certainty to be aware of, as well. Notice if you're certain when you're performing tasks, or going to appointments. When you tune into your feelings of certainty, you'll notice if you're doing what you need to be doing at the right time. Last week I felt the need to write because of time deadlines. I felt pressured, but when I sat down to write I was uncomfortable. I was uncertain about what I was going to say. So instead, I let go of my sense of urgency to write, and intended that I would write at a later time when it was the right time. I then began work on other tasks and connected with a lot of people that I'd been meaning to work with, and accomplished a great deal in other aspects of my business. Yesterday morning I woke up early to work and felt like writing. I've been writing now for two days, loving it and can't seem to stop. I feel certain that this is what I'm meant to be doing right now. At other times I'm uncertain about whether or not I'm supposed to attend a meeting or keep an appointment. A couple years ago, I met a man at a party and he wanted me to do some graphics work for him. I took his number and the next day I sat down to call him. However, I had a feeling that I didn't want to talk to him at that time. So, I put it off. In fact, I totally forgot about calling him at all. This has never happened before. I always call people when I tell them I will, particularly if it's a potential client. I met that same man six months later at another party and again he asked me to do some work for him. I was appalled that I'd forgotten about him, apologized and took his number. When it was time to call him the next day I still felt uneasy, but called him anyway because I felt embarrassed about letting him down before. I wanted to seem like a good businesswoman who answered her calls. I ended up doing some work for the man. We spent months hammering out the graphics that he wanted, and I spent more than the usual time on it. When we were almost finished with the project, he decided that he was not happy with it and decided to hire someone else. I have never had this experience in the 15 years that I've done graphics work. I've always been able to come up with a product that the client was happy with. Not only was this client not happy, he was reluctant to pay for the work he'd commissioned. It took many phone calls and several months before I was able to collect the money he owed me for the work. In fact, he still owes me a small sum. I learned from this experience. What I learned was to not let my need for efficiency and pride lead me into situations where I'm uncomfortable or uncertain. When it feels right, take action and put all you have into it. Don't hold back. Act with certainty. Pay attention to how you feel when you act. If you feel uneasy about a project, look at why you feel this way. Do you doubt your intuition, or do you doubt your ability? Does it feel right, or are you uncomfortable. If it's the latter, do whatever it takes to release your doubts. If you can't release them, don't do the project. It's not right for you at the time. This is true in all aspects of life. When you're in doubt, stop. When it's right, go with it with all you've got. Deborah Hill, R.N., C.N.M., M.S.N., is an intuitive coach, business intuitive, speaker, teacher and artist and author of "The Writings of the Masters: Enlightening Lessons for Everyday Life." Deborah also distributes her line of spiritual greeting cards and prints. Her image, "Step Softly Into Life" is on the cover of The EDGE this month. Learn more about her work and see her artwork at www.writingsofthemasters.com Copyright © 2004 Deborah Hill |
||
|
July 2004 |
|
