Top Reasons to Choose Dan Manginelli’s Mortgage Coaching to Improve Sales Skills

Success in the mortgage industry depends heavily on strong sales skills. Loan officers must communicate clearly, build trust with clients, and create strong relationships with referral partners. Dan Manginelli’s mortgage coaching helps originators sharpen these skills through practical strategies, structured accountability, and real-world practice.

1. Proven Sales Scripts for Real Conversations

Many loan officers struggle with what to say when speaking with agents, clients, or referral partners. Dan Manginelli’s coaching provides practical scripts and conversation frameworks designed specifically for the mortgage industry. These tools help originators confidently start conversations that lead to new opportunities and stronger relationships.

2. Training Focused on Real Business Situations

Instead of theoretical sales training, Manginelli’s coaching focuses on real scenarios loan officers face daily. Coaching sessions review current deals, agent conversations, and prospecting challenges. This hands-on approach helps participants improve their communication and decision-making skills in real time.

3. Confidence in Client and Agent Conversations

Confidence plays a major role in successful sales interactions. Through consistent coaching and feedback, loan officers learn how to communicate more effectively with borrowers and real estate agents. Many participants report significant improvements in their communication style and selling presence after applying the coaching techniques.

4. A Systematic Approach to Prospecting

Effective sales require consistent outreach. Manginelli’s coaching emphasizes structured prospecting activities such as agent calls, networking meetings, and follow-up conversations. Tracking these activities helps loan officers develop disciplined habits that strengthen their sales pipeline.

5. Stronger Objection-Handling Skills

Loan officers frequently encounter objections from clients and referral partners. The coaching program helps participants develop responses that address concerns clearly and professionally. This preparation allows originators to turn difficult conversations into opportunities to build trust and close more loans.

6. Understanding the Numbers Behind Sales

A key principle in Manginelli’s coaching is understanding the numbers that drive a mortgage business. Loan officers track activities such as calls, meetings, and leads so they can see how these actions translate into pre-approvals and funded loans. This data-driven approach helps participants refine their sales strategy.

7. Accountability That Reinforces Skill Development

Improving sales skills requires repetition and discipline. The coaching program includes regular sessions, activity tracking, and goal reviews that keep participants focused on improving their performance. This accountability ensures that sales skills continue to grow over time.

8. Guidance From an Experienced Mortgage Industry Coach

Dan Manginelli brings more than 35 years of experience in mortgage, real estate, and performance coaching. As a former mortgage company owner and industry strategist, he understands the real challenges loan officers face and provides practical guidance that improves both sales performance and production results.


Dan Manginelli’s mortgage coaching helps loan officers become stronger, more confident sales professionals. By combining practical scripts, structured prospecting systems, and measurable accountability, the program equips originators with the skills needed to win more clients, strengthen relationships, and grow their mortgage business.

Top Reasons to Choose Dan Manginelli’s Mortgage Coaching to Build a Consistent Referral Network

Loan officers who want steady production need a strong referral network. Real estate agents, past clients, and industry partners are often the main source of new business. The challenge is building those relationships consistently. Dan Manginelli’s mortgage coaching helps loan officers create structured systems that turn networking into a reliable source of referrals.

1. Proven Strategies for Activating Real Estate Agent Relationships

Many loan officers struggle with how to approach real estate agents. Dan Manginelli’s coaching provides proven scripts and strategies designed to help originators connect with producing agents. These conversations are focused on creating partnerships that generate long-term purchase business.

2. A System to Re-Engage Past Clients

Past clients are one of the most valuable referral sources in the mortgage industry. The coaching program teaches loan officers how to reconnect with their database using structured outreach plans. Regular communication helps generate repeat loans and referrals from previous borrowers.

3. Consistent Relationship-Building Activities

Building a referral network requires consistent daily actions. The coaching program tracks activities such as calls, meetings, agent contacts, and client follow-ups. By focusing on these high-performance activities, loan officers build stronger professional relationships that lead to new opportunities.

