12 Steps to Living Well

Kevin Bungert

Kevin Bungert is the owner, head coach and motivation behind Living Well Systems, Inc., a
personal motivation and coaching company located in East Northport, NY. LWS caters to real
estate sales professionals, and helps agents create more business, which creates more
profit, which creates a better life for the agent and their family.
LWS was founded by Kevin in 2005 after a 14 year career as real estate professional. After
obtaining his real estate license in 1994, Kevin quickly became the top producing agent at
Century 21 Vipen in Kings Park, NY and opened his first office in his home town of East
Northport, NY in 1996.
In 2003, Kevin opened his second Century 21 Family Real Estate in the beautiful town of
Northport, NY, and during his time as broker and owner of Century 21 Family, Kevin hired
and trained over 150 agents, bringing several of them to the top designation of Centurion.
12 Steps to Living Well
1. Define Your Purpose
2. Be Honest With Yourself
3. Define Your Short Term Goals
4. Stay Positive and Believe In Yourself
5. Learn New Information
6. Make Different Choices
7. Take Action
8. Reprogram Your Negative Self Talk
9. Make New Associations
10. Refine - Continually Try To Improve
11. Help Others
12. Don’t Be Afraid
1. Define Your Purpose
Over the years I have developed 12 steps that I use in my coaching business to help peo-
ple improve the problem areas of their lives. I would like to share these 12 ideas with you
today:

1. Define Your Purpose

2. Be Honest With Yourself
3. Define Your Short Term Goals
4. Stay Positive and Believe In Yourself
5. Learn New Information
6. Make Different Choices
7. Take Action
8. Reprogram Your Negative Self Talk
9. Make New Associations
10. Refine - Continually Try To Improve
11. Help Others
12. Don’t Be Afraid

Step #1, DEFINE YOUR PURPOSE, when I mention this step in my seminars, people always look at me a little weird. Define
your purpose? Who talks like that? What the hell does that mean? I just came in for the free coffee and donuts! And you want
me to define my purpose in life? Yes I do! I ACTUALLY want you to think about your purpose in this life. What are you trying to
accomplish? What do you want to be remembered for? By whom do you want to be remembered by? What would you like to
achieve? Who would you like to help?

Now I know this is pretty serious stuff for a Monday morning, but if you never actually think about these things, you'll proba-
bly never get where you REALLY want to go. Setting your sights on what you really would like to achieve is the first step in
getting it done. Have you ever reached a significant goal in your life without first deciding that you wanted to accomplish it?
I never have and I've never seen anyone else do it either. All the significant and life changing goals I have reached in my life, I
first decided that I wanted them to happen. What about you? Think back, have you ever stumbled upon something really
worthwhile? I doubt it!

All significant life changes and goals, begin at the same place, with a decision by you to make something happen in your life.
Whether it be in real estate, or your health or in your relationships, you MUST first decide what it is you would like to accom-
plish and you must be able to communicate it to yourself and anyone else you would like to share it with. DEFINE YOUR PUR-
POSE, what is it that you REALLY want to accomplish in life, in your business, with regards to your health, with regards to
your family and friends? Can you define the things in your life that you want to accomplish?

If not, take this opportunity today and try this challenge. Go somewhere quiet, bring a pen and your journal and start to write
down EXACTLY what you would love to see happen in your life, in every area of your life. Don't be afraid! It's okay to think
like this, we're allowed to want more in our lives, even if our lives are ALREADY
great, there is ALWAYS another level of achievement for us, just look at Oprah, she
“What is it that you is always reaching and striving for more and because she can DEFINE what she wants,
REALLY want to accomplish she can make it happen.
in life, in your business, I hope you take the time and do this exercise, it is the first step in ANY significant
with regards to your life change. Start to practice taking some quiet time for yourself and begin to think
health, with regards to what YOU want out of this life. Because we only get one chance, there are no "Do
your family and friends?” Overs".

Start living your life more fully today!

