Setting Goals, Looking Back to Move Forward
It’s that time of year again. As we start nearing the end of 2008 and looking forward to 2009 now is the perfect time to start thinking about your goals for the up coming year. What do you want to accomplish? What are your dreams?
I was chatting with an agent in my office yesterday and we were talking about our business goals for the upcoming year. I don’t know about you, but patience is not a virtue that I possess large amounts of. When I set a goal to do ‘x’ amount of business in the next 12 months, secretly and am hoping and expecting that it will really happen in the next 3 months and then I can spend the next 9 months on a beach somewhere soaking up sun and enjoying drinks with umbrellas in them! I’m pretty good at achieving my goals, but so far, not that good. So how do you manage your emotions and expectations when you get into the GAP? The GAP is defined as the space between when you set a goal and when it actually happens. How do you stay positive about moving forward and knowing that it will be there when it hasn’t happened yet?
As I was pondering this I started to look back into my past and realized some pretty interesting things. Turns out I am pretty darn good at this whole achieving my goals thing. Here are some examples:
~ When I first moved to the Seattle area as was not overly familiar with the different cities and what they offered I remember driving down 108th Ave in Kirkland and thinking that this would be a nice place to live some day. Today I live 2 blocks from where I was when I had that thought. And to make it even more interesting, when we were looking for houses we were actually looking in Bellevue, and yet we still ended up living in Kirkland!
~ When I was pregnant with Ryan, our second son, I ended up in the hospital at 34 weeks with pre term labor. I remember saying a prayer and asking for my pregnancy to go at least 3 more weeks. (Babies are considered full term and healthy anytime after 37 weeks.) Ryan was born 3 weeks and 3 days later healthy as can be.
~ When I was in college, years ago, I remember having a conversation with friends about what we expected our starting salaries would be in our new jobs. I said that I would expect to make at least $40,000. My first year in real estate I made $39,986.78.
Even just typing these things out makes me smile and fills me with confidence. My guess is that each and every one of you has similar stories like this. I would encourage you to write these down somewhere and take a look at them whenever you are getting anxious about accomplishing a goal. I guarantee that it will boost your confidence and make you feel like you can conquer the world!
Signup to receive Nicole's blog posts via email weekly:
Other Posts
What If Everything is An Experiment?
I’ll admit it, I’m not great at asking for help. Even when I know I need it. There are a variety of reason I struggle with asking: I’m busy and taking a step back to asses what I can outsource feels like one more task I don’t have time for. The task is something I’m…
Read More
Don’t Believe The Hype
Does the market make you want to hide out? I’ve had SEVERAL calls from agents recently with clients that are putting them through the wringer. Whether it’s sellers not accepting offers, buyers taking forever to make decisions, or clients doing the exact opposite of what you thought they were going to do – managing your…
Read More
The #1 Reason Clients Don’t Choose You
Don Miguel Ruiz said it best in his book – The 4 Agreements: Don’t Make Assumptions Find the courage to ask questions Communicate with others as clearly as you can This one agreement can completely transform your life Beautifully said. Assumptions are the #1 reason your clients don’t choose you. As agents we assume many…
Read More
Letter to My Younger Self
Today is my birthday. For me, birthdays are a beautiful mix of celebration, anticipation and reflection. This post is dedicated to reflections. Things I wish I could tell my younger self. Imposter syndrome is normal! You’ve spent so much time doubting yourself. Feeling like everyone else knows what they are doing while you’re still trying…
Read More
Managing the Adrenaline / Emotional Roller Coaster of Real Estate
Closings, getting mutual on a contract, receiving a referral – there are lots of wins in real estate. Each one brings a shot of adrenaline that feels amazing. However, those moments are often short lived, with a lot of space in between. If you aren’t careful that space can fill with self doubt, insecurity or…
Read More
Why Proving Yourself Is A Bad Idea
I competed on a listing this week that I didn’t get. It was a great one too – awesome house, great clients. It was one I really wanted. When I got done pouting I took a few minutes to ask myself, ‘where did it go wrong’? Our first appointment was amazing! The second one, not…
Read More
The Secret To Success: How Awareness Transforms Everything
‘The first step towards change is awareness. The second step is acceptance. Let us not look back in anger, nor forward in fear, but around in awareness.’ – Source Unknown Last week focused on letting go of the need to play catch up. The only thing that matters is focusing on the present moment. The…
Read More
Don’t Try To Catch Up – Just Start Where You Are
I’ve spent the last few days in Virginia at my favorite real estate conference, Genuine Hustle, where I had the honor of presenting a session on asking powerful questions. It’s the most authentic, vulnerable, supportive and all around amazing group of agents that I’ve ever spent time with. They haven’t released the location or dates…
Read More
This Phone Call Brings In The Most Referrals
Can calls really translate into referrals? Are some more effective than others? When we work with clients it’s easy to go into ‘get it done’ mode. We focus on getting from contract to closing as quickly and smoothly as possible. And to be fair, that’s a big part of what our clients hire us to…
Read More
What if EVERYTHING is Working Out For You?
What happens when you have a ‘set back’ ? Does it send you into a tail spin of fear and insecurity? Do you brush it off and move on? Or – Do you view it as confirmation that you ARE on the right path, realize it wasn’t the right opportunity or situation for you, and…
Read More