develop personal confidence Archives - Wade Webb Real Estate Coaching

20 REALTOR© Personal Development Goals For 2022

Wade Webb on May 25, 2022

Personally and as a REALTOR© what personal developments goals do you have for 2022? What do you want to achieve in the next 5 to 10 years? No, I am not talking about ticking off those bucket list entries. I am talking about the ways that you – the person, the mind, the body, the spirit – would like to develop. What do you want to work on? How do you want to change? Who do you want to become? A few big questions, right? But they have to be. If you want to successfully evolve over time, you have to have some idea of how you want to do so. Hence this list. The ultimate list, perhaps. The only list of personal development goals you’re ever likely to need. You might already feel well versed in some or even many of these points, but there will be others that you look at, think about, and realize that you need to work on. So without further ado, let’s look at them…

Develop A Growth Mindset

Before you can begin the work that’s necessary to change, you have to believe that change is possible. That’s why it’s so vital to nurture a growth mindset first and foremost. Only then will you accept your potential and be willing to realize it.

Be Proactive

You could wait for change to come to you, or you could go out there and make it happen. It’s important to remember that you can create opportunities for yourself AND take full advantage of the opportunities that present themselves.

Know Yourself

One-size-fits-all does not work for personal development. You have to know yourself, your traits, and your personality, and adapt your approach to best suit the type of person you are. Think along the lines of your Enneagram or Myers-Briggs type, only more refined.

Never Give Up

If you can master patience and perseverance, you can master anything. Change is not always easy; if it were, you’d have done it already. It requires a steely determination to not quit when the going gets tough. This is one of the key foundations onto which all goals are built.

Accept Your Flaws

I know, I know, we just spoke about never giving up. And, yes, you can always try to better yourself in any way, shape, or form you see fit. But given that change is a lifelong process, you also have to accept that you are not perfect and never will be. Think of yourself as a work in progress.

Make Better Decisions

You make hundreds of choices each and every day: which sweater to wear, what to put in your sandwich, which playlist to listen to. It’s the big decisions, however, that really matter. Get those right and your life can change in all sorts of positive ways.

Practice Gratitude Daily

You will not appreciate anything until you can appreciate everything. Ok, that’s a nice sound bite, but realistically speaking, this doesn’t have to include the really bad stuff (we’re not trying to diminish serious trauma here). It should, however, include all the little things you probably overlook on a daily basis, but that make life so worthwhile.

Be Open-minded

There are many opinions and many perspectives in this world; yours will be different to those held by others. Seek to remain open to the possibility that what you believe to be true isn’t necessarily the case. Most things are subjective and to think otherwise is a barrier to growth.

Commit To Lifelong Learning

We learn things each and every day; life is always providing lessons. But you can also commit to a life of serious, meaningful learning in order to challenge yourself, grow your mind and perspectives, and promote good mental health and brain health.

Live Authentically

What’s the point of living life as someone you’re not? Why hide your true self behind some facade? Instead, strive to be genuine, honest, and authentic in everything you do. You’ll find life is much easier and more enjoyable when you are comfortable in your own skin.

Believe In Yourself

Have a little faith in yourself and in your ability to endure and overcome any hardship or face any challenge. When you have true self-belief, you can approach life with confidence and resolve, and this will bring you a great deal of peace.

Overcome Your Anxiety

Dovetailing nicely with self-belief is the goal of diffusing any anxious thoughts and feelings you might have. This won’t happen overnight, but it is possible to work on your anxiety and reduce its impact on your life over a period of time. All it takes is the right tools and continued effort and perseverance.

Learn To Cope With Stress

Life will send stressful events your way; that’s inevitable. But you have some say in how you respond to these events. If you can approach any trial or tribulation with a calmness and assurance, you will find them easier to bear and quicker to resolve. Finding ways to deal with your stress is a must.

Be A Better Friend

The people you share your life with will have a huge influence on your enjoyment of it. Likewise, you will have a huge impact on the lives of others. By being a good friend to those you care about – and this includes your family too – you can be a source of joy and a pillar of support.

Ditch Drama

Filling your life with drama might seem like a good way to feel alive, avoid boredom, and express yourself, but you are only being held hostage by your ego. A life free from drama is less stressful, more joyful, and better for your mental health.

