This is a special episode of the Michael Valdes Global Podcast. Rather than interview a guest, this episode will give you a basic principle to use in your life and career to be successful: The B.I.D. Principle: B stands for Beliefs. I Is for Integrity. D is for Discretion. I have used these three principles to guide my entire career, and you can too. 

What does this mean?

Belief means belief in yourself. You have to have confidence in yourself, in fact, the absolute conviction that you are unstoppable. A famous quote, often attributed to Henry Ford, is, “If you think you can’t do it you’re right, if you think you can do it, you’re right.” What this means is that if you don’t believe in yourself, you’ll never accomplish anything, but if you have complete confidence in yourself, then nothing can stop you. 

Integrity means holding yourself to a high standard. That often means leaving a large payday on the table in favor of a long-term gain. Your standards can not be for sale. I once told a client that a certain property was just not a good match for him, even though it would have made me a fat commission. But this client was so impressed by my integrity he offered me a position in a company he was starting looking for a specific kind of property. The most important quality he was looking for at that time was integrity, because that sort of investment is very risky, and he needed someone who was always going to be honest with him.

Discretion means keeping your clients’ private information confidential. As a high-end real estate agents, I often deal with celebrities who value their privacy very highly. I could make my name by saying I was the realtor to the stars, but it would cost me the trust of my clients, which is much more valuable. My reputation can be lost in an errant moment if I tell people, even people who ask, if I work with this celebrity or that millionaire, without explicit permission.