4. Clear Metrics That Show What Creates Referrals

Loan officers often guess which activities generate business. Dan Manginelli’s coaching includes dashboards and tracking tools that show exactly what leads to new agent relationships, purchase leads, and funded loans. This clarity helps participants focus their efforts on the activities that expand their referral network.

5. Accountability That Keeps Outreach Consistent

Consistency is the biggest factor in building referral partnerships. Manginelli’s coaching uses structured accountability, including goal tracking and weekly action plans. This keeps loan officers committed to regular outreach and relationship building instead of waiting for business to come to them.

6. Integration With Company Systems and Tools

Unlike generic coaching programs, Manginelli’s coaching integrates with company marketing tools, CRM systems, and reporting platforms. This allows loan officers to manage their referral relationships more efficiently and stay organized as their network grows.

7. Confidence in Building New Professional Relationships

Many loan officers hesitate to approach new referral partners. Through coaching, participants develop stronger communication skills and confidence when meeting new agents or industry professionals. This mindset shift helps originators expand their network and build lasting partnerships.

8. Real-World Results From Top-Producing Loan Officers

Loan officers who follow the coaching system often report major growth in their referral networks and production volume. Many participants have increased their annual loan volume by 30–60% by consistently applying the relationship-building strategies taught in the program.


Dan Manginelli’s mortgage coaching helps loan officers turn networking into a predictable system for generating business. By combining structured outreach, accountability, and proven relationship strategies, the program helps originators build referral networks that support long-term production growth.

Top Reasons to Choose Dan Manginelli’s Mortgage Coaching to Build a Consistent Referral Network

Loan officers who want steady production need a strong referral network. Real estate agents, past clients, and industry partners are often the main source of new business. The challenge is building those relationships consistently. Dan Manginelli’s mortgage coaching helps loan officers create structured systems that turn networking into a reliable source of referrals.

1. Proven Strategies for Activating Real Estate Agent Relationships

Many loan officers struggle with how to approach real estate agents. Dan Manginelli’s coaching provides proven scripts and strategies designed to help originators connect with producing agents. These conversations are focused on creating partnerships that generate long-term purchase business.

2. A System to Re-Engage Past Clients

Past clients are one of the most valuable referral sources in the mortgage industry. The coaching program teaches loan officers how to reconnect with their database using structured outreach plans. Regular communication helps generate repeat loans and referrals from previous borrowers.

3. Consistent Relationship-Building Activities

Building a referral network requires consistent daily actions. The coaching program tracks activities such as calls, meetings, agent contacts, and client follow-ups. By focusing on these high-performance activities, loan officers build stronger professional relationships that lead to new opportunities.

4. Clear Metrics That Show What Creates Referrals

Loan officers often guess which activities generate business. Dan Manginelli’s coaching includes dashboards and tracking tools that show exactly what leads to new agent relationships, purchase leads, and funded loans. This clarity helps participants focus their efforts on the activities that expand their referral network.

5. Accountability That Keeps Outreach Consistent

Consistency is the biggest factor in building referral partnerships. Manginelli’s coaching uses structured accountability, including goal tracking and weekly action plans. This keeps loan officers committed to regular outreach and relationship building instead of waiting for business to come to them.

6. Integration With Company Systems and Tools

Unlike generic coaching programs, Manginelli’s coaching integrates with company marketing tools, CRM systems, and reporting platforms. This allows loan officers to manage their referral relationships more efficiently and stay organized as their network grows.

7. Confidence in Building New Professional Relationships

Many loan officers hesitate to approach new referral partners. Through coaching, participants develop stronger communication skills and confidence when meeting new agents or industry professionals. This mindset shift helps originators expand their network and build lasting partnerships.

8. Real-World Results From Top-Producing Loan Officers

Loan officers who follow the coaching system often report major growth in their referral networks and production volume. Many participants have increased their annual loan volume by 30–60% by consistently applying the relationship-building strategies taught in the program.