2. Be Honest With Yourself
Here once again are my 12 Steps To Living Well. These 12 ideas will help you improve any
area of your life that is causing you pain, it could be a relationship, your business, your
weight, it doesn't matter what the problem is. these 12 ideas can help you if you put
them into practice in the area of your life that's causing you problems.
Today I would like to talk about step #2 - BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF. Along with step #4,
this is probably the hardest thing for people to do on this list. Most people really don't
want to be completely honest about themselves and their lives. Because if we were, than
the world would see that maybe we aren't so smart. But the ONLY way to make something
in your life better, is to take responsibility for your life right now, as it is. It's alright, no-
body's perfect. I certainly know that I'm not! We have ALL made our share of mistakes, I
know that I have made plenty in my life. And I'm going to make others, it's part of the hu-
man experience!

However, if you want to start to make your life better in a certain area, than we MUST
take responsibility for our mistakes and we must take responsibility for our lives as they
are! We made ALL the choices that have led us to where we are right now. Did you CHOOSE
to go to college? Did you CHOOSE where you went? Did you CHOOSE to date who you dated?
Did you CHOOSE who you married? Are CHOOSING to stay married? Did you CHOOSE the
place that you live in? Did you CHOOSE to have children? Did you CHOOSE real estate as a
career? Did you CHOOSE the office you work in? You get the point!

Stop blaming someone else for YOUR circumstances, your CHOICES equals your LIFE! BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF! Because
when you are, than you take back TOTAL control of your life. When you're honest with yourself, at least you know where
you're starting from. How's your business? Be honest, do you work as hard as you could? Do you spend as much time on it as
you should? Do you look for ideas to make it better? Ask your self the tough questions, but be honest when you answer, be-
cause if you're not, you're only fooling yourself!

I always relate it to playing golf. Do you know how many people LIE about their score in golf? A LOT! My brother Jimmy does it
all the time! What's the point? It doesn't ACTUALLY make you a better golfer, lessons make you a better golfer, playing with
better players makes you a better golfer, reading and studying makes you a better golfer, trying to be a better golfer will
make you a better golfer. Lying about your score only harms you! It's the same in every area of our lives! If we aren't honest
with ourselves about our businesses, our relationships, our health, etc. Who are we REALLY fooling?

I have lied to myself about things in my life for a long time, I no longer do
“Stop blaming someone else for that. I have taken complete responsibility for my life, my many mistakes
YOUR circumstances, your and all, sometimes it's still not very pretty, but I wouldn't have it any other
CHOICES equals your LIFE! way! If you want to improve an area of your life that is causing you pain,
be honest with yourself about how you got there, then forgive yourself,
and then begin working on making it better.
BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF!
Because when you are, than you
It's the ONLY way to start!
take back TOTAL control of your
life.”
3. Define Your Short Term Goals
I'm back today writing about my 12 Steps to Living Well. Have you thought about the first
two steps? I hope you've had a chance to take some time and ponder them. Well, today
I'm going to talk about Step #3, Define Your Short Term Goals.
Okay, step #3 is Define Your Short Term Goals. Everybody has goals, whether you write them down or not, you have goals. For
example, without writing it down every month, you want to pay your mortgage, right? You want to eat healthy, right? You
want to be in a loving relationship, right? You want some fun in your life, right? You get the idea. We ALL have goals. But
what takes us from where we are right now in our lives and our unwritten goals, to a better life and achieving more for our-
selves and our loved ones, is FOCUS.

I heard Steadman Graham say something on Larry King one night I'll never forget,
he said, "Whatever you FOCUS on, expands." Whatever we focus on, expands,
whether it be good or bad. Anything we continuously put in our sights ex-
pands. So if we continuously put our goals in our minds, we will go about making
them happen. A study by Dr. Shad Helmstetter and Harvard University showed
that a goal that someone has that is not written down has a 6 or 7% chance of
being accomplished. However, if we take the very small step of just writing
down our goals, the chances of those goals being accomplished rises to 70 to
80%! That's unbelievable! Because once we WRITE our goals, we have begun the
process of FOCUSING on them. Whatever we FOCUS on expands! You already
knew this to be true, you really didn't just learn that from me. Think about your
life, every time you REALLY FOCUSED on something, I’ll bet you accomplished
it. Would I win that bet?

Short term goals I define as things you would like to accomplish in a years time or so. The things that really make your life
better on a daily basis. It could be shorter though, maybe one of your short term goals will be accomplished in a few days or
weeks, don't get hung up on the time something will take, just begin writing down the goals you would really like to accom-
plish. I would like to share my goals with you for this year.

