This is a famous optical illusion. Before we go any further, what do you see?  You might see a duck. You might see a rabbit. (If you only saw one, look for the other.)

I love this topic from the Daily Stoic.  Your brain decides what to see, and then once it fixes on it, you have to work to dislodge that image and consider the other one.

Most of our perceptions about anything—people, situations, problems, anxieties—are like this.  Especially as an Epic listing agent.  You can see a problem; or you can see an opportunity. You can see a crippling defeat, or you can see a fresh start. You can see the end, or you can see the beginning.

All of these, just like the illusion, are subject to our assessment. That doesn’t mean we’re powerless—in fact, it’s the opposite. We’re able to choose how things from the outside affect our perceptions, and then we just change how we think about them.

“External things are not the problem. It’s your assessment of them. Which you can erase right now,” said Marcus Aurelius.

Take any problem you’re up against right now, and for just a moment, think about it as an opportunity. 

I just lost an escrow because a buyer couldn’t get financing.  The seller is frustrated and wants it back on the market ASAP.  I suggested a higher commission rate to sell it fast.  BAM!  More money for us.

So what real estate problems do you have?  What doors open because of it? What is something you gain from facing this challenge?

Dislodge the image in your head. Think about it differently.