My first job was rock picking.

Yes, that exists in a wee small town somewhere in Canada in the late 1980s. I spent many springs walking behind a tractor, picking up rocks and putting them in a bucket. When my bucket was full, I dumped it on the trailer that was being towed in front of us. The farmers would rather have local kids pick the rocks out of a field than to pay for an incredibly expensive new sowing pin when one hit the head of a rock. At the end of the day, the farmer would hand me a wad of cash and send me on my way with an occasional “good job”.

On your slow and steady crawl from rookie RealtorⓇ to 365-day success story, let me just remind you that everyone you meet is going to tell you how it feels at the top. They’ll flood you with stories of how successful they are and everything they did right. You’ll hear about the number of deals they are doing and find yourself comparing your own business to theirs. If you are anything like me, in the beginning, your stomach will knot with insecurity knowing you are nowhere near where they are. That’s the sign of a competitive soul.

What they’ll likely leave out of their incredible David and Goliath type story is, they most definitely failed a trillion times before they got where they are. And the big ol’ sash of confidence they display across their chest, was earned. Not necessarily in real estate, but at some point in their lives, the universe stung them with the bitter sting of failure and imperfection. That’s where the best lessons live.

A strong and healthy business is built slow. It has vision, planning and passion. It’s the addition of more and more blocks to your foundation that will keep your financial house from blowing over. It’s true, there will be some new agents around you that will have immediate success. I urge you to not compare yourself or be in competition. I beg you not to search for the easy button. Keeping doing the things you know should be done every single day. Success is in the little tasks. It’s perseverance when things feel hard. Mastery of your new craft lives in doing all the things no one thought to do. Don’t allow the temptation of competition to take you off course.

You are not just selling and buying homes with folks. You are helping families acquire their dreams. Homeownership is an investment in the future, and if done right, an investment in the legacy your clients will leave their family. Your goal as a new agent right now is to source the best systems, knowledge and tools to help them get there. That’s what will make you great!

So, before you go comparing yourself to that mouthy Spartan in your office that started this journey before you, consider for a moment that you are just being told where you will be a year, two years, five years from now. A hard worker with a vision hardly ever stays the rock picker forever. View this time as the horizon, not your ceiling. Everyone has to start somewhere, and this is yours. The best part is, you get to design it every step of the way.

I’d love to hear your stories about things you’ve overcome on your journey so far. Don’t leave out any details!

Until then, keep your feet moving, chin up … and burn the white flag.

sz 

Learn more about building your business from the ground up. Join NA365 Missions. 12 expert trainers teach you what you need to know to create a solid foundation. 12 weeks, 12 missions to complete. $100 entry fee. Sign up at www.newagent365.com.

Copyright 2019 - NewRealtor365