What is past and what is present? We obviously know that our past is gone and the events that formed the past can never be redone. The good, the bad, the beautiful or the ugly; they’ve already occurred; and all over now. What is important whenever we reminisce on our past is to make it as productive and relevant as possible to our present. While you cannot change what has transpired, you can change how you think about what happened.

Usually, when you think about the past and ever allow the positive events to dominate your thoughts, the tendencies are that; you will likely be grateful for those happy moments and probably imagine reliving it which may result in another emotion of self-pity knowing very well you cannot relive the past. In some cases, it helps you think of ways to improve your present so that the happiness continues. On the contrary, if ever your memory of the events you termed as negative needs to be revisited, unless you deal with the emotions associated with those events, you will continue to carry them with you into the present moment. To a large extent, if you failed to resolve issues of the past, the memories of such experiences become responsible for your spiritual and emotional bankruptcy when you become an adult. For instance if as a child, you were greatly abused, molested or had been harshly criticized and failed to deal with it earlier on, you are more likely to become very defensive and insecure in your adult life, which in essence becomes part of you and a way of life.

When you do not let go of tales of unhappiness, resentment, or rejection that filled your past you find it increasingly difficult to merge present activities to your dreams, sometimes the feelings you hold on to from your past experiences even deter you from aspiring as high as possible, having allowed those emotions of fear, revenge, guilt, blame or insecurity, to affect other areas of your life; which may include your relationships with people, attitudes, business and money matters. Undoubtedly, many of us have events, situations or people in our histories, which still evoke some emotions in us, but there is always time to work on such emotions to move beyond it. Maybe you were a victim of child abuse, and believe you could never live beyond the vestiges of that? Or you are finding it hard to forgive yourself for something you did years ago, and the guilt won’t just fade? There is nothing you can’t achieve if you believe and try.

The mistakes of yesteryear, either by you or other people, that have deposited a great deal of negative feelings within your body and soul, could be transformed from a severe liability into a valuable asset. While you could successfully do away with your feelings of anger, revenge, guilt, blame or fear, you simply didn’t because there is a reward from holding on your pain. You gain a lot from the thrill of the story. By having the story to tell, you derive some pleasure and get accepted by others. You create a stir and pacify your personal need for attention and the emotional energy associated with the event will be refreshed every time you tell your story. There is no harm in telling stories of your past but not in a way to allow you to whirl in your self-pity, or make others feel sorry for you because this simply puts you down and draw you back into unpleasant meditations.

Why not choose to use your past as a resource for progress and not a pool for pain? Why not choose to use your past as a sort of benchmark, counting your blessings on how well you have transformed your past into an inspiration for others? Many people are comfortable making themselves feel bad and do so at any opportunity. No matter what acknowledgement and attention you receive from sinking yourself into the ludicrous slush of sad tales, it can’t be as gainful as directing all your energies to your present moment, striving with focus for a greater tomorrow.

Tips to help:

Make amends where possible - If you need to make an apology for a past event and you really know it is possible for you to do so, then go ahead and free your mind, body and soul. Say sorry to whom you think deserves it. However, if you need an apology, don’t demand it except it is given voluntarily, don’t get stuck to the idea that you deserve an apology and not tendered. You often get disappointed expecting some people to do the right things. It keeps you stuck and away from achieving something greater. Take your mind off it and consider it inessential, because until you cut that chain, you cannot move forward. The process of making amends continue as you constantly aim to improve on our attitudes, behaviours, and a change in our outlook of the past in ensuring that the grievous harm from the past is totally erased.

Remember the past without strong emotions -Learn not to revisit your past morbidly or needlessly. You should practice letting go of the feelings that bring back the hurt you knew before and always view your past from a perspective that will make it as harmless as possible to you. See your past as a depot of knowledge and information which can help you make connections to elevate your self-esteem, courage and confidence.

Forgive- Learn to forgive yourself and forgive others who have maltreated you. More importantly, because you have made yourself a ditch filled with filth, carrying over the wreckage of your lost values. When you forgive, you will be able to first, believe in yourself, appreciate your worth, and give yourself the kindness, respect and love you deserve as well as extend such to others around you, far and near.

Need for acceptance- You have to accept the past, appreciate the experiences and acknowledge the lessons you have been able to learn from such experiences as all those will impact on your actions towards the positive changes required. You will then begin to tell just a story from one mile of the journey of your life and nothing more, simply accepting without condition and the more you accept, you become more accepting and forgiving to and of others. No matter what your past experiences were, you can live happier, without any grudge against yourself and anyone else by being in control of your actions and decisions and accept that your past had been the it was, simply because nature wanted it so. You have choices with your present moment and you can make the best use of the tools you now have.