Dan Manginelli’s mortgage coaching helps loan officers turn networking into a predictable system for generating business. By combining structured outreach, accountability, and proven relationship strategies, the program helps originators build referral networks that support long-term production growth.

How Dan Manginelli’s Mortgage Coaching Increases Loan Officers’ Production Volume

Loan officers who want to grow their business often struggle with consistency, strategy, and accountability. Production usually stalls when daily activities are reactive instead of intentional. Dan Manginelli’s mortgage coaching program addresses these issues with a structured system designed to help loan officers increase volume, build stronger referral networks, and create measurable growth.

Here are the key ways Dan Manginelli’s coaching helps loan officers increase production.

1. A Clear Strategy for Scaling Production

Many loan officers work hard but lack a clear roadmap for growth. Manginelli’s coaching begins by helping participants define a strategy focused on increasing business volume. Each coaching session connects daily activities directly to production goals, creating a clear path from effort to results.

2. Focus on High-Performance Activities

Production growth depends on the right activities. The coaching program emphasizes high-impact tasks such as agent outreach, lead generation, past client follow-ups, and referral partner engagement. These activities are tracked and reviewed regularly so loan officers know exactly what actions drive new deals.

3. Structured Accountability That Drives Consistency

One of the biggest reasons coaching increases production is accountability. Loan officers commit to specific goals and weekly action plans. Progress is tracked through dashboards and activity reports, ensuring participants stay focused on consistent performance instead of occasional bursts of activity.

4. Systems That Generate Repeat and Referral Business

Manginelli’s coaching helps loan officers implement structured systems to stay connected with past clients and referral partners. These systems include scheduled outreach, database marketing, and follow-up strategies designed to create repeat business and steady referral pipelines.

5. Real-Time Performance Tracking

Loan officers often struggle because they do not know which actions lead to funded loans. Manginelli’s program includes production dashboards that track key metrics such as new agent relationships, purchase leads, pre-approved borrowers, loans in process, and funded loans. This visibility helps loan officers adjust their strategy quickly and improve results.

6. Practical Scripts and Sales Strategies

The program provides proven scripts and communication strategies that help loan officers confidently approach real estate agents, clients, and referral partners. These tools remove guesswork and help participants improve conversations that lead to new opportunities and stronger partnerships.

7. Proven Production Growth Results

Loan officers who participate in the coaching program frequently report major increases in production volume. Examples from participants include volume increases of more than 50% and loan officers reaching milestones such as $100M in annual production after implementing the coaching systems.

8. Leadership From an Experienced Mortgage Industry Coach

Dan Manginelli brings more than 35 years of experience in mortgage, real estate, and performance coaching. As a former mortgage company owner and business strategist, he has helped thousands of originators improve their production through disciplined accountability, agent acquisition systems, and effective use of technology.

Time Flies, Don’t It Baby…

Time is going to go by. And what you do with the time you get is going to make all the difference.

Can you remember last month? You probably can. Can you remember July of 2006? You probably can. You probably remember graduating from high school.

(How funny was your hair?) Some of you even remember early childhood events. No matter what you remember (or forget), one thing we can all agree on: Time just keeps on moving. “Time keeps on slippin’, slippin’, slippin’ into the future…”

No matter what you’ve checked off your list, no matter what you’ve done to try to make it stand still, time just keeps going by.

Now, when you started in business, think about what you expected of yourself. You were going to conquer the world. You were going to make a million dollars because you knew how to do it. Your mind was fixed, and you were determined. But as time passed, you began doubting yourself or even getting a bit too comfortable.

You got the “yeah buts.” I’ll do that, but…. I could try that, but…. But, but, but. I’ll do that tomorrow. I’ll make those calls tomorrow. I’ll do whatever it takes – tomorrow.

Now let me tell you about the best part about the nature of time: It goes by way too fast, but…You’ve got more coming. If you’re reading this, you are lucky. You got another day. You got all the time today has to offer, which is great! You got to wake up, love the people you love, do the things you can do and make the most of all today has to offer. Whatever went wrong yesterday, and no matter what could go wrong today, you still get another chance at it. For today, time is officially on your side. And you can take action today to make the most of it.