1. Maintain my weight of 180 lbs.

2. Make $200,000.00 from Living Well Systems, Inc.
3. Go skydiving twice.
4. Save $15,000.00 for retirement.
5. Go to Hawaii with my family in November.
6. Work on "Mary's Race for Quitters" - A road race in tribute to my sister Mary who passed away last year.
7. Finish "It's Going to be Okay!" - A book I'm writing.
8. Go to Graceland with Kimberly. - Who doesn't love "The King?"
9. Run the Long Island Marathon in May.
10. Get the "Ellipti-Trike" produced - a piece of exercise equipment I’ve designed.
11. Try out for "Everyday Edisons." - A PBS show for inventors.
12. Live each and every day fully! - I do try and do that!

As you can see, my goals are very specific and written down. These are the things
that I would like to accomplish this year. Will I? I don't know, but I can tell you
“Whatever you FOCUS one thing from previous years, I'll get SOME of them done! And that's the
point! Whatever we FOCUS on, EXPANDS! So focus on your short term goals, take
on, expands.” some time and go some where quiet and think about what you would like to ac-
complish this year. WRITE down your goals and begin focusing on them and mak-
ing them happen. If you look back on your life, you've ALREADY done this.
~ Steadman Graham
And I guarantee, you can do it AGAIN!
4. Believe in Yourself and Stay Positive
Good Morning Everyone! I would like to share step #4 with you today of my 12 Steps to
Living Well. Remember, these 12 ideas can help you in any area of life, they're not exclu-
sive to improving our real estate businesses. Try these ideas on an area of your life that
needs a little help, and I'm sure you'll begin to see a difference.
Out of all 12 steps, this one may be the hardest for us to consistently do. Why do you
think that is? It's very simple actually, because of ALL of the negative programming “Any fool can condemn,
we have received in our lives and continue to receive on a daily basis. I'm sorry if this criticize and complain. And most
post may be a little harsher than any other post I’ve written, but I REALLY love to fools do!”- Andrew Carnegie
talk about this issue!

Unfortunately, the truth about most people is they don't want to see you succeed. Most people don't want you to step up and
out of your circumstances. Most people don't want to see you improving your life. Why? What do they care how your life is
going? Well, the answer is, if you step up and improve your life, then what does that say about them? They don't want you to
be better, because than they would have to work at being better. And they don't want to work that hard or they simply can't.

But don't worry about them, worry about you! Decide what it is you want to accomplish in life and don't let anyone else dis-
tract you. Stay FOCUSED on your ideas and your goals and let all the others be negative. Stay away from all the negative peo-
ple, FAR AWAY! And I know there are a lot of them, you probably work with a dozen or so, and you might even live with one
or two. But that doesn't mean you have to think like them. Think for yourself, who cares what the negative people say? What
have they ever accomplished? Where are they going? ABSOLUTELY NOWHERE!

Be different, be bold, be courageous, be strong, and most importantly,

STAY POSITIVE! Don't listen to the whiners, listen to the achiev-
ers. Associate with the leaders, the top producers, the givers. Be like
them. Listen to them, look for people who have achieved what you want
to achieve, and listen to their advice. Close your mind to the know it
alls. They don't know anything! Search out REAL achievement. Train your
mind to think success. Train your mind to stay positive. Believe in your-
self, it's your life! Do what you want to do. Achieve what you want to
achieve. Chase the dreams that you have. Forget all the people who will
tell you can't, what they really mean is THEY can't. But the truth is, YOU
CAN! Many already have, and you are on your way to joining them.

Just believe in yourself and listen to the ACHIEVERS, not

the whiners!

“Whether you think you can

or think you can't, you're
right!” - Henry Ford
5. Learn New Information
Here is the 5th step on our list of 12 ideas that can help you improve any area of your
life. This step relates very well to real estate sales. If you want to have a better real es-
tate business, you MUST learn how to do that. Just like we all need to learn how to do
something that is new to us, we all need to learn how to grow our businesses to the next
level.
The reason we must LEARN NEW INFORMATION is because the knowl-
edge we have right now has only gotten us to the level of production
that we are at right now. We want to learn how to do MORE BUSINESS!

