My 10 Best Tips For Your Real Estate Career (and Your Sanity)
1. Make every effort to create the day you want to have. Get more done by allowing yourself more leeway. It’s not about “the more you do, the more you’re worth”. We’re always in “doing, doing, doing” mode – see if you can relax a bit. When we’re always in action, we miss the things can feed our soul – a beautiful sunset (it happens even if you’re stuck in traffic), a happy dog with his head out the car window lovin’ life, or the child that makes eye contact and smiles. Look around you: everything you see and touch was a vision for someone who brought it forth. Create a scene in your mind and play it out (like a movie director). Paint the scene with vibrant colors…give it energy and put yourself inside this picture. This can be a quick 3-5 min exercise.
2. If something isn’t working, be honest with yourself and let it go. When you’ve invested time, money or resources into something, it’s often challenging to pull out and stop. It can feel like “quitting”, which feels shameful or embarrassing for many of us. But the cost of digging your heels in can be too expensive in the long run.
3.Get more done by allowing yourself more leeway. Allow more time to get things done than you think you need. It’s easy to assume we can get much more done in a day than what’s realistic. It comes with juggling many balls at once, having multiple commitments. Slow down. You’ll be more clear and perform much better as a result.
4. Create a “swipe” folder where you save bits of dialogue you hear, articles you read, or insights you come across. This is great to reference when writing emails, having conversations with new people, posting on social media, etc.
5. Be decisive—try my 3D rule. The 3-D Rule: Do it, Delegate it or Dump it. Practice saying NO more often, with grace. That can be in person or even simpler things, like your emails. Remember to unsubscribe from lists that no longer serve you.
6. Control your day and agenda. Turn off notifications so you can remain focused & in control of your day. Set aside time to check emails, then stop and move on. Create a routine with time set for reading online articles, social media or news. By doing these things at the same time each day, you handle it and then move on. You know you have time set aside to come back to it later.
7. Carve out more time for yourself. The better you feel the more you can give to others. Can you take a new, scenic route to get to your destination? Or look for an interesting weekend class or workshop? Or simply stop for a smoothie on a sunny afternoon?
8. Plan the first 2 hours of your day: this is the most critical time to set yourself up for success. Devoting this time to your body, mind and heart will get you balanced and energized. Otherwise, the day can sweep you away and you never get back to it. It can be a simple ritual, like 20 minutes of exercise or movement, 20 minutes of learning and 20 minutes of meditation. When you first wake up, when your mind is quiet, try this easy ritual: set a simple intention for the day. Try picking one word: relaxed, engaged, present, caring, appreciative. Then give thanks for 3 positive things in your life. This sets your mind and emotions consciously so you’re in charge instead of getting caught up in the world around you.
9. Remember to notice your breath. It’s very easy to stay breathing with shallow, short breaths from your upper chest. Dropping into longer, deeper, fuller breaths from the belly gives your body a huge dose of oxygen. It wakes you up, opens your senses and relaxes tension in your body. 10 slow breaths take about 1 minute.
10. Practice focusing your positive attention and appreciation with the first person you engage with for the day. Even better if it’s a family member that you see every day! Practice your presence. How does it impact the quality of your interaction? If you were 10% more present with the next person you speak with, how would that impact the conversation? Make it your intention to get into light-hearted conversations and allow your true “you” to shine through.