Now, if you don’t believe that, think about when you diet or when you work out. If you don’t work out, you get another chance tomorrow unless you do the “yeah but.” Yeah, but it’s cold in the morning; yeah, but I don’t have time at night. When you’re trying to eat healthy, each new day counts. Yesterday, you ate a whole pizza? Guess what. Today is a whole new day. You get to change, recommit, think outside the status quo and take action today.

Time is going to go by. It’s going to become tomorrow and next month and Christmas and New Year’s—for most of us. And what you do with the time you get is going to make all the difference.

Have Fun and Make Dreams Come True.

You can get more from Wake Up! at www.ManginelliGroup.com/Wakeup

The Blueprint For Confidence

It’s never too late to be who you might have been. ~ George ElliotThe Blueprint For Confidence

The Blue Print For Confidence

So much of what happens in our lives, the decisions we make that propel us down one path or the other, all comes down to confidence. Whether we have it or whether we project it.

Confidence – meaning “assurance, poise, self belief – is the fuel that allows us to fly, the lack of which keeps us grounded. Confidence attracts confidence and gets us to try new things, even things seemingly beyond our reach. New jobs, daring adventure, that new relationship you thought was out of your reach. It makes or breaks us, in terms of success.

So, the question is: How do you get confidence?

Your attitude is a choice in building it, but there are some sure-fire ways to start building more confidence in your life.

One: Set yourself up for success by choosing to feel good about yourself.

Now, that seems simple enough, but think of it this way: Have you ever lost a little weight and it seemed like every time you turned around, someone was saying, “You look great. Oh my gosh! What is it about you? Did you get a haircut? You look phenomenal.”You felt good about yourself that day. And you probably felt empowered and more accomplished at work that day, too.

Sometimes it’s just a matter of wearing something you feel good in. That pair of jeans or a shirt that people always compliment. Your power suit. That great pair of shoes. When you feel like that, you have an extra boost of confidence to attempt bigger, better things. Nothing’s going to stop you, and you can do anything. That’s how you want to feel about yourself every day.

Two: Repeat after me: knowledge is confidence.

The more you know, the more confident you feel to talk about it. So that’s an easy one, right? There is no reason why you shouldn’t be learning every single day. It’s a win-win: a confidence builder that keeps on giving and giving.

Whether you’re in real estate, shoes or automotive sales – or whatever you do for a living – you can separate yourself from the pack by knowing more about your product, your market, your competition, etc., than anyone else in your company. It’s that knowledge that gives you confidence.

So, tonight, instead of watching 30 minutes of TV, make it 30 minutes to success. Devote 30 minutes to researching new information about your trade, and see how well that information serves you the next day.

Prepare and project.

But it’s not just about building your own confidence, also important is the way you express yourself, handle yourself. The way you project confidence. It’s in the way you carry yourself. It’s in the tone of your voice, the way you approach sharing the knowledge and passion you have for your work.

There are a lot of people that just ‘wing it.’ The presentation, the sales pitch, they just flat out ask for whatever it is they want.

Believe me, you can always tell when someone is winging it; they are just talking about what they know, instead of what the other person really wants to know.

Preparation builds confidence. Think back to when you prepared for a test at school. You studied by yourself and with others, and you felt like you knew it all. The day of the test, you knew in your mind that you were prepared. You knew the answers. Now think of the time you didn’t prepare for the test. You ‘winged it.’ You had very little confidence that you would pass, in fact you had such anxiety that you made yourself feel sick-sick enough to stay home from school.

Confidence isn’t rocket science. It’s a simple of matter of doing all you can to be the best you can be. And the great news is: You can do it now. You can fix it now. Whatever it takes to boost your confidence, make it up to yourself. Wear or buy more of that thing you wear that makes you feel sharp, professional, stylish and smart. Look the part of the successful person you are. Spend time everyday learning as much as you can about what you do. Empower yourself to succeed by digging for knowledge that sets you apart from the pack.

