Arn Cenedella

Archive for the 'Inspiration' Category

Been away but I am back now !

I have been on the road the past two weeks and haven’t had time to post.

I was in Seattle for a few days the end of February at a Brian Buffini conference.

Brian is a very motivational speaker. His company, Buffini and Company, coaches small business owners like real estate agents, lenders and financial planners how to grow their business through a focus on referrals and business to business networking. His approach will really work for any kind of small business. Brian gives about 14 two day conferences a year and then a Mastermind Summit for 3 days in San Diego in late August. I give these conferences two big thumbs up. Outstanding and uplifting material.

Seattle is a beautiful city – one I could see myself living in.

The Washington State Convention Center is a fabulous venue for a conference.

My buddy, Dan Robinson, has family in Seattle and he joined me at the conference. One of the local ladies turned us on to a cool place called HWY 99  Blues Club. We spent Monday night there having a great time. Fantastic live music venue along the waterfront. If you are in Seattle, check it out !

I came home for a day to make sure my house was still standing and then headed to the Big Island for my first stay at my new vacation home at Hali’i Kai at Waikoloa Beach Resort. There, were of course, a few glitches: one mini-blind was broken, the hall bath had the hot and cold water reversed and the oven door handle was loose (but who goes to Hawaii to bake a turkey?). But in true Island spirit, I just hung loose and enjoyed the beautiful weather and scenery along with some very pleasant company. I played golf most days at both Mauna Lani and Waikoloa Beach. Hali’i Kai has a beautiful Ocean Club with pool, spa, open-air gym, bar and restaurant. If you are interested in spending some time in paradise, please check out www.vrbo.com/159481.

7 little known facts about ME !

My buddy Kevin Boer of 3 Oceans Real Estate a Palo Alto real estate agent and blog guru has just tagged me in a meme chain.

This is the first time I have been tagged by one of these silly little memes  that circulate around the web from time to time.

 The rules are:  list 7 things about yourself, then tag 7 people. 

Pretty straightforward. 

Here I go:

1. My first name ARN is just plain Arn – 3 little letters. It is not Arnold or Arnie. It is OK to call me Arnie if you feel protective towards me but never ever call me Arnold.

2. I am not Scandinavian even though Arn is a Scandinavian name. Family legend indicates that I was named after Prince Valiant’s son, Arn. Many of you are too young to remember the Prince Valiant comic strip series. But that is where my first name came from.

3. My last name, Cenedella, is Italian and my father’s side of the family did come from Italy. So my last name is indicative of some of my heritage but my first name is not.

4. I was emotionally scarred as a little kid because of my name. Every year the first day of school, the teacher would call roll and ask whether Ann was here. There was no Ann just little ol’ Arn.

5. In 7th grade, I was 4′11″ tall and weighed 65 lbs. I was on the wrestling  team but the only matches I ever won were by forfeit. My girlfriend at the time Celeste rode me around on her bike handlebars.

6. I started college at Colgate University when I was still 16 but that did not stop me from drinking beer (At that time, 18 was the legal drinking age)

7. I have a Master’s Degree in Physical Chemistry from the University of Michigan but never worked in the field. I returned to the SF Peninsula where I grew up right after I graduated and went to work in my father’s real estate company, Cenedella and Co.

So that’s a little about me – Kevin has been tagged and I need to tag 6 more or I will live in eternal damnation.

The Right Attitude

I just received an email from my former assistant, Mary.

Mary and her husband moved to Arizona recently and they had their first child a few months ago. Like many younger couples, they had some consumer debt but they very much wanted to own their own home.

Please read this email and look for how they turned a supposed NEGATIVE into a POSITIVE for them. They used the fact that the AZ market was very very slow to their benefit - they found a good house they could afford – worked a deal to pay off their debt as part of the sale – and now are HAPPY homeowners.

Here is Mary’s email:

Hi All!
 
