Nudging the boundary of complacency in Real Estate Success

The reason we surround ourselves with Quality People and strive to become one of them is that life will throw you challenges and Disappointments - it is how you seek the right advice, the right conversations, that reveal the path to handling those challenges and turning them into Opportunities... Become that Coach, Council, Friend, who colleagues seek and love to confide in... - #keyideas

Become Yourself if you wish to become valuable to others – How do you start? It is very simple – Keep your word with yourself; Tell yourself what activities you are going to undertake, then do them regardless of the pain, the fear, or the hesitation! - #keyideas

If you spend your day helping and nurturing others with their Real Estate Needs, and not help yourself to get better by nourishing your mind; by chiseling a stronger smarter you; then you will end up pursuing money – and become oblivious to Success and Greatness! - #keyideas

It is not surprising that every 18 months over 300,000 agents leave the Real Estate Industry; The Business will test you and requires mental toughness and Determination. Keep nourishing your mind and remember this idea by Stephen Covey: "The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities." - #keyideas

Whether you call it Grit, Backbone, or Determination it is nearly impossible to succeed in Real Estate without it... But what is it really? What if we called it the Courage to keep your word, and do what you said you are going to do? Could it be that simple? Example: Place in your calendar that you will call 15 people a day and talk about Real Estate, and then do it! Could it be that simple? - keyideas

What if you allowed yourself to view Happiness as a series of small Habits that you can control whenever you feel like it? For Example you can focus on the things you can control like calling a friend and encouraging them on their journey, going for a walk at a park nearby, being grateful that today is a good day simply because you say so! - Play games with happiness and you will find it all around you! - #keyideas

It is impossible for you to lift 500 pounds of rice all at once - but you can easily handle small bags of 5 pounds 100 times. Any Worthwhile Project is going to be a Big Endeavor - break it into tiny repeatable tasks and you are on your way towards completion. Being overwhelmed is the panicking over how to handle 500 pounds of rice; being methodical is the handling with great care of each of the 5 pounds, one at the time! - #keyideas

As an Entrepreneur your potential is not purely depended on your intellect, it is determined by your Daily Habits. Nearly 60% of Real Estate Professionals failed in the first 18 months simply because they had No Daily Agenda - they know what to do, but they do not put in their calendars what needs to be done daily, and actually do it! Tell me when you wake up and what you do in your first hour - and I will tell you if your Business Plan has a Solid Foundation! - #keyideas

A journey towards meaning could be nurtured by the paraphrasing of Buddha: "Your purpose in life is to find your Purpose in Life, and to then use it for the Good and for Serving others." It is not easy to start on that journey, but soon you shall come face to face with it... It is akin to betting on yourself that at your core your dignity matters, and your inner light shall shine... - #keyideas

If you let your anxieties over an upcoming event or a person become larger than they should, they will cripple you. Prepare the necessary amount, accept that you are letting 'anxiety' have its moment, then march into your meetings and do your best - that's it! Don't let your anxieties run your day and turn into Stress - these pseudo-fears are best tackled as quickly as possible so your day is always open for prospecting activities, and meeting new potential clients! - #keyideas

It is difficult as an entrepreneur to make progress with your business plan if you don't allow yourself some Selfish Time - and the best time to do so is early in the morning. This will allow you to prioritize your projects before your day is eaten by the requests of others. Yes as a Real Estate Professional it is your job to be Responsive, and that means being responsive to yourself as well! - #keyideas

Having the ability to call on your Creativity in Real Estate Prospecting and Lead Generation is paramount, and it starts with people - loving people. Van Gogh said it best: "I feel there is nothing more artistic than loving people." So go on and build meaningful relationships - they will last you a lifetime! - #keyideas

Obstacles in your Real Estate Career will occur even in the best of circumstances, but why erect road blocks of your own? Such as: Getting too attached to a deal at the expense of Prospecting - learn to pivot and move forward. Saying Yes to a Buyer or Seller when your gut is telling you not to take it - I know you want to help everyone, but you don't get paid to help - you get paid to close deals! - #keyideas

Positive people are not luckier than you, nor for that matter smarter than you - they choose their battle wisely and they know how to decompress, either by writing, meditation, exercising, or simply walking... Do not buy into the idea that to succeed in Real Estate you should be able to fix all the problems that are thrown at you - that will lead you to become obsessive, or worse, you start becoming the problem that needs fixing... - #keyideas