Confidence may not be something you’re born with, but you can grow it with a little effort.

YOUR BEST… ON PAPER
What do you have right now, this very day, to be confident about?

Write it down.

What skills or attributes are you most proud of and how do they help you in business and in life?

Try Something New

When was the last time you really tried something new?

new

When was the last time you tried a new restaurant, a new route home, a new vacation stop? I guess what I am really asking is, when was the last time you were out of your comfort zone?

As years go on and on and we get older, we get in such a routine that we get stuck and resist anything  new or different. When you were young you were all about new things; new roller coasters, new faster water slides, new places and new people but somewhere along the ride of life you stopped the desire to change. More than that you don’t want to get out of what you know is comfortable. I challenge you this week to make yourself focus on the new (change). Drive a different way home, change your radio stations in your car, go to a restaurant you have never been. If you really want to break out of your rut , make some calls to new prospects (lead generate) today. Remember when you first got in the business, you made the calls, you went on appointments, your days were filled with new and exciting adventures.. Then, somewhere in your path to success, you lost that drive and zeal. Now it’s time to take your life back and get out of that box that is closing in on you year after year. Embrace the change, see change as a growth pattern of your life and start having fun again! If you take this challenge, you really will start to see a new you and get that smile back!

Radical Change

Radical Change

change-architect-sign1

Who is your support group or person? Every successful person has that person or group, that no matter what you do it gives you unconditional motivation. That same person can call you out on your shortfall without you getting defensive. We all need a person or group that will bring us up after a day of lead generating that felt like you accomplished nothing. At the same time they call us weak for quitting before you get a lead.

We all like to say we are self starters, self motivated. It’s time to wake up! If you keep showing up and getting the same results, you’re not moving forward, you are back sliding. CEO’s at the highest level have a coach and or a mastermind group that they consult to perform at higher levels.

Stop waiting and start wanting. Michael Caplan, CEO E Trade Group wrote, “To succeed as a team is to hold all of the members accountable for their true actions and expertise.”

Go to your office today, find the people in your office that you want to emulate or simply respect, and set up a mastermind group. If you take this challenge, make sure that at your first meeting you all agree to be BRUTALLY HONEST with each other. This group is not to be a social wine club, this group is to push you to new levels, to call each other out with respect and always reminding each other that this is to break the barriers of complacency.

If you want unconditional love, with no feedback on anything you do wrong, or helping you to new financial levels, its best you just get a pet! We all love what we do and I wouldn’t do anything else than what I do. So I have to have people around to tell me when I get off focus and realign me with my goals. I said we need radical change. Will you make a radical change?

Moving Forward

We’re moving through February and I am still on a quest to figure out what it will take to make you all want more. It all comes back to a quote from Napoleon Hill in his book, Think and Grow Rich, “No man will be willing to make a change until he is ready.” So I am changing my quest to figure out when will YOU be ready?

Game of Chess

A lot of us are taking action but some of the action is just to say we are doing it and not really putting in the maximum effort to accomplish what it is we need. So it made me think, not just about getting sales but about life. I feel “it’s not what you do in life, it’s how you do it!” You can go to a gym and be there for an hour but if you just walk around and talk, that’s not working out. Think about your time at the office, you can be there for 10 hours a day but with no new phone calls or any action that is lead generating, how do you expect to get new business?

Here is your focus for this week. If you are going to do it, do it great! Don’t just show up, don’t just do it half asked. If you’re going to be in the game, play your hardest! Think about your time that you spend this week at the office and as you are sitting there, ask yourself, “am I doing the most productive thing at this moment?” If the answer is no, time to start doing it great! Make this week count!

Having Fun (What Is Your 7 Iron?)

It’s time for all of us to start having fun again. We have all been caught up in the news and the turmoil of the marketplace. Some are waiting for the market to move (Just a reminder: If you’re waiting for it to move, it has and it’s moving right past you).