Nurture Optimism

Whether you see the glass as half full or half empty can influence your life in countless ways. A more optimistic mindset is linked to better general health and can make you more receptive to positive outcomes. Just be sure not to let a hopeful outlook stray into the realms of misguided, delusional optimism.

Find A Healthy Work-Life Balance

We spend huge chunks of our lives working, yet many people have an unhealthy relationship with their work. You should strive to find a balance between your work and the rest of your life. Always keep this in mind: work to live, don’t live to work.

Be More Mindful Of The Present Moment

Speaking of work, it’s important that you stop thinking about it when you are away from it. Push it out of your consciousness along with any other troubles that you can’t act on. Be present in whatever you ARE doing; be mindful of the people you are with and the places you go. This will bring you true peace of mind.

Shake Bad Habits

Our habits play such a large role in our lives, and if you can break those that might be detrimental to your well-being, you can shift your life in a more positive direction. Whether that’s quitting smoking, checking your phone less often, or not picking at your skin, conquer your bad habits and watch what happens.

Form Good Habits

While breaking your bad habits, you can form new, healthier habits to take their place. Habits that improve your physical and mental well-being; habits that simplify your life; habits that improve your relationships. Just remember that habits take time to form, so, as stated in goal #4, don’t give up on them.

Now take a moment now to really think about your personal development goals and which of those above are most important to you. Or, if you have other goals in mind, flip me an email to help other readers gain clarity on the path they’d like to take.

Strength and courage,
Wade

Agents Boost Most Read Posts For 2021

Wade Webb on January 5, 2022

2021 was another great year for Agents Boost thanks to you our readers. Again we had thousands of visitors from countries all over the world checking out our new and seasoned posts. Out of our years of contributions the 10 Ten read post by our agents for the year were as follows.

1. F.O.R.D. – Learn the Secret to Engage Your Clients

2. Powerful Pre Listing Appointment Questionnaire

3. The Top 7 Prospecting Methods In Real Estate

4. The Secrets to Getting More Offers Accepted in Todays Market

5. Shocking Real Estate Sales Stats That Will Change How You Do Business

6. Do You Have Systems, Checklists and Processes?

7. The Top Agents Daily Checklist

8. Getting More Listings In 2021

9. Must Read Books For Real Estate Agents In 2021

10. How Do I Schedule More Real Estate Appointments?

Strength and Courage,

Wade

Are You Battling With Self Doubt?

Wade Webb on September 22, 2021

Have you ever felt like you weren’t enough? That no matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t silence the negative self-talk that stops you from chasing your dreams and your goals for your real estate career? You might experience imposter syndrome, a nagging feeling that makes you doubt your abilities. Escaping that mind state isn’t easy, but millions of people have done it—and so can you. It starts with identifying who you want to be and letting go of the perfectionism crippling your journey in real estate. I personally struggle with self-doubt and feeling like I am enough more than I would like to accept or admit it. What I have learned from this feeling is we don’t reach success or our full potential until we become the hero of our own life! This week I want to share a few tips to help us all including myself battle the self-doubt, self-worth battle in us all.

1. Envision your best self. – All personal growth in ourselves starts with one question “What does my best, most powerful self, look like?” It’s a challenging question because you can’t use someone else as a reference point. It’s not as simple as responding, “I want to be exactly like my mentor or an entrepreneur on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list.” Upgrading your life is a deeply personal task. Every little tweak should be intentional enough to move you in the right direction. Instead of modeling your life after someone else’s, identify what makes other people successful. Is it their confidence that propels them forward? Do they have more discipline than the average person? Whatever those superpowers are, write them down. Keep the list close by so that each day you can work on adopting those traits. In the meantime, be patient with yourself. It can take years to identify all the changes you need to make and master new habits. No matter what happens, know that each failure—and they’re bound to happen—isn’t the end of the world. You still have time to correct those mistakes and get better each day. Even if you want to be a nicer person—let’s just say that to keep it easy—you don’t wake up, and all of a sudden, you’re nicer. It takes time, effort and energy from repetitiveness to become that.