You cannot, you must not, you should not approach the Real Estate Business as an employee - Yes the industry does need good Administrators, but they know they have a job - they do not pretend to be entrepreneurs. As a Realtor you only have one guarantee when you wake up - it is to be your own boss - that's it; there will be no paycheck at the end of the week unless you close a deal. Stop walking the line of Real Estate like a pretend employee - you are it. Welcome to the best gig ever! - #keyideas

Intention and Desire for Success are very important, but 'Intention' needs validation through Action, or you will experience the Law of Diminishing Returns through Neglect. Many of our Real Estate Agents have not achieved their goals simply because they "Neglected" them - what a shame!? This year for every goal you wish to achieve design an Activity Plan, ask your Broker to review it, and then focus on the activities being accomplished - the success of the goal will be right there smiling back at you! - #keyideas

Let's be honest about it, Real Estate is a competitive business - you have to create it and take it, or another agent will. So what if I told you that by simply doing what you don't feel like doing, that you know you should be doing, will put you ahead of half the agents in your market? Many of you should not work from home; Get Dressed, Read a Good Book, and Show up to tackle your daily to-do list; you know what's on that list - you put it together - Get to it! - #keyideas

Your Real Estate Success journey does not need to a torturous one, but it must include truth and courage! Start where you are, Start with what you have, Start with what you can do, and you are off on your way... Jim Rohn says: "Do what you can, and do the best you can..." as well as: "We must all suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret." - #keyideas

The process of Real Estate Success is the realization that what is not working is not you; you are not a flawed being - you are a being who may be lacking Success Habits! You can choose to blame the market, the economy, your broker, or your family for lack of results - or turn inwards and ask yourself: Have I developed the thinking of a Successful Entrepreneur? Am I reading the books that will nourish my mind? Could I be the person getting in the way of my full potential? When you do you embark on a journey of Responsibility - and Oh my, you are on your way... - #keyideas

Becoming a Good Problem Solver in your Real Estate Career is a must, but sometimes we start having tunnel vision, not realizing that we could be deepening the problem. Here are 3 questions that could help you reframe a problem and enhance your creativity towards solutions: 1. Have I become part of the problem inadvertently? 2. Do I need to pause and seek the advice of my broker, coach, or colleagues?  3. Is it really a problem or are my clients simply venting and all I need to do is listen? - #keyideas

I understand the pain that some of you feel when your dreams are challenged and questioned by those who are closest to you - your family and dear friends. Know that they love you but they are scared that the journey you are wishing to undertake is filled with challenges, and their way to protect you is to keep you from embarking on it - Yes, It is difficult to dream! - #keyideas

If you want to guarantee a day at the mercy of others rather than one driven by you, continue making these 3 common blunders first thing in the morning: 1. Check your emails first thing; 2. Check your phone messages; and 3. Turn on the Television (worse put the News on.) Why not create your day by having 30 minutes to yourself, even an hour filled with thinking, reflecting, reading, family, or simply taking care of your well-being - Try it, your effectiveness will increase. - #keyideas

The Power of 'Reflection' reveals its beauty when you start seeing the dots connecting - Your plan, your actions, your connections, your work, your family, your passion start becoming a connected mesh of Success that you weave with the threads of Intention. So Pause once a week, alone with your business journal in a quiet space, and let your thoughts guide you. - #keyideas

What if we viewed 'Opportunity' as an exotic abundant metal that we attract with the right magnet; and that Magnet was 'Discipline?!' We hear some say 'I was at the right place at the right time' - what if it was not pure luck at all, but rather the discipline of showing up, the discipline following up, the discipline of listening, as well as the discipline of daily preparation - What if? - #keyideas

Trusting your thinking and your mind will require that you feed it a proper diet of ideas, strategies, books, inspiration, affirmations, and gratitude - Our minds and creativity expand on what we focus on, so let me throw a challenge to you - reduce your news intake in 2017 by 50% and see how much more you can accomplish - happiness lurks in simplicity! - #keyideas

There are 2 ways to approach the battles of Real Estate, and don't kid yourself getting a listing, putting together a deal and closing it, prospecting, are all daily battles - The majority of agents fall in love with the spoils (the results), but the few wise and most successful agents fall in love with the process, the preparation, the ups and downs - the battle itself. - #keyideas

You can easily narrow the effectiveness of a Real Estate Professional to their 'Communication Skills', which on the surface looks easy, but dig deeper and you will notice how demanding it really is. Communication is not a skill you master and you are done, it is a skill you continue to hone in until your last breath, and maybe beyond. Here is one tip: Listen for the silence between the thoughts - that's where the truth lies. - #keyideas