The definition of ‘fun’ is ‘a time or feeling of enjoyment or amusement,’ while ‘work’ is described as ‘labor, effort, exertion.’ That certainly doesn’t sound fun, but you can make what you do fun. Have fun at what you do, and the money will flow. What do you enjoy most about you career? What’s that one thing that makes you want to do it again?

Golf is a difficult game. When playing, I often hear people say, ‘I hate this game. It’s no fun.’ But then the next shot is great, and they’re saying, ‘I love this game! I’m Tiger Woods!’ You can repeat that feeling.

Remember back to when you started in your industry, that feeling you had – there was no stopping you. You were doing all the work, with no limits, and there was a twinkle in your eye. You were determined, and you felt unstoppable. Then, like in golf, you had a slice, hook, shank, and suddenly you didn’t like the game – until you got a call from someone you had been prospecting for weeks, and suddenly you are the sales master again! You can’t wait to let everyone know about your success.

When you make a great shot, you are compelled to ask everyone around you, ‘Did you see that?’ But how do you apply this to your career? Examine that day when you felt like the Tiger Woods of sales and get to the root of what made that happen. You need everyday to be that day, so don’t leave until you make that call, or go see the person you know you need to get in front of. Go find the person who can help you stay on top.

You don’t have to reinvent success. Do what works for you. That is the fun! If your 7 iron is your best club, use it more. If that’s what brings you the most success, use it more often.

Every shot isn’t going to be the perfect shot (even Tiger Woods has a bad hole or two every now and then), the key is to control your misses. Do that and you’ll be one step closer to that hole-in-one.

What is the best thing about you? In what area do you really shine? Brainstorm to discover your own personal ‘7 iron’ that can help you become the Tiger Woods in your marketplace.

Download this and other FREE Chapters at www.ManginelliGroup.com

It’s All In Your Head

When I try to think ‘big picture’ about what makes people successful in business or in life, the first and most obvious part of the ‘big picture’ to me is this: It’s all in your head!

Meaning, it’s what’s in your head that sabotages you. Our minds are powerful tools that can be used to both imprison and free us.To be successful,we have to be mentally strong enough to respond to whatever happens in a positive, pro-active way.

Mental toughness is a process. It just doesn’t happen overnight. It’s like any kind of strength training. You start out slowly, with smaller weights. You learn to pick and choose the options that work best for you, where you are.

When something terrible or unexpected happens, youmay be prone to thinking, “You know, that’s just my luck. Stuff like this always happens to me.”
Or, even when things are rolling along smoothly, you may be one of those worriers—that personwho always assumes theworstwill happen in any given situation.

Self-image is a tough thing for all of us. We all have our own insecurities, our own sense of inadequacy, even failure. And if you really just want to try to hold on to what you have, that negative self-image will always speak louder in your head than anything else. People with half your ability will accomplish more in life only because they believe better things about themselves. Their perception makes for a more successful reality.

The beginning of mental conditioning is training yourself to recognize and acknowledge the strengths you already have. Everyone says, ‘If I could just live up to my potential,’ but to be honest, I don’t buy that.We’re always looking for abilities we wish we had, rather than recognizing the gifts and skills we already have.

Why do you suppose that is?

Everybody’s afraid of what others think.When you close your eyes, that person is in your head, saying what you think they think about you (and it’s never good).We’re always afraid that someone’s going to pull the curtain back and find out we don’t know asmuch as we think we know.That somehow we’re not as accomplished, smart or successful as they are.

Even when all the talent and know-how and drive and determination is already there to succeed, just a whiff of fear will kill it before it even begins.

That’s why it’s essential to ‘retrain’ your mind to work FOR you, not against you. Train it to take the time to gain perspective, to respond, not to react.To think: ‘What are my options here?’

Whatever the situation—whether it’s personal relationship trouble or challenges in business—you always have options. Mentally, you lay it all out: What do I really want to do? What is the best way to respond to get what I want?What will be the best scenario short-term? Long term?