Thought you’d like to know that we are now proud homeowners! We just bought a 3 bed, 2 bath 1-story home on the southeast side of Tucson. It’s about 10 years old and had been on the market for over a year! (Not because there’s anything wrong with the house, the market is just really bad here.) We’ve got a 2 car garage, great landscaping, quiet neighborhood with a park and a hot tub with no heater. Yup, you read that correctly. Basically we have a round pool that bubbles. And with the deal we made with the sellers we were able to pay off the majority of the remaining debt we have and so it’s a sure thing that I will be able to stay home with Amy. In fact, starting Oct. 1 I will be watching our niece and nephew full time…….so I guess technically I’m still working.

That’s what it is all about ! Yes, the market is slow – use that to your advantage and get a house now – while selection is good – and you can actually negotiate with a seller to get a good buy. Yes, prices may drop a little further – but in the long run, you will ahead of the game.

MasterMind Summit

Hi everyone:

I just returned from the Brian Buffini MasterMind conference in San Diego.

The conference was held at the beautiful San Diego Convention Center located at the San Diego Marina next to the Gas Lamp District.

 Here is a list of the speakers:

Erik Wahl
	Erik Wahl is a recognized artist and speaker who inspires professionals to achieve greater levels of performance. His consulting firm, The Wahl Group, challenges organizations to implement breakthrough thinking techniques to accomplish extraordinary results.Erik’s unique understanding of vision traces back to his experience as an artist. Erik earned his bachelors degree in Business Communication before embarking on an eight year career as a partner in a corporate firm. After first working in the business world and playing with his art; Erik now PLAYS in the business world by WORKING with his art. Erik’s sought after artwork can be seen hanging in executive offices around the world. And as one of the country’s top platform speakers, Erik shares his powerful message with audiences from coast to coast.
Christopher Gardner
	Christopher Gardner is president and CEO of the Chicago-based brokerage firm Gardner Rich & Co., which he founded in 1987. Prior to launching his own firm, Mr. Gardner worked for several prestigious Wall Street Firms.Always hard working and tenacious, a series of circumstances in the early 1980’s left Gardner homeless in San Francisco and the sole guardian of his toddler son. Christopher Gardner’s accomplishments are extraordinary on their own merit, but are all the more astonishing because of the unimaginable obstacles he encountered on the road to success.
Alison Levine
	Alison Levine began climbing mountains in 1998, 18 months after her second heart surgery to repair a life threatening condition called Wolff Parkinson White Syndrome.In between starting business school and starting a career with a top Wall Street firm, Alison Levine “accidentally” climbed the highest peak on each of SIX continents. In the spring of 2002, she was invited to serve as the team captain of the first American Women’s Everest Expedition, an experience that would change her life forever.

Eric was fabulous in asking us – challenging us – to use more of the right side of our brains – to bring out creativity – that has long been dormant based on our own and society’s expectations about what is right and what is the norm. Eric asked the 5000 attendees, how many thought they were good at drawing? Only a few people raised their hands. He then asked: “If I asked the same question of a class of kindergardeners, how many would raise their hands and say they were good at drawing?”. Almost all kids would raise there hands and say Yes I am good at drawing. What happens as we grow older? Why do we often lose that innate curisosity and willpower to just go for it? – to try it? and not be afraid of looking foolish?

Eric pointed to Albert Einstein as an example of the greatest creative mind.

Chirs Gardner was fabulous in re-counting his life and how he refused to give up no matter what obstacles were placed in his way. He told us “there are no ceilings” and he would never go back as “there was nothing to go back to”. Not content to sit on his laurels as a multi-millionaire owner of a Chicago brokerage firm, Chris is now wokring with Nelson Mandela on a project is South Africa. I can’t wait to see what he comes up with this time.

Alison told us of her trip up Mt. Everest..the first American woman expidetion…..how when nearing the summit she had to take 5 to 10 breathes for every step she took. Alison also told us of how she changed centuries of tribal custom that prevented from women going up the mountains in Africa by leading 20 women up to the summit….sorry forgot the name of the mountain and the country…..getting old – will be 53 next week

Brian Buffini as always was both entertaining and truely motivational…..

You do not need to be in real estate to go – It is for everyone…..

Dream the big dream…..see your vision….and then go for it….and don’t let anything get in your way…..fear is normal but fear can’t hurt anyone…..

Cheers…..