2. Stop chasing perfection. – Did you know that perfectionism has more to do with ego than wanting everything to be perfect? Most people know that life has its flaws. But the ego has a self-serving agenda and tries to convince us otherwise. It pushes us to believe that if we try a little harder, everything can be perfect. It’s impossible to grow with this mindset, especially when you’re facing self-doubt. The good news is you can beat perfectionism with flexibility. When facing a difficult challenge, reframing the situation stirs those rigid, unproductive thoughts. I [went] from spending two days feeling bad about myself, letting a negative voice come in and hold me back, to the point where now, in real-time, I can say, “ How do I want to respond to this based on the person I want to be?” Here are four steps to reach that point:

Get comfortable being uncomfortable. Real growth happens when you’re pushed outside of your comfort zone.
Have a learner’s mindset. Take some pressure off of yourself by admitting that you don’t have all the answers. If you’re feeling like an imposter in a room of experts, ask questions. Give yourself permission to grow.
Don’t create deadlines for your growth. Becoming your best self doesn’t need to happen by a specific date.
It’s a lifelong process, so focus on the journey, not the destination.

3. Manage your emotions. – Before you get stuck in feelings of self-doubt, try to regulate those emotions. Ask yourself one question: “What are the things I need to do right now to show up? That could mean you speaking up in meetings, even when you are immobilized by fear. I found being in those meetings extremely detrimental to my self-esteem…. You’re in a room full of people, and you have no idea what they’re talking about, and I felt bad about myself. Then I said, Ok, you have a choice. You can keep coming into this room feeling bad about yourself, you can stop coming into this room or you can admit that they’ve got 15 years on you, and now you can start putting your head down and learning instead of focusing on the emotion you feel badly about. Another part of emotional regulation is taking care of yourself. No matter how busy you are as an entrepreneur, eating well and exercising are two ways to stay in control of your emotions. It’s hard to make good decisions when tired or hungry, so creating healthy routines is vital. I lift weights with my trainer (after resting well), and do my best to be mindful of how certain foods affect my body. Everyone has different needs, though. Be sure to learn your body so you can have an emotionally successful day, stay in control and slowly conquer the self-doubt that’s holding you back and know you are not alone.

Strength and courage,
Wade

Taking Control Of Our Thoughts

Wade Webb on May 19, 2021

The human mind cannot tell the difference between what is real and what is not real. Think about the fact that Fear starts within your own mind, which means that your mind can help you overcome them if you give it a chance. If you want to move beyond your fear, you have to learn to discipline your mind. Whether in your personal life or in your real estate business your mind can be your biggest enemy or your biggest asset—it’s truly up to you. If you want your mind to be your friend, you’ll have to take control of the way you think. Many people aren’t intentional with their thinking; they allow whatever thoughts bubble up into their minds to have priority, as if they have no control over what they think about. I fully believe that your mind is something you must protect and take charge of; in the Bible, the apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Philippian church that we must take control over what we think.

Paul put it this way: “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy— think about such things” (Phil. 4:8).

Notice what Paul says we should think about: things that are good, noble, right, pure, lovely— it’s essentially the original call to the power of positive thinking! The content we think about has the power to transform our minds, something that Paul wrote about in his letter to the Romans when he said, “be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Rom. 12:2). If you’re tired of thinking negative, self- defeating thoughts that are darkened by fear, then you have to turn your thoughts to good, noble, and right things in order to renew your mind. It’s a challenge, because for some people, the power of positive thinking is really just the power of denial of negative thoughts. But denial doesn’t help you grow; denial doesn’t renew your mind. Only turning your thoughts to things that are good and healthy can do that.

Learning to renew your mind this way is crucial because, in my experience, there are plenty of people who will go out of their way to challenge your thinking and make you doubt. This has happened to me before some of my walks. People always focus on the potential negative outcomes, the possibilities of my failing and falling. I understand why they ask—they simply cannot imagine doing what I do because they cannot imagine overcoming what I’ve overcome. Their minds go only to the dark and negative places, and that’s where they expect me to go when they ask questions. But negativity is a vacuum—it will suck you in and hold you there, a trap that will disengage you from your visions and goals. That’s why I always encourage people to remove anyone and anything negative from their lives. You can’t live in the negative realm and overcome your fears, which means you can’t be around people who live there. Negative people will always want you to be negative.

