By Maya Bailey, Ph.D.
RISMEDIA, Jan. 12, 2008-Do you know that 90% of Americans break their New Years Resolutions by January 31st? Here, understand why this is so, how you can prevent this from happening, and how you can turn your resolutions into a reality.
Tip 1: Be clear and specific
People are always telling me, “I want to be more successful.” Is this your goal for the New Year? If so, then start to think in specifics. What does success mean to you?
Here’s a guideline to get you started. Imagine yourself doing work you love and be specific. Do you want to work with buyers or sellers or both? Imagine yourself working with your ideal clients. What characteristics do you want them to have? Do you want them to be decisive, motivated, and up beat?
What income you want to make in the next year? Be specific. How many transactions you want to do this coming year? How many transactions per month?
Now you have a more clear idea of what it means to “be successful.” Every person’s definition of success is different. All you have to do is be crystal clear about your own personal definition of success.
Tip 2: Know your blocks and obstacles
Ask yourself, what blocks and obstacles you will have to overcome to reach your goals. Take an inventory of your own self limiting beliefs. Here are some common ones:
“I don’t have what it takes to succeed in today’s market”
“I’m not assertive enough to market myself”
“I’m not educated enough to be successful”
“Who am I to have an abundance of prosperity?”
Dig down and find out which self limiting beliefs have been stopping you. With the help of and mentor or a coach, these can easily be changed. If you don’t change them, they will continue to hold you back.
Do you feel stuck? People often report feeling like “I have one foot on the gas and one foot on the brake”. That’s a pretty good indication of self limiting beliefs or self sabotaging strategies.
What is a self sabotaging strategy? This is a pattern that never allows you to move forward. Procrastination is an easy example of this. This is one way that people often sabotage themselves. Getting caught in marketing avoidant behavior is another way.
To turn your resolutions into a reality, resolve to replace self limiting beliefs with empowered beliefs and reverse self sabotaging strategies.
Tip 3: What areas do you need to develop?
In my 10 years of coaching real estate agents to double or triple their incomes, I always find that there are areas that need to be developed. For example a lot of my clients have never mastered the art of prospecting. This may have not been such a big issue in the last 10 years, but in today’s changing market; you need to learn how to become an expert in prospecting.
What holds you back? Are you afraid to make calls? Some of my clients were even afraid to make calls to their sphere of influence before they received some coaching to find out how easy that can be. I find that when we know what to say, making the call is easy.
How confident do you feel about your buying presentation? How about your listing presentation? How about speaking in front of a group? Do you find there are areas that need to be developed? Set some specific action steps to help you get the training you need, whether it’s a coach, a mentor, a training group, books or CDs. Don’t let those areas slide if you want to turn your resolutions into a Reality.
Tip 4: Have a timeline and a plan
So you want to be successful? By what date? Stephen Covey suggests that we “begin with the end in mind.” If you project your success out to a year from today, what action steps do you need to take?
Start by noticing the areas that you want to have as your main focus. For most real estate agents, the areas they want to focus on are: confidence building, marketing, and time management. What are your main focus areas? Once you determine them, create your strategies.
How will you build confidence, learn to market yourself and improve your time management?
A huge factor in the success of your plan is to build in some accountability. As a real estate agent, you know how easy it is to let itself slide. After all, you are your own boss.
That is the big reason why people hire coaches, mentors, or join a master mind group. They want some help in holding themselves accountable. If you create a set of action steps for the week, you are much more likely to do them, if you are reporting to somebody at the end of the week. That person should ask you, “how did your action steps go?” Do you think you will be more likely to do them if you know that someone else cares?
Tip 5: Visualize the end result
Did you know that most top athletes mentally rehearse and visualize themselves performing at their best? If you’re really serious about manifesting what you want this year, take advantage of this important strategy.
Picture yourself in a year from now having all the money you want. See yourself living in the house of your dreams, driving the car that you always desired. Visualize yourself being appreciated by your clients and your family. Feel the positive feelings that this gives you. Do you feel calm, confident, and empowered? What other feelings come up for you?
Follow these five tips and you are guaranteed to turn your resolutions into a reality.
Dr. Maya Bailey, author of “Law of Attraction for Real Estate Professionals,” integrates 20 years of experience as a Psychologist and 12 years as a business coach with her expertise in the Law of Attraction. Her powerful work creates a success formula for real estate professionals ready to double and triple their incomes. Get Dr. Maya’s free report “7 Simple Strategies For More Clients in 90 Days” by visiting www.90DaystoMoreClients.com.
