Okay, Dan, what in the world does that title mean?

The question is: Can your business survive without personal development?

Too many real estate agents think they can put the cart before the horse and have success in real estate without building their self-esteem, their skills and their attitude.

Do you want to earn $500,000 a year in real estate?

Well, you can’t go from earning $50,000 right to making $500,000.  Different income levels take different skill sets.  You have to take it step by step.

If you want to grow your income, you must grow your personal development first.

What books have you read lately?  When’s the last time you read a book?  I’m not judging you here.   It’s just a question you need to answer for yourself.

Here are some good books to start with:

Think and Grow Rich by Dale Carnegie

The Magic of Thinking Big by David Schwartz

Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

The Millionaire Real Estate Agent by Gary Keller

The Power of Focus by Jack Canfield

Real Estate Rainmaker by Dan Gooder Richard

The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson

5 Major Pieces To The Life Puzzle by Jom Rohn

There are literally hundreds of books, CDs and DVDs that you can read, listen to and watch to improve yourself and your skills.  How much time each day are you willing to devote to improve your personal development?

To become a better real estate agent, you must become better at prospecting…better at delegating…better at organizing…better at keeping a positive attitude….and on and on.

You must become a master of the mundane.  Design your business model…simplify your systems…and take action by doing them over and over and over.  Tweak them when necessary, but have the discipline it takes to do your daily income-producing activities day after day.

Don’t overwhelm yourself in the beginning.  It’s more important to have a solid foundation of activities that you can do every work day and then build other activities into your day as your skills increase.

Don’t complete your daily activities 4 days one week, then 2 days the next week and 3 days the next week.  You must build a daily plan of action that you can consistently complete Monday through Friday of every week.

How did Michael Jordan become the best NBA player ever? He mastered the skills….you never saw the countless hours each day that he was on the practice court.  You only saw the end results of his mundane practicing over and over and over.

The same goes with Tiger Woods…his peak level of performance is only achieved by his desire to be the best and work harder and smarter than anyone else on the PGA Tour.  Haven’t we come to  expect him to win every time he enters a golf tournament?

Every journey starts with a single step.  You may well be on your way to your level of success or today may be your very first day to start over fresh.  It’s never too late to start achieving your goals!

There’s a Way To Combat Slow Sales…

But it takes more time and effort to get your desired results.

If you’ve lost your momentum, now is the time to turn things around in your mental mindset and work on the effective strategies that have proven to work for you in the past.

Many real estate agents have lost their momentum, because of the changes in the economy and the financial markets.  Many buyers are either nervous about their jobs, don’t qualify for the new mortgage programs available or don’t know if now is the best time to buy a home.

Well, with mortgage interest rates hovering around historic lows, an over-supply of properties available and favorable housing prices, I believe now is a great time to buy a home.

The key to success is to regain your momentum and that requires you to accelerate your prospecting activities. 

To start running and gain momentum, you must:

1)  Focus on your “A” activities, not results.

2)  Focus on what you can control.

3)  Everything else will take care of itself.

You must do more of every income-producing activity.

Whatever you do to acquire new business, step it up a notch.

You may need to double or triple the time you spend doing your “A” activities.  Will that take more of your day?  Yes, but you can probably eliminate some time-wasters in your day to compensate for the difference.

Also, when you’re working on your “A” activities, really stay focused in them, so that you’re not distracted.  Many distractions can easily take up to several minutes each time or more.  You don’t want to get out of the “zone” you’re in at the time.

You can’t guarantee results, but you can guarantee doing your “A” activities.  The activities, when done consistently over time, will then produce your desired results.

To your success,

Dan

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Is the news continuously bad?  It’s time for N.M.B.!!!

All you ever hear about on TV and radio is bad or spectacular news, because that’s what sells.

Well, I know the nation’s economy has its major challenges right now, which have been caused by many factors, but the news media has done its part to perpetuate the ‘gloom and doom’ mentality for all of those who choose to surrender to it.

I, for one, have decided not to participate and to prove my point, I’m going into N.M.B. (NEWS MEDIA BLACKOUT).

For the next 30 days, having started February 1st, I am choosing to not allow the news media (on TV, radio and internet) to seep into my brain.

Will this be hard?  Yes!  Is it doable?  YES!  

Internet news will be the toughest, because USAToday.com is easiest to access.  Then TV and finally radio.

My car radio is easy, because I can listen to motivational and real estate training CDs.

The TV will be a little tougher, because it’s a habit I’ve had for over 40 years.  Everywhere you turn, there’s 24/7 cable news channels, all competing to get your attention.  

Also, instead of watching TV when I fall asleep, I’m going to listen to my iPod or watch more motivational DVDs, like Jim Rohn, The Secret, Les Brown, etc.

Why am I truly determined to do a NEWS MEDIA BLACKOUT?

YES, I AM!  It’s time for change!

There’s too much negativity in the world and like I’ve said before “Your economy is between your ears, not the outside world.” 

I want to experience what it’s like not having outside influences constantly infiltrating my thoughts over time.

Don’t allow others to affect what you want to achieve in life.

Unless the world experiences a major catastrophe, which I hope wouldn’t happen, there’s no reason to listen to all of the naysayers in the world. 

How can you and I make a difference in other’s lives in our time on this earth, if we’re only spectators and not playing in the game of life?  You have to decide: Are you a player or a spectator?

Properties are still selling right now.  Are you going to aggressively find motivated and qualified buyers, who want to buy right now as well as the motivated sellers, who are willing to price their homes where they need to be to sell?

What will my life be like during the next 30 days?  I’m not sure, but I’m hoping that by focusing more on what’s important, like my family and my business goals, I’ll be able to achieve more balance and the results I desire.

I will keep you updated on my progress of my NEWS MEDIA BLACKOUT.

What do you think of this strategy? 

Are you willing to take a stand and go into a NEWS MEDIA BLACKOUT too?

Please let me know if you’re willing to take the challenge too.

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