Disciplining your mind will require sacrifices, but it will give you freedom. Start by writing down your thoughts so you can examine them. Take an hour and write down everything that comes into your head, without filtering it. Then, after the hour is up, take a look at what you’ve written down. Is it mostly positive or mostly negative? Full of doubt or full of faith? Look at the pattern because you’ll either need to break it or encourage it, depending on whether or not it’s building you up toward what’s good.

When you discipline your thoughts and where you allow them to go, you begin to move in the direction of your dreams. This discipline is crucial because it is the foundation for your future, and when you have a firm foundation, even if you fall, you get back up that much quicker. Build a firm foundation by surrounding yourself with positive people and positive things. Fill your mind with positive music and messages, positive words and images. Avoid putting destructive or hurtful junk into your brain, because what you put in you’ll inevitably get out.

Strength and courage,
Wade

Dealing With Uncertainty as a REALTOR©

Wade Webb on May 5, 2021

If this year has taught us anything, it’s uncertainty. Although we may see the light at the end of the tunnel with the vaccine accessible to most, it’s going to take a while to shake off the trauma 2020 delivered. Uncertainty flooded our everyday lives—between not knowing when our health and safety wouldn’t be under threat, to not understanding the different restrictions state to state, to simply not knowing when our daily lives would resume to normal. It was tough to swallow. But this is not the only time in our lives that we will face uncertainty. 2020 was unique because uncertainty plagued all of our lives. Typically, uncertainty strikes different people at different times. Ideally, the following tips will help aid you through this year, but also in years to come. Here are some best practices on how to cope when uncertainty strikes:

Uncertainty is never permanent. Or better put, uncertainty is always temporary. No matter what you’re going through, this period of crisis will pass. No matter how long ago March 2020 feels, we all know that at some point our lives will return to normal. Although we don’t know when that will happen, it’s comforting to know that every stressful season of uncertainty is temporary. Hold on to the knowledge that the stress and anxiety has an expiration date, regardless of how acute it feels today.

Predictability = safety + security. In order to feel like we are in control, we need two things: safety and security. Without either, our lives tend to feel like they’re spiraling. That’s why 2020 felt so chaotic and traumatic for so many; our daily routines and coping mechanisms were stripped away because of safety concerns. Without our typical fallbacks, we felt insecure. And for obvious reasons, many of us did not feel safe all year. So whenever you feel out of control with no method to predict what’s coming next, try to ground yourself through safety and security. Create a routine and stick to it. Focus on things that are inside of your control instead of depending on others to follow through (cc: mask etiquette). Together, these aspects can give you a sense of predictability and control in your life.

Hold space for negative emotions. PSA: It is absolutely OK to not be OK. Sometimes, it’s absolutely necessary to not feel OK. We as a culture have a problem with toxic positivity. We love to airbrush over troubled times and pretend that everything is peachy keen, even as the world as we know it is crumbling around us. Thanks, Instagram! Combat this urge to gloss over the ugly emotions by embracing them. Give them a name. Understand them. Ask them to come inside and offer them a warm beverage and a salty snack. Welcome them with curiosity and compassion. And once you get to know them, release them back to where they came from. Trying to sweep negative emotions under the rug only gives them more power. They exist. And they’re not going anywhere until you give them acknowledgement, and sometimes, a voice. This doesn’t mean you have to be consumed by them. In fact, holding space for negative emotions does just the opposite. It gives them a time and a place to be heard so they can leave in a timely manner and not wreak havoc on the rest of your day. This is why so many people tend to bounce back. They acknowledge their emotions and therefore make room for other positive emotions soon after.So don’t be afraid to get comfortable with the icky feelings you’re actively trying to push away. The sooner you make space for them, the sooner they’ll pass.

Accept your reality. During times of acute uncertainty, it’s almost instinctual to wish for easier times. We love to recreate reality in our imagination in order to cope. But we can’t change our reality. And when the dissonance between what we wish was reality and what is actually reality comes to a head, it’s easy to feel despondent and depressed. Don’t set yourself up for failure. Instead, accept the reality of whatever situation you’re in and work to adapt to that. If you continue to force a false narrative on yourself, you’ll spin your wheels until you are forced to surrender. Instead, get creative within your reality. For example, plenty of 2020 brides eloped instead of having the 200-person gala, and ended up loving their intimate moments. Zoom happy hours replaced restaurant happy hours. Romantic restaurants with all of the fixings popped up in living rooms everywhere. Those who made the best of what they could were also the ones who quickly accepted the new norm and adjusted in suit. The quicker you can accept your reality and abandon your fantasies, the easier dealing with the real world will be.

