The Power of Perception
Eric Bolstad demonstrates that living successfully requires only a change in perception. By Sarah Polyakov.
The New Year is all about fresh starts, and usually, we are the ones who initiate them. Then, there are the occasional times when fresh starts find us. Sometimes we welcome the unexpected because we perceive it as a change for the good; and other times, we feel blind-sided.
When an event happens that we have not put into our five year plan, those are the times in life that are defining moments. Those are the sometimes alarming stretches within our lives when we must make a choice, and the choice we make can determine whether or not we sink or we swim.
In one man’s case, he was faced with the prospect to sink or swim, to let go or to press on, quite literally. Eric Bolstad, owner of Absolute Mortgage in Edmonds, experienced a pivotal moment when he was a senior at Washington State University. It happened quite unexpectedly, during a riverside BBQ where he was meeting with his friends and fraternity brothers.
Eric dove into the river, just as he had done for four years prior, but murky water concealed a tree stump just below the waterline and out of sight. His head hit the concealed tree stump with such force that vertebrae C5 and C6 in his spinal cord were irrevocably injured due to a compression fracture.
For a moment, Eric found himself floating in the river, still and unable to move. Through it, Eric remained calm; and during it all he neither inhaled water nor lost consciousness. As he waited for his fraternity brothers to pull him from the river, he recounted that surprisingly, he never felt a sense of alarm, all the while aware that he was unable to move or swim.
Instead, at that moment, he felt enveloped in serenity and peace and this sustained him. He recounted that it was a feeling that he has never felt before or since, which he attributes to a higher power. While such an event could have ended the lives of others, for Eric, this event was just the beginning.
But, the most surprising event of all was and continues to be his perception of that defining event, even though Eric remains paralyzed. Although Eric’s accident was not of his own making, he still perceived it as an opportunity to learn. And it was that perception that carried him through.
“I never went through a situation where I asked why me? Instead, I lived with a sense of gratitude. I am the type of guy who puts my head down and gets to work. That attitude has allowed me to never have to miss out on things and to move forward,” Eric recently recounted.
Some of the important lessons Eric had learned during his childhood served as a solid foundation to form his approach to life and to tackle the unthinkable. “The smartest person I have ever met was my father. He gave me this very important lesson and said to learn more from the things you do wrong than the things you do right. Because we can always learn from those types of things.”
Early on, Eric realized that in every experience there is an opportunity to learn. We can use each experience to carry us higher. Just like the eagle that uses severe winds to lift itself higher, we can use unexpected events to carry us higher as well. The storms in life will eventually touch all of us, but each of us has the opportunity to choose if we are lifted higher or grounded.
So it was that Eric began the seven month road to rehabilitation. While he recovered in Harborview and the University of Washington medical center in Seattle, his fraternity brothers were busy retrofitting his room. Eric was determined to use this event for the good. “I had gone nearly four years (to college) when I had my accident. It was important to go back and get that degree.”
When he returned, his fraternity brothers rallied around him and took turns being his caretakers. Eric finished his degree and realized it was time to delve deeper. In the years since, he has viewed success as his only option. “When I had my accident, that led me to find out who I am and to be the best possible person,” said Eric.
But, for many of us, persisting in the face of adversity may be easier said than done. Nonetheless adversity does not remove the personal power that cannot be taken away from us; the power of choice and perception. In Eric’s case, his perception of his situation literally made a difference in his entire world. He noted, “Every single person in life has some kind of tragedy or cross that they bear. But, mine is more visible. No matter who you are, when you wake up in the morning you have a chance to be happy or to be sad. You get what you put out there and it’s easier to be happier.”
Eric brings this attitude to everything that he does, and it is especially evident in the way that he has founded and managed his own company, Absolute Mortgage. “Our tagline is to be transformational rather than transactional. Most businesses are run by the bottom line; whereas if we can transform the individual, that in turn transforms the company and we are on a path toward positive growth.” Eric also uniquely believes that niceness is a pivotal quality. He perceives kindness as a real strength since it takes much thought and self-control to be consistently kind, no matter what the situation.
Aligning people’s personality with the direction with his Absolute Mortgage is also important to Eric. “When you want to lead, you need to create a vision that everyone buys into. As a leader it is very important to get to the individual and to ask them what is your why?” In mapping out the dreams and goals with each employee, Eric believes that he is able to ensure that each person meets their goals while creating a benefit for the greater good. Eric’s company philosophy where he strives to serve the greater good trickles down into every aspect of his business.
Eric is thrilled to be part of the Edmonds community. Eric reiterated, “The growth model of our company is to put locations in tight, neighborhood communities where we can become a part of the community in both business and positive social programs that will benefit the community. Our branch manager and the majority of her staff have lived in Edmonds and have beeninvolved in the community for years. This gave us an opportunity to place a branch in the community they enjoy being such a part of”.
It is from kindness that Eric has formed the vision for Absolute Mortgage. “I have two expectations for people in my company: that is to be nice and to tell the truth. From those two behaviors, everything serves as a foundation for what you want to build.” This is also evidenced in his four core values, which are uniquely complementary: Teamwork, Empowerment, Positivity, and Excellence. These things serve as a foundation for growth and create a type of integrity that touches the lives of his customers in Edmonds as well.
They say that perception creates reality; indeed we can create our own realities by the perceptions that we choose. Eric Bolstad leads by example and shows us through tremendous grace that one can thrive in all situations. Whatever life may bring, the choice in how to respond is always ours. In the coming year and whatever it may bring, what will you choose?
