From December 2017 to December 2018, I will be taking a REAL DEEP DIVE into a different topic each month. As a marketing consultant for real estate agents and the Vice President of Pruitt Title, a title company in the DC metro area, I am acutely aware of the many areas in which realtors struggle and desire change. I have chosen 13 topics to take a deep dive into that I am confident will help agents both personally and professionally. It is my hope that over the next 13 months, you will join me in this adventure and be incredibly inspired!
December 2017’s topic is GOALS.
December is my favorite time of year. There is just something in the air. Holiday hustle, Christmas cheer and the dawn of a new year right around the corner; it literally makes me giddy. To me, a new year is a chance for a fresh slate, new beginnings and endless opportunity. It is only natural to think of what goals I hope to achieve in the coming year.
That said, a couple of weeks into January and my enthusiasm seems to fade. I am and always have been pretty hard on myself. I constantly think I could have done more or should have planned better. I want to achieve so much and help so many people but the days seem to get away from me. I always seem to be striving to do better “tomorrow” or “next week” or “next year”. If I am honest with myself (and a little more gentle), I absolutely have made progress. Looking back to one year ago, five years ago and ten years ago …. WOAH! I have come SO far. And I am super proud of ME! But this year feels different. I turned 40 in July. Time to change something up. So what’s going to be different this time? Well, instead of keeping all of those hopes and dreams up in that crazy head of mine, I am going to WRITE THEM DOWN.
Why is this so hard for me? Who knows? I have difficulty focusing. Don’t we all feel like we have a touch of ADD, ADHD, Shiny Object Syndrome, SQUIRREL!!! Perhaps there is some subconscious doubt or fear happening like I won’t achieve it anyway or that’s going to be a lot of work. It’s hard to admit that but it’s true. Luckily, difficult tasks (or fear that I won’t know HOW to do something) is exactly what drives me to try it.
You will be tempted to want to write down several goals. But you must be realistic. If you try to tackle multiple goals at once, you will probably fail. So the first step is to do some soul searching. What one thing have you thought about for a long time? Do you want to lose weight? Take more vacations? Save more money? Increase your income? Spend more time with family? Volunteer more? Make that ONE THING your goal.
Next step: WRITE IT DOWN. The research is conclusive. Goals work if you write them down. Dr. Gail Matthews, a psychology professor at Dominican University in California, did a study on goal setting with 267 particpants. She found that you are 42 percent more likely to achieve your goals just by writing them down. This is fascinating to me so I dug a little deeper . . . . Neuroscience has proven that when you write something out that takes deep thought like your goals, you build over 10,000 new neural pathways in your brain in one sitting. And the more you write your goals down (even if they are the same goals), the more likely you are to achieve them. Your brain will start to think of these goals automatically by default and become a part of your subconscious. Actions we take will subconsciously be towards the goals. You can literally wire your own brain for success. WOW!
So I challenge you . . . pick one main goal and no more than one secondary goal for 2018 and write them down. I will share mine in the next blog. I hope you will share yours with me too!
If you need some additional inspiration, one of the books I listened to this month came with a free downloadable worksheet (I love a good worksheet).
I am on a mission to learn, educate and inspire realtors all over the world. We are in a very unique time right now. I hope you will join me on this adventure. It’s an amazing ride!