Simplify your life. “K-I-S-S. Keep it simple, stupid” If you try to overwhelm yourself with the complexities of life during any time of uncertainty, you’re just piling it on yourself for absolutely no reason. Go back to the basics. What do you need to accomplish today? You probably need to get out of bed, feed yourself, clean yourself, clothe yourself, do your job (whatever that entails), take time for yourself, connect with others and sleep. So please don’t try to make it any more difficult for yourself than it already is. When in survival mode, we need the basics to anchor us. The things that we know we need to do, and that we even like to do, during times of crisis. The rest can fall off until things stabilize. So if you are pressuring yourself to do more than necessary, you’re only adding additional chaos to an already delicate situation. Go easy on yourself. Keep it simple. There will be a time in the future when things will go back to normal, and you can be your complicated, over-achieving, hard-worker self. I promise.

Set yourself up for success. Humans love progression. We like feeling in control of our situations, and we like seeing growth happening right before our eyes. So one of the easiest ways to feel better about yourself during times of acute uncertainty, is to create small actionable goals for yourself to cross off a list. Seriously, the smaller the better. Think: taking your supplements; drinking a certain amount of water per day; walking X amount of steps; cleaning your room… Hell, taking a shower can even count on some days. And, each and every time you achieve one of your small goals, celebrate. Give yourself a pat on the back for surviving during one of the harder times of your life. We don’t give ourselves enough credit most days – and in times like this – we could use all of the self-confidence we can get. So be sure to show up for yourself by keeping the small promises you’re making, and by celebrating when you’ve followed through with them.

Practice self-care. Self-care can be defined as anything you do to rest, reset or reflect. At its best, self-care is used to refill your cup. We all need to nourish ourselves and our energy, and the best and fastest way to do this is to engage in self-care. However, self-care is typically the first thing that goes out the window during times of crisis. We decide we have to focus on everything else—our jobs, our finances, our families, and our friends. But without caring for ourselves first, the rest of these will inevitably suffer. Even though it feels impossible, carve out time for yourself. If you neglect yourself, you won’t be able to show up as your full self whenever times are tough. Replenish your energy and invest in your own happiness and relaxation. You’ll see the benefits rather quickly if you stay consistent. To everyone feeling hyper-stressed out thanks to a grueling year, I’m with you. I hope these tips bring you some comfort, solace and relief from the chronic pressure you’ve been experiencing. And remember, uncertainty is never permanent. This will pass. But in the meantime, these tips will help you cope until we are back into our natural routines and rhythms.

Strength and courage,
Wade

How Do We Practice Self Love?

Wade Webb on February 17, 2021

Wanted to change things up and get a little more personal. We’ve been challenged physically, mentally, emotionally, existentially and fiscally, To put it lightly, 2020 has not left one corner of our lives unscathed, and every step of the way, we’ve felt the pressure. Pressure to get up in the morning with a smile on our face. Pressure to resume normal duties at our jobs and with our families. Pressure to remain optimistic even though our normal hobbies and favorite people are no longer available to us. How are we supposed to cope with all of this stress, knowing that most of our typical go-tos are off limits? My personal therapist Christine and I have been really practicing consistent self-love which I believe is the antidote for so many stressful seasons of our lives. While it might feel tough to nourish a healthy relationship with “ourselves” right now, it may just be the one constant in your life that will help you rise up during pressing times. So how does one even begin to practice self-love? First, let’s go over what self-love is and what it looks like, and then we’ll dive into how you can incorporate the actual practice of self-love into your daily routine.