Sun Tzu, 2,500 years ago said: "Every battle is won before it is fought" referring to the act of preparation; and those who are prepared do not rely on their brain for storage - they rely instead of well-prepared checklists for everything. Do you have a checklist for holding Open Houses? Have you put together a checklist for entering your listings in the MLS? Have you designed an after-Marketing checklist once you have a closing? Or are you simply winging it as you go along? - #keyideas

Massive change in your Real Estate Business Plan is hardly ever lasting, especially if the new activities are not tackled in small doses over a good period of time - Think 10 to 20 Weeks. Two hours of your business day generate the majority of your new clients; the rest is meant to service, manage, and structure your transactions. Prospect today, Prospect tomorrow, Prospect always, or the Beetlejuice of Failure will get you! - #keyideas

To desire to be successful in your Real Estate Business and not nourish your most important muscle, "your brain", is a contradiction; it shows a lack of true commitment to one's career and more of a 'hope of winning the lottery' type of thinking... You can only become what you think about and it is mostly affected by what you are reading and the people you are surrounding yourself with! - #keyideas

Let me share a Welcome Message to Real Estate Reality: You know you are strong when you deal with failure as an occurrence not as a definer of your character; You know you are humble when you allow your successes to occur and not allow them rush to your head or your ego! - #keyideas

There is an important simple idea in Productivity and Real Estate Transactions: "Do what you are supposed to do without delay; or the longer you delay the more painful the apologies." Think of it this way - you are going to have to face it anyway so why not be proactive, even if you fear the outcome is going to be negative; You will then create room for more opportunities to enter your life. - #keyideas

So many potentially good Real Estate Agents give up too soon due to a complicated deal, lack of patience, but worse because they take the challenges that come with every deal personally - they question whether they have what it takes; they forget at times that Real Estate is a process, and that Patience and Endurance play a bigger role than just knowing what to do on paper... Lou Holtz said it best: "Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you respond to it!" - #keyideas

This paraphrase of C.S. Lewis on reading says it eloquently: "Nourishing our minds with good books irrigates the deserts that our lives become when new ideas are not watered so we can grow anew." - 2017 is here, commit to selecting at least 4 to 6 books next year and spending time adding new ideas, new strategies, new ways of looking at the world and your business will flourish - you will be glad you did! - #keyideas

There is nothing wrong if you choose not to design your life's plan, goals, ambitions, and Successes - but there is a caveat: you have to accept what others have planned for you, and you are not allowed to complain. This is the best time of the year to start designing your 2017 Real Estate Business Plan - or next year will be a series of exuberant complaints, loud disappointments, and a whole lot of blaming others. - #keyideas

They say Knowledge is Power, but what they fail to say is that the Knowledge you gain deteriorates over time without proper habits. It becomes the illusion of knowing rather than  reality of making things happen... In your Real Estate Career, if you tell me what your daily activities are, I can predict your income - so marry your knowledge with activities and anchor them to sound habits and Results will always follow... #keyideas

As an Entrepreneur your Time equals Income, but many think that time is "Flexible" - this is why their income becomes flexibly challenged... If you learn to control 2 hours of your Business Day and dedicate them to Prospecting, even if you can't control the rest of the day, you will earn more than $100K per year... Those are your seed hours, cherish and protect them daily! - #keyideas

Deep down all of us know what we want out of life - yet we let a handful of bad habits get in the way of our desired business accomplishments. Don't you  dare give up! Fight back by not isolating yourself; fight back by having a business journal; fight back by reading and thinking; and finally fight back because you are happiest when you add value to others, not just yourself! - #keyideas

If you are told that you must become a Multi-Tasker to master your Real Estate Business then you are easily seduced by fluffy ideas; become a "Present Agent" - it means that when you are engaged in a client's conversation it is ok to ignore the pings from your phone. "Be Present and on Task" and your Productivity will soar, especially if your business is the business of people! - #keyideas

The easiest way to destroy your Real Estate Career is by letting Household Chores run your day - if you are married and your husband, wife or partner think you have plenty of time to do the housecleaning, the grocery shopping, the laundry, etc... then they do not respect you as a professional - and it is not their fault - it starts with you planning your week like a true professional! - #keyideas

There are ingredients that rarely show-up in checklists, nor are they expected to appear as line items in your procedures - like: Patience, Sincerity, Integrity, and Composure. They are not quantifiable like money, yet they are the most important attributes to navigate your Real Estate Transactions and turn them into Success stories! - #keyideas