There is no shortage of very valuable information out there for ANY

Realtor who wants to improve their businesses. If you want to learn
how to do more business by referral, attend a Brian Buffini seminar. If
you want to do more business with a personal ad campaign, attend a
Hobbs-Herder seminar. If you would like to do more business with
FSBO's, buy and read Gary Keller's book "The Millionaire Real Estate
Agent." If you would like to do more business by staying on track and
motivated, hire a coach!

And these are just a few examples. There are hundreds of ways to improve your business by learning new information. But it
is up to you! You would not be reading this post, if you didn't take your business seriously and truly want it to be more.

Search out the trainers who you would like to hear speak. Read all the books you need to. Talk with as many top producers
you can. Sit with your manager and pick her brain. If you really want your business to be more, you must LEARN how to take
it to the next level. There is NO SHORTAGE of great information out there to help you run a better business, only a shortage
of people who take advantage of it. ALWAYS be learning! ALWAYS be searching!

Do the work that will take your business to the next level, you'll never regret learning all the won-
derful new ideas to help your business!

“If you really want your business to be more, you

must LEARN how to take it to the next level. ”
6. Make Different Choices
Well, we are now half way through our list of 12 Steps to Living Well. Today I would like
to talk a little bit about step #6: MAKE DIFFERENT CHOICES.
Since we are now half way down our list, think about an area of your life you want to improve. Would the first 6 steps help
you? Have you decided to give them a try? I sure hope so, because I've seen them work many times.

Step #6, MAKE DIFFERENT CHOICES, is where the changes begin to happen. I'm sure all of you have heard this definition of
insanity, to always do the same things and expect different results. Well, I don't believe that is a definition of insanity. I do
however, believe it is a viable definition for the status quo, for complacency, for mediocrity and for laziness.

After you have defined your goals, learned some new information, it is
time to make some different choices. Remember, EVERYTHING IS A
CHOICE! AND I MEAN EVERYTHING! What time do you choose to get in
the office. What do you choose to do once you get there? How much
time do you choose to spend talking with your co-workers? How much
time do you choose to generate new business? Do you choose how to
learn to make your business better? Are you choosing to emulate the top
producers you know?

THE CHOICES YOU HAVE MADE TO THIS POINT WITH YOUR BUSINESS,
HAVE GOTTEN YOU WHERE YOU ARE NOW, ARE YOU OKAY WITH THAT? If
not, make different choices. Try something new, try something differ-
ent, try something unique. Following the herd is a SURE WAY TO MEDI-
OCRITY! Think for yourself when it comes to YOUR BUSINESS! Get all the
new information you can and MAKE DIFFERENT CHOICES!

Your business can change dramatically if you CHOOSE

TO MAKE IT HAPPEN!

“The choices you have made to this point with your business
have gotten you where you are now, are you okay with that? ”
7. Take Action
If you have been following our list of 12 ideas that can help you improve a problem area
of your life, we are at the most important step, TAKE ACTION!
Simply put, the single most important step on this list is to TAKE ACTION! The other 11 steps on this list WILL NOT get you
very far, if you never TAKE ACTION. Have you ever known someone who talked a good game, but really wasn't all that impres-
sive? And have you ever met someone who talked very little about his accomplishments, and really kicked A**! The difference
between these two people is TAKING ACTION!

Benjamin Franklin said, "Well done is better than well said." We can define our goals, stay positive, learn new information and
make different choices all day long, but NOT UNTIL WE TAKE ACTION, will our lives begin to change.

Jim Rohn, the business philosopher, has a great line about TAKING ACTION, he says, "Action is where the miracles take place."
I couldn't agree more. If you want something in your life to change, you have to make it happen. YOU have to make it hap-
pen. No one can do it for you. You need to stand up and TAKE ACTION!

For example, if you want to make more money this year, how are you going to do it. Is hoping go-
ing to get it done? Is wishing going to make it happen? OF COURSE NOT! YOU ARE GOING TO
MAKE IT HAPPEN! You're going to make more money this year, because you're going to work
harder, you're going to work smarter, you're going to learn new lead generation systems, you're
going to pay attention to the top producers, you're going to invest more resources in your busi-
ness, in short, you're going to TAKE ACTIONS TO MAKE YOUR BUSINESS BETTER!

I'd like to share with you one of my best examples I have about taking action, from my own life. A
few years ago, I decided I wanted to host my own motivational radio show. I had never been on
the radio and knew NOTHING ABOUT DOING A RADIO SHOW. But once I decide something, I usually
don't let go. So I had my assistant Christine look up all the radio stations on Long Island, which she
did and she gave me a list of addresses and phone numbers.

The next day, I took that list and went and visited a half dozen or so stations, asking to talk with
the appropriate person about hosting my own radio show. I did not get to see anyone that day,
but I left my contact information at every station. The next day, I got two calls from radio sta-
tions. Both told me they had ways for me to do my own show. So the next day, I went and met
with these two stations and listened how I could get on the radio. I took their information and
over night I thought about which station would be right for me.

The next day, I called back WLIE and told them I wanted to go ahead and book my show. I went in that afternoon and signed
the paperwork. It took me all of 4 days to get a radio show. That is taking action to get something you want. I went on the air
2 weeks later and I loved every minute of it.

I am ABSOLUTELY NO DIFFERENT THAN YOU! You too could have a radio show in 4 days, if that is what you wanted. You have
already done this stuff many times in your life before. Think of a time that you TOOK ACTION and got what you wanted. How
did it make you feel?

I'm sure it was wonderful. Now, we just need to do the same thing today to get the desired results in our lives. If we want our
lives to be better, there is only one sure fire way for that to happen.

WE MUST TAKE ACTION! THAT’S WHERE THE GREAT STUFF IS!

“Well done is better than well

said.” - Ben Franklin
8. Re-Program Your Negative Self Talk
This one is HARD! This step is a tough one, we ALL struggle with it from time to time.
But we can start to make an improvement by working at it.
Have you ever called yourself FAT, LAZY, STUPID, SILLY, UNORGANIZED, OLD, DISGUSTING, OR A LOSER? Well, that's negative
self talk! And we have ALL done it, to some degree or other. The sad part is, it's so damaging. We call ourselves names all the
time, that if other people said it, we would be really hurt!

Where does this type of thinking come from? Unfortunately, we were programmed with it “Whether you think you can
by our parents, our teachers, our coaches, our friends, the media! Think back, has some- or you think you can’t,
thing someone said to you as a child still stick with you? If you're like most people the
answer is yes. Well as adults, it is up to us to STOP OUR NEGATIVE SELF TALK AND RE- you’re right!” - Henry Ford
PLACE IT WITH MORE HELPFUL THOUGHTS!

Dr. Shad Helmstetter has written a wonderful book on this subject, titled, "WHAT TO SAY WHEN YOU TALK TO YOURSELF." It is
an absolute must read if you want to make positive changes in your life. Dr. Helmstetter believes that ALL faults and failures
are a result of our negative programming. And that we can overcome this programming by acknowledging when we're doing it,
stopping ourselves and replacing it with a more positive thought.

Dr. Helmstetter writes that our subconscious mind will go to work on making
whatever we tell it to be a reality. For example, if I ALWAYS say to myself, "I
can't lose weight, I have no will power." What do you think will happen? Of
course I'll never lose any weight, I KEEP TELLING MYSELF THAT I CAN'T! Dr. Hem-
stetter's entire book is a complete dissection of the Henry Ford saying of
"WHETHER YOU THINK YOU CAN OR THINK YOU CAN'T, YOU'RE RIGHT!"

Our subconscious mind DOES NOT KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A POSITIVE
THOUGHT OR A NEGATIVE THOUGHT! It will just go to work on making whatever
I'm telling it to, happen. But that's the GOOD NEWS! If it doesn't know the differ-
ence between positive and negative thoughts, than we just need to give it more
positive thoughts!

So, if you would like to lose weight, stop telling yourself that you can't and begin saying things like, "I will eat healthier foods
everyday." Or, "I have all the will power necessary to lose weight and maintain my good health." Or even better yet, run out
today and buy Dr. Helmstetter's book and get ALL THE POSITIVE SELF TALK for every area of your life!

If you have ever heard BRIAN BUFFINI speak, he will tell you that this book, is the one book that helped him the most on his
journey of self improvement! I agree with Brian 100%, this a great book and I and try to implement it's ideas in my life every-
day. Do I always succeed? Of course not, we're all human, but I know when I fail and I stop myself, and I get right back on the
right track!