The Four Stages of Self-Love

1. Self-Awareness – It’s as simple as this: Before we can love ourselves, we must know ourselves. While this may seem like an obvious point, it’s actually incredibly easy to lose sight of who we are amongst the chaos of everyday responsibilities, tasks and goals. We can get caught up in our “roles” in life and not pay attention to our core. So before you dive into your personal journey of self-love, take some time to make sure you are falling in love with the right person. Reflect on your authentic self—what drives you? Motivates you? Excites you? Disappoints you? Saddens you? Angers you? Inspires you? Relaxes you? But above all: Take all the time you need to seriously consider your deep-seated values and how they affect your decision-making and your triggers. Your values are the blueprint for who you are as an individual. They are the most telling things about you—and without knowing them intimately, loving yourself is going to feel forced and forged. If you’re looking for ways to dive into who you really are, I recommend looking into assessments. The Myers Briggs Type Indicator is a great start, along with the Enneagram, DISC and Strengths Finder. The longer you stay in this phase, the better you’ll get to know yourself. Don’t rush.

2. Self-Acceptance – Warning: When you dive deep into the inner crevices of exactly who you are, you might not love everything you see. That’s OK. We all have our random quirks and values that don’t look stunningly gorgeous on paper. The point isn’t to look at an airbrushed version of ourselves—but to fully embrace and accept all of who we are, even the less desired qualities. So give yourself some grace. Accept the fact that you might be a little overly obsessed with status, or that you like to avoid pain at all costs. Embrace your values—even if they make you flinch sometimes. The goal should not be to change who you are at your core. Self-improvement is meant to capitalize on who you already are. Self-acceptance is meant to embrace those fundamental pieces that make you who you are. You are a human, and none of us are perfect. A professor of mine once said, “If everyone in a room were to throw their problems in a pile, everyone would reflect on the other problems available, and still want to dig their own back out.” So own your problems. Own your mistakes. Own your values. Once you can fully accept—and embrace—your authentic self, the easier your self-love journey will be.

3. Self-Confidence – The best way to describe self-confidence is to think of it as self-congruence. When you show up as your authentic self in the world, and act on your self-acceptance, that’s self-confidence. This doesn’t mean you have to put yourself on display every chance you get, but it does mean that you allow your values and your authentic self to guide your actions and behaviors out in the world. When you honor who you really are—and let other people see it—you’re being congruent with your actions. You’re not hiding yourself for the sake of others, and you’re not shaming yourself for being who you really are. Instead, you’re releasing the pressure to play a certain role or stereotype, and just being yourself. While it sounds easy, we all know that’s not always the case. It takes courage and bravery to decide to respect your own values and opinions more than others. But that’s what you have to do—every single day. Decide to show up for yourself and not be dictated by how others view you. And when you find yourself struggling to find the willpower to keep going, simply whisper to yourself, “Other people’s opinions of me are NOT my business.” Not everyone will love you – but that doesn’t matter when YOU love you. Which brings us to our next step…

4. Self-Love – You have arrived at the fourth and final step of the self-love journey. From here on out, you will make a commitment to yourself and to your growth. You will carve out time in your daily routine to invest in yourself, compliment yourself, reassure yourself and cheer yourself on. Because if you don’t, we cannot assume that others will. This is your responsibility, and you owe it to yourself. So what does acting on self-love actually look like? Below is the breakdown of actual steps you can take to practice self-love.

The Three Pillars of Self-Love

1. Gratitude – Every single day, write down five things you are grateful for, and reflect on why you feel thankful for these aspects of your life. They can be small, monumental, boring, exciting, static or ever changing. Follow your moods and your phases in life. But no matter what, always take the time to find gratitude in your everyday life. Examples can range from having nice weather, to waking up rested, to reflecting on your support system, to thanking yourself for working hard. Try to connect your gratitude to your values. What are you proud of yourself for? What compels you to get out of bed every morning and keep going? Be intentional about your gratitude list as often as possible. Secondly, feel free to spread gratitude to others. While it’s crucial to focus on being thankful for your own skills and determination, it’s also important to show gratitude to your support system. Write a gratitude letter to someone in your life once per week. The people you surround yourself with have a profound impact on your own self-worth—and telling them so will only help strengthen your relationships with them, and with yourself.