If people don't know you in your Local Market it is not their fault - getting to be known and creating buzz around your name through Personal Marketing is your job. Are you Farming your neighborhoods? Are you holding Open Houses? Are you attending Local Business Events? Are you sending localized mailers? etc... People need to not only know you by name, but also know your face, and your Local Expertise... You are responsible for building your image! - #keyideas

For the Love of God can we stop just being 'Order Takers' in our Real Estate Industry, and start focusing on creating opportunities for our Sellers and Buyers... Opportunity is driven by courage, prospecting, and engagement - our customers not only want that engagement, they value it. Does your Calendar reveal your courage? - #keyideas

The act of Thinking is a muscle that needs to be exercised; one of the best ways is 'Active Reading' followed by 'Active Writing.' Active Reading simply means selecting a good business book, sitting down at your desk daily, and for 15 minutes focusing on what you reading and letting your thoughts emerge - then chronicling them in a journal for 5 minutes. Being this Deliberate will transform your day and your business. - #keyideas

As a Real Estate Professional being Responsive to your clients' Needs is very important; which will cause you to become more reactive. Yet a true Entrepreneur protects two hours a day and uses them on Prospecting for new opportunities. You can be both Responsive and Proactive by focusing on Abundance. - #keyideas

Your mind is like a secluded backyard with your own selection of plants and flowers, and it must be guarded by a gate. If you do not attend to it weeds and thorns will take over. The type of information you let in and the type of people you allow to influence your thinking will shape your thoughts, and affect your desired ambitions. - #keyideas

Awaken your body this morning with a Promise and Covenant to be 'You' today; and not to be shackled by your 'past' you. You are not defined by your past - you may have to make amends, but you should not be beholden to old mistakes... Learn to forgive others and find the courage to include yourself in the 'others!' - #keyideas

The fear of not letting others down will drag you kicking and screaming towards avoiding proper Delegation to other professionals; and even get you to micromanage every aspect of your business, team, or brokerage... Until you allow yourself to delegate to others and interact with them so they can win within your business, you will place a lid on your potential... a heavy lid keeping you from growth, creativity, and success beauty! - #keyideas

When you choose to reject the insanity of trying to remember everything - which I call using your mind as storage; and embrace calendaring your major events, and check-listing all your important procedures - you will find that you will remember everything; your creativity will increase; and your confidence will expand dramatically - even if you rarely refer to said lists. - #keyideas

Your Real Estate Success is revealed by the deals you close; yet Success is truly measured by the Prospecting Activities you undertake on a daily basis. You will encounter Opposition, Struggle, and Difficulties - and through them you will find your true calling and your courage. Stephen King eloquently said: “Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.” - #keyideas

Protect an Hour of Selfish Business Work Daily and try to make it your first hour. An hour with no calls; no emails; no noise or with soft gentle music; and with no one. Work on Planning; Tough Projects that require Thinking and Concentration; Strategies for better Farming and Prospecting. Don't be afraid to steal that hour from TV the night before and give it to yourself the next morning... #keyideas

Years after you have been a Real Estate Practitioner you will understand this statement: "My Success is guaranteed because I do not need anyone to create my deals; and I need many many people to make my deals happen and for my Success to continue!" - This is the concept of Interdependence and Responsibility - very few ever get to enjoy this way of Thinking or Being! - #keyideas

What is your Motivation beyond yourself to succeed in your Real Estate Career? The financial rewards of your career will only carry you so far - How you conjure a future of success that involves others will light a bright ember in your soul, and keep you coming back when the tough gets going... and the going will get tough in Real Estate! - #keyideas

What if Happiness needed a Tango Partner to dance with, and it was NOT Wealth, but rather 'Purpose'? When you are filled with Purpose you create Meaning that drags you out of your doldrums, and pulls you towards making a Difference. This quote by Denis Waitley says it best: “Happy people plan actions, they don’t plan results.” - #keyideas

There are few arenas in which competition is silly, and the "Wisdom" arena is one of them - Wisdom must be shared; Wisdom should be freely disseminated; Wisdom can never be a selfish act or it isn't Wisdom; Wisdom is the humility to learn from others as much as you are willing to Share it with others... Strive to nourish your mind and your experiences, and become a teacher to me and all the others around you! - #keyideas

Will you be criticized? Will you will feel disoriented? Yes, especially when you start doing well in your career. Are you less than perfect? We all are - Put your make-up on, Brush your bold head, Roll up your sleeves, and get to Work - that is what matters most... the rest is pure psychological hogwash. 'Showing Up' in the arena of business is Job 1 towards your Success. - #keyideas