It comes down to just a few questions…
Where are you going?
Do you know?
Are you actively moving the ball down the field, striving to reach your goals with a clear destination in mind?
Or, are you riding the waves and “just hanging in there”, waiting for something to change?
… something to be different.
Either way, if you don’t know the right questions to ask yourself, or the right criteria to use in order to judge your success, you could be drastically missing your target.
Off Course By One Degree
We’re going to tell you how you can change all of this.
But first…
Just think about the difference that little decisions make. We’ve put together what we consider the definitive list of how being off course by even a mere one degree will greatly impact your life…
- After traveling one foot, you’ll miss your target by 0.2 inches
- After traveling 100 yards, you’ll be off by 5.2 feet
- After one mile, you’ll have missed your target by 92.2 feet (one degree is starting to make a big difference!)
- If you traveled from San Francisco to Washing, D.C., you’d wind up in Baltimore, 42.6 miles away
- Traveling around the globe from Washing, D.C., you would miss by 435 miles and end up in Boston
We could have factored in taking a rocket to the moon (you’d be off by 4, 169 miles and NASA wouldn’t be very happy), or if you wanted to get an upfront and personal view of the sun (you’d miss by 1.6 million miles)… I don’t think Siri could help you out with that one.
The fact of the matter is, over time, the small decisions that we make in our lives continually bump us off course of where we want to be.
A little bit here…
A mere fraction of a percent there.
It all adds up and compounds over time to where we look around and your goal is nowhere in sight.
But, there’s an easy solution.
The Step-By-Step Guide to Plotting Your Course
So some of you are already in the middle of the ocean, drifting away and just riding the currents. While that’s not optimal, it’s better than being too afraid to set sail.
But even if you’re still on the dock, inventorying and re-inventorying your supplies, there’s still a simple solution.
The first skill you need to become proficient in is plotting your course.
Now, not to get too lost in metaphor, I’m going to explain this plainly and exactly.
Goal setting is by far the most important skill a real estate professional can master. There are several factors of goal setting, let’s break down a few.
- Mindset – There is a feedback loop with mindset and your self-image, your self-worth, and your self-esteem. It’s important to recognize that the more of one you have, the other grows exponentially. That means that you can conquer bigger and badder goals for yourself the more that you believe that you can. It’s that simple. That over-used platitude, “Whether you believe you can, or you believe you can’t, you’re right, ” is over-used for a reason.
- Limiting Beliefs – This ties directly into Mindset. Basically, you will not have mastered Mindset if you still let your self-doubt dictate what you do and don’t do. Limiting Beliefs are typically negatively self-talk / self-doubt. I can’t lose weight because I’m fat. I can’t make phone calls because I sound stupid. They won’t listen to me because I’m new to the area. I have to be the one to do… I can’t do X because of Y. We’ve all had these thoughts, but once we’re able to change our inner monologue, the ability to affect change on our personal lives and businesses explodes.
- Perspective – This skill could also be labeled “Confidence.” The bigger a problem, obstacle, or issue is in your mind — and the difficulty of the corresponding “solution” — directly influence your confidence. Your brain can make anything seem un-doable. Or, it can make it simple. It’s the same obstacle, just a different Mindset. Remember, there’s a reason that Mindset is at the top of the list!
- Commitment & Desire – You have to stoke the fire of passion for your business. If it’s not there, then maybe now is the time to start searching for what your passion really is. If you don’t have the Desire to continue through the hard times, and make the Commitment to yourself, your family, and your business to do whatever is necessary to be successful, you’ll find it harder to retain the mastery of the previous 3 skills. You will always be able to justify not doing something.