Like Henry Ford said, "WHETHER YOU THINK YOU CAN OR THINK YOU CAN'T, YOU'RE RIGHT!" I like
to think I can!
9. Make New Associations
I will tell you right upfront, I'm writing this post to MYSELF! This is my weakest area on
this list. I am trying to get better, but I have a ways to go!
As I said, this is my biggest weakness on this list. I have ALWAYS had a tendency to decide things by myself, to go my own
way, in short, to do whatever the hell I wanted. Sometimes it's worked out great and sometimes it has not worked at
all! Those times have taught me that I DO NOT KNOW EVERYTHING!

Now I'm a pretty talented guy, but NOBODY CAN DO IT ALL BY THEMSELVES! It
doesn't matter what area of life we are talking about. Whether it's running a real
estate business, or running a coaching business, or trying to lose weight or just “Variety is the spice of life”
trying to stay motivated. There are people out there who can help us! It is up to
us, to go and FIND THEM!

MAKING NEW ASSOCIATIONS means meeting new people who can help you achieve your goals. But the rub is, they don't come
and knock on your door! We have to step out of our comfort zones and go seek out their help. I am slowly getting better at
this, for example, I have designed a piece of exercise equipment. I INSTANTLY RECOGNIZED MY LIMITATIONS IN THIS FIELD and
went and sought out a product development company. I did my research and chose a company I was comfortable with. They
are the experts in this field and I am not! To get my product to the marketplace, I AM MAKING NEW ASSOCIATIONS WITH THE
PEOPLE AT THIS COMPANY!

It's the same for real estate, if you want to grow your business, YOU MUST SEARCH OUT THE EXPERTS AND MAKE NEW ASSO-
CIATIONS. It could be a local top producer that you take to lunch, or an expert who teaches his tactics at a seminar, or it
could be a real estate coach, or it could be someone who has written a book about real estate. A well written letter usually
gets a response. Give it a try! If we want to improve our businesses, we must be smart enough to know what we don't know!

I'm going to try and remember this lesson for the rest of my life. I want to make my life better for myself and my family, so
I'm ALWAYS GOING TO LOOK FOR SOMEONE TO HELP ME ACHIEVE MY GOALS! I KNOW THEY'RE OUT THERE, BUT IT'S UP TO ME
TO GO FIND THEM AND ASK FOR THEIR HELP! What about you?

Are you going to ask for help to make your life better?
10. Refine - Continually Try to Improve
This step is basically what this list is all about, this one step is the definition of this list.
As I stated, this one step is what this list is all about. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US WANTS OUR LIFE TO BE BETTER! Even if you
have a great life, it can be better. We can do more, we can be more, we can help others more, we can enjoy life more.

There is no limit to how much more our lives can be! I have been blessed
with a great life, I have a beautiful wife, two amazing children, our health is
good, we have a beautiful home in a beautiful area of the country, we have
friends and family we love, we have hobbies we enjoy and we enjoy going
places and seeing cool stuff! AND I AM TRULY GRATEFUL FOR MY BLESS-
INGS! But that doesn't mean it can't be better! There is ALWAYS ANOTHER
LEVEL TO ASPIRE TO!

Step #10, basically means put all 9 earlier steps into action and then take a
look. If you want to make a change in a certain area of your life that is caus-
ing you pain, begin to put these ideas into force in your life and keep try-
ing! NOTHING CHANGES OVERNIGHT, PROGRESS TAKES TIME! You job is to NOT
GIVE UP! EVER!

For example, I struggle with my eating all the time! I love to eat goodies, cookies, cakes, chips, all the bad stuff for me. But I
know it's not good for me and I want to eat healthier. I TRY EVERY SINGLE DAY TO EAT HEALTHY! Do I succeed every day? Of
course not, nobody's perfect, but there are many days that I do great! And on the days I slip, I don't beat myself up anymore,
I ask myself what's going on in my life, I answer honestly and I move on to the next day! And I try to eat healthy again! EVERY
DAY I TRY TO IMPROVE MY EATING HABITS!

