19 for ’19 – Words of Wisdom for the New Year?

Monday Morning Match is a quick post – maybe a quote, inspirational story or idea – intended to spark some motivation inside each of you so your week gets off to a fantastic start on Monday morning.

Author’s note: Don’t be overwhelmed by the length of this post. Save it and refer back to it often, when you need a boost or perhaps a realignment of your goals and priorities that you have established before embarking on the year ahead…

There are plenty of websites, blogs, and TV networks that to use the last few weeks of the year to look back and spotlight the best plays, the most viewed articles or the highest rated images and posts. Instead of looking in the past, I am ready to look ahead to the new year ahead. The blank slate we have in front of us, filled with possibility and wonder.

Even though there are 26 letters in the alphabet, it wouldn’t make sense to use all of them for a year where ’19 will be flashed everywhere. So read on to see the 19 words I chose to make part of your journey these next 365 days…

A is for Appreciation. Let’s all show more of it in 2019. Trust me when I say there are millions of people who would trade places with you right now. No matter how difficult your business and life might be, appreciate where you are and what you have. It could all be gone tomorrow.

B is for Better. Whatever you did in 2018, aim to be better in the new year. Be better at your career. Be a better friend. Be a better husband, wife or partner. Be a better member of your industry or community. It’s one of my favorite hashtags – #BecomeBetter.

C stands for Change. Embrace it. Look for it. Understand it. Welcome it.

D is for Discipline. It’s about doing what needs to be done, even if you don’t want to do it.

E is for Eliminate. I got rid of 8 different letters from the alphabet because the others I chose just seemed better. What do you need to remove from your business or life that isn’t helping you become better?

F is for Focus. Turn off the notifications on your phones, stop checking email every five minutes, stop worrying about the conversations happening on the other side of the office. “Do not disturb” or “airplane mode” might be two of your best new tech tools to utilize in the new year.

G is for Growth. Grow your clientele. Grow your sphere of influence. Grow your market share. Grow your team. Grow your income. Grow your savings.

Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid of only standing still.

– Chinese Proverb

H is for Humility. As my old boss’s boss used to say, “put the interests of your client first and the business will take care of itself.” That’s great advice and will serve you well in an world where everyone’s default seems to be “what’s in it for me?”

I stands for Inspiration. I’ve always maintained that motivation must come from inside of us. No one can “motivate you” except yourself. We all have a pilot light deep inside that we must keep burning and if it is extinguished, we must get down and find a spark to re-light it. We can, however, be inspired from outside. It might be a book, movie, song, or person. Find what inspires you and make sure you put more of that in your life.

Skip J & K…

L is for Leverage. How can you maximize your time and skills by leveraging people or systems to increase your results? As you think about where some of your biggest roadblocks or speed bumps were in 2018, start figuring out how to navigate around them in the new year by becoming more efficient and effective.

Skip M…

N is for Names. Everyone has one, make sure you use it often. It’s the one thing in the world that is ours. Our parents gave it to us and we have carried it to this point. If you see someone with a name tag on this year, start your interaction by using the person’s name. When you see past clients or former co-op agents or fellow industry members, using their name will help your name move to the top of their mind…if only out of reciprocity.

O is for Outside. Get outside of your comfort zone in the new year. Think outside of the box. Meet people from outside of your normal circle of influence. Research and learn something outside of your area of expertise. Get outside of the office every day because it’s probably pretty fair to say no one in your office will be buying or selling a house with you in 2019.

P is for Perspective…and P is for Patience. Such critical words for you to make an integral part of your year, first let’s discuss perspective. In the big scheme of things, be sure to keep your daily wins and losses in the big scheme of things. We also aren’t in the line of fire or high danger like a first responder or active member of the military. We rarely hold people’s lives in our hands like a surgeon. We are helping people make good decisions. We get to see some of the most beautiful houses and properties in our town, city, and state. We get to meet new people and help them with one of their largest financial investments ever. When it comes to the other “p” word, patience is so important to remember. Sales is not a get rich quick business and contrary to what many of us experienced in the early part of 2018, not ever sale happens within 48 hours of a house hitting the market. Make the commitment to be in it for the long haul and start earning your business and future repeat and referral opportunities by being good at what you do one day at a time.

Skip Q…

R is for Relationships. This business has never been about the houses. It’s about the people that live in them…or want to live in them. Not much more needs to be said about this one.

S is for Social. If you want to be more successful in 2019, focus on being better at social. Social networking as well as being social when you are networking face-to-face. Be someone that other people want to meet, engage with, and refer.

T is for Teamwork. Although a majority of the people in our industry are technically “independent contractors,” understand that we are all on a team. We work with our broker, not for them. We work with our clients (and have a fiduciary duty to them), lenders, title reps, attorneys, inspectors, appraisers, co-op agents, and all the other people you interact with before, during, or after our real estate transactions.

Skip U…

V is for Value. With over 1.2 million REALTORS in the National Association of REALTORS, how will you stand out from the rest? Don’t allow your customers or clients to think we are all the same. Figure out how you can package your “value” into words and actions and become worth talking about.

W is for Why. It’s not about asking “why?” all the time like someone playing the “victim card” would (as in “why me?”). It’s about reminding yourself “why” you do what you do. Go back to your original motivation for becoming a (insert your role here). When you can see that “reason” in your mind’s eye and have a clear, specific understanding of what you’re trying to do, you have a better chance of being successful.

Skip X, Y, and Z…

Each of the letters by themselves could serve as a good mantra, philosophy, or reminder for your year ahead, however, when you look at them as ingredients in a recipe, they each become more powerful to make sure the recipe you follow in the new year will make it a special campaign.

Celebrate your successes from 2018 but get ready to build relationships, solve problems, and have fun over the next twelve months. It’s going to be a fun ride.

Happy New Year! May this be your best year ever!

Photo credit Luke Porter

Photo credit by Nathan Lemon

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez