Some of you may be aware that a few weeks ago I posted a story and some picture on Facebook about a big mess left by one of our tenants when they vacated the apartment.  The response to this story was amazing.  Many people express their sympathy and told their own stories of woe.  The next morning, I deleted the post.   I realized that I had made a big mistake and had fallen into an old pattern of telling my sad story.

Here is an excerpt from my new book, A Shortcut to Success:

“Stop telling your sad story. If something bad happens, like getting a flat tire, missing a flight, having a car accident, or the like, do not tell anyone. Every telling of the story magnifies the negative emotions attached to that event. The more you tell your story, the more your DNA vibrates that information, more people also vibrate that information, and you are more likely to attract more events that cause those same unpleasant emotions.”

When we accept responsibility for creating our lives, we begin to realize that every event is our creation and re-telling the sad story only attracts more events of the same type into our experience.  I understand that if this is a new concept to you, it may seem a little difficult to accept.

So, in this situation, there are several questions to be answered.  Why did we attract a bad tenant?  What were we thinking at the time?  Why did I fall into the old pattern of telling my sad story?  How do we break the pattern so that we only attract great tenants?

My book explains that there are three mental steps to creating any successful outcome.  Step one.  We must clear all old memories of past experiences associated with this situation. We have revised any memories of any tenants in the past who were not ideal. We have forgiven those tenants that left the mess.  Step two. We must clarify our goals regarding our ideal tenant. The tenant must pay their rent on time, care for the apartment as if they own it, be great neighbors to the other tenants, and live there for 10 years or more.  Step three.  We must envision the future exactly the way we desire to be as if it is already happened.  This means every night before going to sleep, both Barb and I are playing a mental movie of tenants who pay on time and take care of the apartment as if it were their own, enjoy their neighbors, and love it so much they live there a long time. We will do this until we know it is completed. It is already working because our newest tenant is awesome.

So in retrospect, we created this to really help us clarify our goals for our rental properties. I fell into the old pattern because I had not completely removed it from my operating system. So, just like in Portia Nelson’s book, There is a Hole in My Sidewalk, I fell into the hole, but realized what happened and got out of it very quickly. And once we proceed through all the steps, I am certain that we will find ideal long term tenants.

For success, in any venture, use the three step formula. Clear past memories associated with this or similar events. Clarify your goal connect to this part of your life. Then envision the outcome the way you desire it to be.

Let go of the nightmares and live the dream you have created.

To learn more, read A Shortcut to Success.