2. Affirmations and Positive Self-Talk – “The words we speak become the house we live in.” Think about that. If you are living in a space of negativity, badgering, shaming, judging and criticizing, how in the world are you supposed safe? Secure? Happy? It’s virtually impossible. Be careful how you speak to yourself. Show yourself love and gratitude by choosing kind and encouraging words. Have your own back—especially when it comes to standing up to your inner critic. In fact, if you have a rather vocal inner critic, be sure to externalize it by naming them. This creates a separation between yourself and your negative voice, which can help you realize that you are not indelibly tied to them. You are able to produce kind, reaffirming words, even if you are used to your inner critic being the lone voice. To get in the habit, practice saying at minimum one to three affirmations per day. They can be as simple as “I am worthy,” or as detailed as “I do not wait for others to give me permission to do what I love.” Ideally, these affirmations will set the tone for the rest of your day, and the more you repeat them, the more you’ll believe them. Between the constant source of positivity from yourself, and the undermining of your inner critic, you’ll be on your way to creating a safe environment for yourself to thrive.

3. Self-Care – Self-care can be defined as any act that nourishes the self. Some self-care acts might re-energize, while others might be for relaxation purposes. Typically, it’s used to rest, reset or reflect. Self-care will also look different for everyone. But the most important takeaway is that In order to have self-love, you have to show yourself you love yourself daily with acts of service. Taking care of yourself can be divided into three different categories: mind, body and soul. On an amazing self-care day, you’ll check off an item under all three categories. On more challenging days, you might only check off one. Here are some examples of self-care under each category:

Mind: journaling, reading for pleasure, watching a relaxing show, puzzling, drawing, crafting, knitting.

Body: exercising, having a spa day, doctor’s visits, visiting a salon, stretching, taking a bath, doing a skincare routine, facial masks.

Soul: prayer, meditation, connecting with a loved one, participating in a community event, reading a self-help or spiritually inclined book.

Remember: Everyone will have different self-care items that speak to them. For example, under “body,” some might prefer exercise over a manicure—and that doesn’t mean their self-care is better or worse than anyone else’s! As long as you are practicing self-care that fills your cup, you are doing it right. If you’re having trouble staying consistent or coming up with ideas for your own self-care, consider investing in a self-care calendar or self-care bingo to assist with the planning. Both could take the guesswork out of your planned activities and help you stay on track with your progress. I hope these tips help you curate a healthy and happy relationship with yourself. Your stability, security and sanity will thank you immensely if you can dedicate time to yourself every single day.

Strength and courage,
Wade

How To Make 2017 Your Best Year in Real Estate Ever

kelowna on December 7, 2016

3 Reviews to Increase Your Real Estate Biz in 2017

As we head into the final month of 2016, for most of us, there will be some “downtime”. Downtime driven by both the holiday season, as well as a general slowdown of activity, especially after the first two weeks of December. This is an ideal time to start planning for 2017. I have honed a process for preparing for the New Year. There are 3 reviews you need to complete before you can set a path for growth of your real estate biz in 2017. The three reviews include your transaction history, your prospecting efforts, and your personal marketing efforts.

Review Your Real Estate Business Transaction History

Where do we start? We start with the past, we start with the review of what you’ve done financially, the actual transactions that you’ve completed, and all the elements associated with those opportunities.

Once you understand where you are, you can identify where you are going. Ask yourself, what was your average deal size last year, the year before that, the year since then? What clients did you work with? Which clients were the most attractive to you, both now and in the future? What were the average size deal with those clients provided for you? Where did you get those clients? What was the source? Was it a prospect call? Was it a website, off a lead, a company referral? Was it the same clients? Where were those clients and opportunities located? What market are you best to focus on moving forward? What product type have you really been successful for in the past and what product type is best for you moving forward?

Review Your Prospecting Efforts as a REALTOR

What was your financial goal for net income goal for 2016? Money that you take home for you and your family. That’s something we really care about. What did you achieve, and what was the goal? Hopefully it was greater than your goal. If it was less than your goal, maybe you set too high of a goal. I love goals that push you, but be careful so they don’t demotivate. How many exclusives did you secure? How many listings you got went to closings? You want to explore that. Make sure you understand some of the ratios financially of your meetings, to listings, listings, to close. Look at the numbers. Look back on your efforts last year, and see where those are. Define your average gross commission income. What was your average net commission per closing? Of the listings/representations/assignments you secured, how many were unsuccessful?

When it comes to your clients, think about your top five clients. When I say top five, people go, “Okay so these five made the most money for me, they’re my top five.” Fine. That’s how you want to define top five, look at it that way. Some say, “No, top five really means those that provided me, and will provide me the greatest opportunities moving forward.” In 2016, this may have been one deal, but it’s going to lead to more deals down the road. That’s going to be a top client for you, or a client that always gives you multiple opportunities. Same client opportunities, or refers you. All they did is one or two deals with you maybe historically, yet they’re one of your raving fans. Therefore, they’re your top client. Identify your five top clients based on your parameters.

