How many times have you heard someone try to justify unethical behaviour by saying “but it was okay to do that because it was business”? I don’t know about you, but I don’t buy that. Not at all. There isn’t one set of rules for our personal personas and another for our business personas. Ethics are  ethics and shouldn’t be thrown out the window because there’s a buck or two on the line.

It IS possible to succeed in business, especially in the real estate business, and still do the right thing (for example, see Strike A Better Deal by Being Honest When You Negotiate). In fact, long term success depends on doing the right thing because you’ll eventually be found out if you don’t! Not to mention that you’ll sleep better at night.

The following are sayings I’ve heard over the years that made an impression on me. They teach life lessons that I try to pass on to my kids and that I try to apply in real estate every day. There’s no reason not to. Can you see how they apply to business as well as to everyday life?

• Picture your perfect life; figure out what you need to do to achieve it; now go get it. (Or, picture your perfect home….)
• Always give 100% and never ever give up.
• Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. (Apart from this being morally correct, I’m also a big believer in karma.)
• Honesty is the best policy.
• Sometimes good things have to fall apart for better things to fall together. (Good to remember if an offer doesn’t come together.)
• To thine own self be true. (If it doesn’t feel right, don’t do it. Trust your gut instinct.)
• Live every day as if it were your last for one day you are sure to be right.
• Anger is the wind that blows the light out of your mind. (Stay calm. It’s just real estate we’re talking about.)
• Everything will always work out.
• Winners never quit and quitters never win. (Important to remember in a hot market if you lose out in multiple offers.)
• If you focus and work hard, you can do anything you want to do.
• If you can’t say something nice about someone, don’t say anything at all. (Besides, what you say is bound to get back to them and come back and bite you in the…)
• Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible. (No one ever complained of having too much good karma.)
• Anything worth doing is worth doing well. (Which explains why I’m so detail oriented.)

Do you have any sayings to add to the list?