Bring to mind a special moment you’ve experienced with your horse when there was an effortless “oneness” about something you two did together. During that special moment, do you remember what was going on in your mind?

Chances are, your mind was quiet. Because, as the best athletes know, such peak-performance moments never come when you are consciously thinking about what you are doing. Instead, your mind is so focused, so concentrated that it is still. You experience a quiet consciousness that keeps you very aware and present in the moment. Your mind and body are functioning as one. And you trust yourself to perform the goal you have chosen for your body to seek. Athletes refer to this state as “being in the zone.”

However, if you attempt to exercise control over this peak-performance state, it slips away.

But it doesn’t leave you. Instead, you leave it–because performing at your best only takes place when you are in the present. As a child, accessing the present was easy for you to do. But as you grew and became increasingly dependent upon words, there was more and more to distract your mind, including thoughts of the past and worries about the future.

For example, while busy working with your horse, perhaps you’ve experienced having an internal conversation start up in your mind.

When you become aware of such mental chatter, understand it for what it really is–an attempt by your verbal left brain to interfere with your natural learning process. Although your word-oriented left brain would rather you remained convinced otherwise, you are not dependent upon it for learning new skills.

In fact, because that part of your mind tends to pull you away to fret about mistakes of the past and worry about the what ifs of the future, your verbal left brain is really in the way.

Your horse needs you to remain in the present. It’s the only way you can be fully aware of and responsive to his moment to moment needs. Therefore, whenever you hear chatter going on in your mind, shine the spotlight of your attention on the words you hear. By exposing them for the distraction they are, you melt away their importance and free yourself to return to the present–unburdened by thoughts of the past or worries about the future.

Over the years, I’ve noticed that whenever I can get horsemanship students to quiet their minds and move away from their dependence upon words, they need little or no instruction. Instead, they are focused and participate fully in the present.

They practice an intense, yet relaxed, form of concentration. They are poised, confident, and trust themselves to explore, experiment, and make adjustments. They are keenly aware of the horse and the situation. They choose a path to pursue, using the horse to guide them. They know what to do without thinking–their actions come right out of the inside of the horse and right out of the inside of themselves. These students are teaching themselves–not through words, but by doing. I simply stand by and marvel as the process unfolds.

Each of us is hard-wired to do this type of pure, innate wordless learning where our body and mind are in harmony. This ability is there inside, ready for us to tap into–but first we must free ourselves from the words that so often block our way.

Often principals prepare business plans, develop financial statements and projections, and begin reaching out to their contacts expecting their good looks, exceptional personality, and reputation to draw capital. Perhaps this was enough in 2005. But in the year 2010, times have changed. The landscape is different now. First, you may have to contact a much wider group of investors. Second, even experienced investors are very focused on substance and preparation. Third, investors need very clear and detailed help understanding the commitment they are making, the risk mitigation included, the preparation applied, and the process this investment will go through. Presenting your investment with this in mind is a key step toward accomplishing this and the process of putting that presentation together is absolutely critical and possibly the preiminent first step to accomplishing this end.

What are the steps to developing a great rental real estate investment presentation?

The major steps are:

1. Prepare a presentation that presents the investment fully.
2. Rehearse the presentation developing compelling supporting information and highlighting defining investment factors.
3. Study your audience so that you are fully prepared to answer their questions and inspire confidence.
4. Ensure you all equipment and materials prepared and ready to distribute to the investors.

Let’s discuss each item in more detail.

The presentation should:

• Define what the investor is buying, what the total investment is, what the terms of the investment are, what the return is projected to be, risk mitigation steps and risks to the project.
• Define how the project or projects to be purchased are targeted.
• Provide a clear description of management, marketing and leasing, maintenance and support, and accounting and finance.
• Explain the exit.
• Define the financial and operational assumptions underpinning the investment.
• Provide photos of the project or representative photos of the projects intended for acquisition.
• The presentation should be an easy read and slides should be structured to provide a reasonable amount of information. Break up information if you have more than 7 items on a chart.

Prior to presenting to your investors, you should plan and conduct two or three rehearsals. The rehearsals will tighten up the presentation material and will allow you to organize thoughts and key points for each page. Work during the rehearsal to develop a pointed, sharp, compelling, emotionally commanding presentation. At the same time, the rehearsal should help you keep it brief.

Focus in preparing the presentation and during rehearsals on who your audience is. Understand their knowledge base. Try to determine what questions they will have. Rehearse your answers carefully.

Before the presentation, review your presentation material, your handouts, the condition of the room, check your equipment, check your appearance, and verify attendees. Check the night before and arrive early to reverify at the time of the presentation.

Taking this approach will provide a sharper more effective presentation and may be the difference between success and failure.