If You Hate To Ask, Then Don’t

Several years ago a good friend of mine went through an intensive year long training program at the Albert Ellis Institute to become certified to practice this type of therapy, which states that a person’s thoughts, feelings, and actions should all be congruent.  At the graduation ceremony, my friend approached Albert Ellis, the creator of Rational Emotive Therapy, and asked…”Mr. Ellis it’s an honor to meet you; I hate to ask but would you autograph a copy of your new book for me?”  Mr. Ellis replied “If you hate to ask, then don’t” and proceeded to walk away.

I love that story because it’s the perfect illustration of how we find something valuable and useful, take the time to learn it, and then fall back into the old habits that we were trying to solve in the first place.  Last month I wrote a post about asking all clients if they had considered new construction and the impact that would have on an agent’s business regardless of the client’s answer; and I really enjoyed the quantity and quality of comments.  I’m curious about how many of the people out there who liked the idea of asking every client if they have considered new construction, has actually begun utilizing this tip. So I’d love to see some feedback about whether or not some of have tried this tip, and what kind of conversations came from that question.