It's the EXACT SAME THING WITH ANY AREA OF YOUR LIFE. Once you decide that there is an area of your life you want to im-
prove, the steps are all the same. If you want to improve your real estate business, put a plan of action into place, then take
action and never, ever stop trying to make your business better! Some days you will fail, you'll fall back into your old hab-
its. SO WHAT? TODAY IS A NEW DAY TO TRY AGAIN! Don't spend time beating yourself up. Pick yourself back up and try
again! Never stop trying to make your business better and never stop trying to make your life better! There is no other
way! The other choice of doing nothing will get you exactly that, NOTHING!

There are a million examples of people never giving up and trying to improve their lives, but one of my favorites is a bout JFK
Jr. Do you remember when JFK Jr. was having a tough time passing the New York State Bar exam? I think he failed it 2 or 3
times and he was being crucified in the press for being a dope. Well, I was watching a news cast one day, and JFK Jr. had just
failed the latest bar exam and he was being hounded by the press for a quote or an explanation, and he simply turned and
looked at them and said, "I GUESS IT'S BACK AT IT THEN!"

I guess it's back at it, what a great way of thinking! No BS, no crying about it, just "IT'S BACK AT IT THEN." I've never forgot-
ten that news clip and I hope you never do. Anytime I fall back, I simply think, "IT"S BACK AT IT THEN" JFK Jr. understood it, I
understand it! There is no other acceptable choice. If we want our live s to be better, WE HAVE TO KEEP TRYING TO MAKE
THEM BETTER! IT DOESN'T HAPPEN ALL BY ITSELF! IT IS UP TO US!

Next time you fall back, what are you going to do? Are you going to accept it or be like JFK Jr. and say "BACK AT IT THEN!"

I know my choice, how about you?

“I guess it’s back at it then” - John F Kennedy, Jr.

11. Help Others
We are winding down our list. I hope you have been able to work some of these ideas into
your lives, because we ALL want to live a more productive and fulfilling life. Our next
step is a good one, HELP OTHERS!
On a list that is supposed to help me improve my life, why does it include
helping others? I'll put aside the real value of helping others for a moment
and talk about how it ACTUALLY HELPS US TO HELP OTHERS.

In my business, I spend a lot of time trying to help Realtors improve their

lives and their businesses. And EVERY TIME I make a suggestion or pass on an
idea, I get to hear it also. If I write a blog that shares advice with the read-
ers, I have to read it myself first. I hear, read and think about ideas on how
to improve our lives all day long. IT EVENTUALLY RUBS OFF!

All this information makes me a better person, it makes me more aware of

what I'm doing. It makes me question if I am taking my own advice. It keeps
me honest. IT KEEPS ME PUSHING TO IMPROVE MY LIFE!

If you want to improve your real estate business, include in your arsenal
helping others. Reach out to other Realtors, offer advice, brainstorm, share
information. The more you do, the more you get to hear it, and eventually it
will rub off on YOU TOO!

Now for the other reason to help others. The late entertainer Danny Thomas said, "Success in life is in what you do for oth-
ers." I couldn't agree more. Until you turn your talents and knowledge to helping others, you are not truly successful. It does-
n't matter how much money you have or how many people know your name, there is no higher form of living than helping oth-
ers!

Most extremely successful people in this world eventually understand this. Look at Oprah's example. Bill and Melinda Gates,
Warren Buffett, Angelina and Brad. All of them are doing amazing work to help others. It is the FINEST MEASURE OF A PER-
SON!

So in our world, we should be helping others. Share your knowledge and gifts. Lend a helping hand or a sympathetic ear.

REMEMBER, SUCCESS IN LIFE IS IN WHAT YOU DO FOR OTHERS!

“There is no higher form of living then helping others”

12. Don’t Be Afraid
Well, this is the last step in our 12 ideas to help us improve
our lives. This one step will make everything else work.
Before I get going, let me give you a disclaimer right from the beginning. I BELIEVE
EVERYTHING WE DO NOT ACHIEVE IN OUR LIVES IS BECAUSE WE ARE AFRAID OF
SOMETHING! I BELIEVE FEAR IS WHAT HOLDS US BACK FROM EVERYTHING!

If you have read some of my posts before, you know my all-time favorite self help
book is "FEARLESS LIVING" by Rhonda Britten. If you haven't read it yet, you should,
it's brilliant! Rhonda talks about that basically we all have the same fear. In some
form, WE ARE ALL AFRAID THAT WE ARE NOT GOOD ENOUGH IN SOME WAY!

