If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.
- Lao Tzu, founder of Taoism, 600 BC-531 BC
This is a very timely quote. It can be as esoteric or practical as the reader wants it to be. In a difficult economy it is important that we in the real estate industry reinforce the positive aspects of the housing market. This is not some rose colored glasses approach or way to bury my head in the sand. There are enough media (print, television, and internet) pundits, average folks, and industry professionals who are more than willing to snatch those rose colored glasses and dash them on some rock. We need to balance the negative.
Is it by chance that I would open this post with a quote from the founder of Taoism? The balanced yin and yang symbol is well recognized. It represents the balance that seems to always be the object of the quest. However, just when the balance is almost achieved, something causes it to be upset. This upset is the influence of being alive. Everything seems to be moving along quite nicely; unemployment is down, property values are up, and it seems most people are happy as a pig in mud.
With perfect balance there is a tendency to become complacent and stagnant. I am not sure that the happy pig in mud was a balanced creature. It appears that it was reveling in a manic episode that could not be sustained. It is difficult right now to continuously struggle to survive. We all would like to go back several years but we cannot. We cannot undue the mistakes that now needle us to a point of discomfort. There are enough needles for everyone to skewer their hands and feet. These needles are the futile products of blame rather than responsibility. To shun all responsibility is to merely alleviate temporarily one's own discomfort by jabbing someone else with the needle.
This is the downside to the happy pig. It will not come as news to anyone that we now find our economy as the largest needle of all. With the crisis being laid at the feet of the real estate industry, the fear that seems to have gripped our country is something we have known for well over a year. To add to the negatives that ensure balance won't be achieved quickly is counterproductive. Speaking from a point of strength to help rebuild confidence in the benefit and responsibility of home ownership is one of the strongest tools we possess to help encourage the restoration of balance. I leave you with another quote from Lao Tzu.
Consider a moment the circle which surrounds the yin and yang symbol. The circle is a familiar symbol in many cultures. In Taoism, this circle represents the world. The familiar dark and light areas within it represent the interaction of the opposing energies in their continuous quest for balance. Though it seems the yin with its characteristic dark, passive, downward, cold, contracting, and weak traits is currently dominating, remember the yang with its characteristic bright, active, upward, hot, expanding, and strong traits is trying to achieve balance. With our collective help from our respective professional strengths and encouragement from our individual voices, the restoration of a true balance can be achieved.
Be careful what you water your dreams with. Water them with worry and fear and you will produce weeds that choke the life from your dream. Water them with optimism and solutions and you will cultivate success. Always be on the lookout for ways to turn a problem into an opportunity for success. Always be on the lookout for ways to nurture your dream.
- Lao Tzu, founder of Taoism, 600 BC-531 BC
About the Author
If you are in the market to purchase a home or even refinance an existing loan and you want a loan officer that will walk with you every step of the way, then contact Danny or Rich of the Thornton Team at Home America Mortgage today. We can have you pre-approval in as little as 4 hours. You can visit our website or send an email to thorntonteam@homeamericamortgage.com or call us @ 865-951-0522.
Danny Thornton
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