Finally look at your prospecting efforts. Prospecting is a disciplined act of asking for business. Think about what you did to specifically ask for business. Look back at some of the quantitative, and qualitative aspects of your prospecting. How many prospecting meetings did you hold in 2016? How many calls to you attempt vs. complete, and how many prospect letters (not emails) did you send?

Review Your Personal Marketing Efforts

Prospecting is hard enough when folks know you, or at least heard of your company. Prospecting without a personal presence is downright difficult. Your personal marketing efforts will reflect strongly on you prospecting results. I always focus on three elements of presence, or personal marketing. Personal, Physical, and Digital. Upon your review of your personal marketing efforts in 2016, ask yourself how many personal meetings did you have from a marketing perspective? These are meetings to get to know people. These are not prospecting meetings. These are relationship building opportunities. Maybe it was going to a conference, or going for a drink with the guys, or whatever it might be. How many personal marketing meetings did you hold? Look back at your calendar. This is vital to growing in 2017. Physical marketing efforts consist of tangible items you have mailed, gifted or sent. From the physical side, mailing side, how many times did you mail out? How many times did you send out post cards, or flyers. How many gifts did you send, or articles you shared. Again, look at your calendar, look at your marketing efforts, look at your budget, look at your expenses.

Lastly, think about the digital side. Yes, the tweeting, the blogging, the LinkedIn groups, Facebook interactions, that you actually participate in. Just because you’re a member of a LinkedIn group, and you never participate that does not count. That’s probably 95% of folks out there. Think about the digital efforts. What did you do digitally? Even e-mail blasts, and newsletters.

As noted, the first step in any process of change is always the biggest. Reviewing your transactional history, prospecting efforts and personal marketing activities will take you some time. Potentially several days. But don’t forget you will have several days of “downtime” in the weeks ahead. You can either review and then implement change, or simply do what you have always done in the past. You know, and we know that positive change, and income growth, are not products of simply doing the same thing year after year.

Commit to making 2017 your best year as a REALTOR ever. I dare you!

Strength and courage,
Wade

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F.O.R.D. – Learn the Secret to Engage Your Clients

kelowna on December 19, 2012

F.O.R.D.

A friend of mine shared with me how he really struggled with social gatherings and events.

He just didn’t have the gift of “small talk” and didn’t know how to do it well.

The problem was he specialized in luxury real estate and his client base was high net worth individuals who loved to gather in social circles. He was always being invited to social functions and fundraising events but dreaded having to work so hard at making conversation with these people.

He shared how he discovered a simple and powerful technique that changed his “small talk” dilemma for life which in turn dramatically impacted his business for the better.

A simple acronym called F.O.R.D. which stands for Family… Occupation… Recreation and Dreams.<

Whenever he came face to face with a client for the first time and one of those awkward social “small talk” moments. F.O.R.D. came to his rescue.

1) Family – Where did they grow up? Where is their family now? Do they have any siblings? Do they have any children? Now focus on their answers… ask more questions… sit back and listen.

2) Occupation – What do they do for a living? How long have they been in that occupation? What did they do before? Now focus on their answers… ask more questions… sit back and listen.

3) Recreation – What do they do for fun? Hobbies? Passions? Something they always wanted to try or do? Now focus on their answers… ask more questions… sit back and listen (beginning to see a pattern here?)

4) Dreams – What is on your bucket list? Your dreams? Goals? Aspirations? Now focus on their answers… ask more questions… sit back and listen

This simple but powerful tool called F.O.R.D. would help engage his clients, deepen his relationship with them and show he cares.

This powerful technique then sets the stage for him to share what he does for a living and causes the other party to be receptive.

It is also a powerful “confidence booster” to shine amongst people rather than dread the whole experience.

World renowned communicator Dale Carnegie said “The world’s greatest conversationalist, is someone who says little or nothing.” Isn’t it nice when someone says to you I feel like I could talk to you forever or I feel like we have known each other for some time now.

Strength and Courage,

Wade