It may be that we think we are not smart enough, or that we aren't talented enough, or we are not good looking enough, or
that we can't speak eloquently enough, or that we just simply aren't good enough! Whatever your version is, it really doesn't
matter, because I've come to learn that if we want our lives to be better, we have to do some things that might scare us!
If you don't believe me that some form of fear holds you back from being more, let me ask you a few questions. What are your
true dreams and goals? What do you really want to accomplish in this life? Are you taking any steps towards your goals? What's
holding you back? Are you afraid someone in your life might not approve of your choices? Are you afraid you might lose some
money? Are you afraid that maybe you don't have the all the talents you need? Have you started and stopped several
times? WHY DO YOU THINK THAT IS?

If we answer these questions honestly, there will be some form of fear mixed in there. These are the facts, but that's
okay! Fear is a completely normal emotion. OUR JOB IS TO ACKNOWLEDGE OUR FEAR AND KEEP MOVING FORWARD! WE HAVE
TO ACCEPT THAT SOME THINGS ARE GOING TO SCARE US! However, to accomplish all the things we would like to, we have to
move forward anyway!

Because if you think about it, what's the worst that can happen? What is there to be afraid of? If you open up a new business
and it fails, yes, you may lose some money, but they not going to shoot you! They're not going to take away your loved
ones. You lost some money, big deal! You can always make more money if you don't give up! Maybe you'll try something and
fail, and someone very close to you loses some respect for you. So what? If that person is that simple minded, maybe you
shouldn't be around them any way! Now I know this may sound harsh, but I am talking from personal experience and I have
learned not to be afraid to try something new if it is something I truly want to do!

I HONESTLY DO NOT CARE WHAT ANYONE ELSE THINKS! I AM THE JUDGE OF MY SELF WORTH! I DO NOT GIVE ANYONE ELSE
THAT POWER. I am not afraid of what any one else thinks of me. I know I am a good person and that's all that matters. I am
human like everyone else and I make plenty of mistakes, but I try to learn from them and I NEVER WORRY WHAT SOME ONE
ELSE THINKS!

If I could help you with one thing from this list, it would be this. DON'T BE AFRAID! Don't be afraid of failure, don't be afraid of
what other people think or say. ONLY YOU SHOULD BE THE JUDGE OF YOU! DO NOT GIVE THAT POWER TO ANYONE ELSE!
BE COURAGEOUS! BE FEARLESS! TAKE RISKS! LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES! TAKE MORE RISKS! AND REMEMBER, THEY'RE NOT
GOING TO SHOOT YOU IF YOU FAIL! AND YOU WILL SOMETMES, BUT THE PEOPLE IN THIS WORLD WHO ACHIEVE SOMETHING
WORTHWHILE, DO NOT GIVE UP AND THEY ARE NOT AFRAID OF TAKING ANOTHER STEP!

“We are all afraid that we are not
good enough ins some way… We
have to accept that some things
are going to scare us… and we
have to move forward anyway.”
We can all be that person! All it takes is the belief in your dreams and the
understanding that no one else's opinion of you matters. The only person's
whose opinion of you that matters is your own! If you don't believe it yet, I
hope that you will start believing it right now! I KNOW IT TO BE ABSO-
LUTELY TRUE AND I WANT THE SAME FOR YOU! BUT ONLY YOU CAN MAKE
THAT HAPPEN!
START TODAY! DON'T BE AFRAID!
 Kevin Bungert
Kevin Bungert is the owner, head coach and motivation behind Living Well Sys-
tems, Inc., a personal motivation and coaching company located in East
Northport, NY. LWS caters to real estate sales professionals, and helps agents
create more business, which creates more profit, which creates a better life
for the agent and their family.

LWS was founded by Kevin in 2005 after a 14 year career as real estate profes-
sional. After obtaining his real estate license in 1994, Kevin quickly became
the top producing agent at Century 21 Vipen in Kings Park, NY and opened his
first office in his home town of East Northport, NY in 1996.

In 2003, Kevin opened his second Century 21 Family Real Estate in the beauti-
ful town of Northport, NY, and during his time as broker and owner of Century
21 Family, Kevin hired and trained over 150 agents, bringing several of them
to the top designation of Centurion.

Copyright © Kevin Bungert 2008