Perspective is Key

"The difference between a stumbling block and a stepping stone is how you use them." - Unknown

Why is it that when one sales person gets a knock back when trying to get a listing - they're excited, because they know by the law of averages, they're now one closer to a yes and yet another sales person lets that one knock back drag their entire day down and that of those around them?

Why is it that one person will make a mistake and instead of getting grumpy and letting it get them down like others may, they're grateful they've had the experience and they know they've learnt a lesson and wont repeat that mistake again.

If I look at my life, which of these two stories do you think is the truth about my childhood?

1. I had a great childhood. I lived with parents who loved me, they were great role models and I wanted to be just like them. They had small businesses, investment properties and retired young. I had a great childhood.

2. I had a terrible childhood. I lived in a house with a lot of yelling, my parents were bankrupt, they divorced, they were terrible role models. I had a terrible childhood.

Technically speaking, both stories are true - the facts any way. The difference is the perspective I want to take when looking at them.

Up until the age of 15, I looked at my childhood and said it was terrible, we were flat broke, we'd been through some really hard times and I said that I'd never be like that.

At the age of 15 I was given a gift. It was the gift of opportunity - the opportunity to start my first business. The obstacle in my way was a fear of risk. A fear of failure.

I had to change my perspective so that I could change my life. I had go from thinking I had a terrible childhood to thinking I had a great childhood - simply by changing what I focused on.

I retrained my brain and my childhood for all it's ups and downs became a gift, a treasure. My parents through their experiences had shown me exactly what to do and what not to do when running a small business and that's the kind of education that just can't be taught. I decided not to be a victim of my circumstances and I started my first business and have never looked back.

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Kirsty Dunphey is an author, speaker and entrepreneur who started her first business at 15, opened her own real estate agency at 21 and retired a self made multi-millionaire at 27. To sign up to Kirsty Dunphey's weekly email, go to www.kirstydunphey.com