Each option comes with a given consequence, so you train yourself to think through those as well. Some of the consequences automatically rule out the option.

Once you narrow down the options, keeping ‘mind over matter’ means you learn to play to your best strength and go with the option you know you’ll be best at, the response that will work best for you.

If you see yourself as a person who already has the talent and skill and drive and determination to get things done…If underneath all that is a fundamental belief that you deserve to succeed in everything you work hard at…

How and where and who you envision yourself to be is how and where and who you are…and will be.

Always…
be willing to try…
be actively learning…
lead by example…
believe you add value to whatever you do…
be open…
be contagious…
Is this you? If not, begin each day retraining yourself to think, speak and act in affirming, intentional and positive ways. To change your perspective is to change your life.

The Value of “Thank You”

There are certain times of the year when thankfulness seems more plentiful. Thanksgiving Day is a natural time to pause and count our blessings, while the Christmas holiday is a natural time to be thankful for the family, friends and celebrations that add meaning to our lives.

The rest of the year, most of us don’t say ‘thank you’ nearly enough.

I know the importance of those two little words, though. That’s why I make sure to say ‘thank you’ to all those who help me do what I do:

• Thank you for working alongside me.

• Thank you for your loyalty and belief in me.

• Thank you for your strength to get through the frustration and the tears.

• Thank you for your drive to work hard and be the best you can be.

• Thank you for your part in helping us grow by leaps and bounds.

Taking time out to let those around you know they are appreciated, that the work they do is noticed and valued, goes a long way. It can turn a promising newcomer into a top producer. It can make a committed team member really shine. It can make the people around you not just willing but eager to help you look your best.

Do you want to reach the top? Don’t forget to say ‘thank you’ along the way to those who are helping you achieve that goal.

Who can you thank today and for what? Don’t wait. Do it now.

Change Your Perception, Change Your Life

We’ve all heard it said that ‘perception is reality,’ but have you thought about the fact that a lot of the adversity we face in our lives is rooted in our perception?

So, what is perception? Perception, defined, is ‘the process of using the senses to acquire information about the surrounding environment or situation.’ It is also an impression, an attitude or understanding based on what is observed through your thoughts.

So, what is your perception of your career, your life, your finances? Is your perception part of the problem or part of the solution?

If your perception of the economy right now and anything that is happening in the world is that it’s all on the skids and that buying and investing in anything at this time is ludicrous, that is your reality. There is nothing I could say, no evidence I could present to change your perception or the resulting reality.

Now, 80 percent of Americans worry about things that never happen. But every now and then, out of all of those hundreds of things we worry about, one actually happens, confirming the perception that what you worry about will happen. But a vast majority of the time, we worry about things that never come to be.

That worry spills over to the people in our lives, creating perceptions in others that may or may not be reality based. Negativity breeds negativity. Hopefulness breeds hopefulness.

The other day, I was out with my children, riding bikes, when we came across one of our neighbor’s sons. This was the conversation that took place between the two boys:

“Hey! Did you get a new bike?” the five-year old neighbor kid asked.

“Yes,” answered my son, enthusiastically.

“I wanted a new bike, but I couldn’t get one because of the enonomy.”

The ‘enonomy’? How could a five-year-old kid know about the economic impact on his desire for a new bike? Somewhere in his house, his parent’s perception of the economy trickled down to him.

Think about this: In the past eight hours, what have you communicated about your life, about your career? Whatever industry you’re in—whatever role you’re filling at present—what kind of perception are you operating under? Are you approaching what you do with a positive outlook? Are you focusing on the problem or on the solution? And how do you relate your perception to others?

Times are tough. Challenges are part of the journey. But if you change your perception, it will change the reality of your life.

What’s holding you back?

Charles Schwab is dyslexic, but that didn’t stop him from achieving success in the business world through the investment firm that bears his name. The 55th richest person in the U.S. according to the 2008 Forbes 400 list, Schwab started a foundation that provides support, encouragement and resources for families impacted by learning disabilities.