Think about the meaning of the phrase, “at the top of your game.” What does it mean to you? Does it bring up images of success? Can you picture yourself in the future being successful and maintaining a balanced life? If this picture is fuzzy, here are some common mistakes that you can avoid.
Mistake No. 1
Lack of clarity. So many people I know tell me that they want to be more successful. When I asked him specifically what do they mean by “more successful,” they often do not have an answer.
That’s a mistake, because intentions rule the universe. So unless you give the universe a clear intention, it doesn’t know what to send back to you. If you tell the universe you want more money, you may find a nickel that next time you step out of your car and you have more money, but that’s not really what you wanted.
Here’s a better idea: Be specific about your ideal professional life.
1. How many hours you would like to work each day?
2. Who are your ideal clients?
3. What is your ideal income? (Pick a figure that’s realistic but optimistic.)
Once you’re specific in this visualization, you should experience positive feelings such as empowerment, confidence, energy and peace.
Mistake No. 2
Not taking 100% responsibility for yourself, your life, and your business.
If you want the life of your dreams, then you are going to have to take 100% responsibility for your life. That means giving up all your excuses, all your victim stories, all the reasons why you can’t and all blaming of outside circumstances. You have to take the position that you have always had the power to make it different and to get it right.
I interviewed dozens of successful top producing real estate agents in the USA and Canada. These were seasoned agents who had been through many ups and downs in the economy. I really probed to find out what was the one thing that made them successful, no matter what.
They all said the same thing. It’s your mindset that makes all the difference. As Henry Ford said, “whether you believe you can or you can’t, either way you’re right.”
Your success depends on your mindset, not on the economy.
Mistake No. 3
Letting your thoughts be polluted by the media. The more negative they can make the news, the more attention they get and the more newspapers they sell, so they exaggerate the negative.
I advise my clients on specific books, CDs, articles, and even some DVDs that they can look at that will keep their mindset headed in a positive direction. Think of that as saturating your brain, or retraining yourself to think in a more positive way.
Mistake No. 4
Letting yourself engage in negative conversations. People around you can try to bring you down; misery loves company. You need to be prepared with positive statements so that when they bring up their negative comments, you’ll have a different point of view to contribute. It’s especially important that you get excited about real estate when you’re talking with your clients. Desperation doesn’t sell, but excitement does.
Mistake No. 5
Letting old beliefs about yourself and your business weigh you down.
Many of the people I surveyed contend with these kinds of thoughts:
• I’m afraid of being successful, it might be taken away
• I must put other needs first
• I’m not worthy to have a lot of money
• If I call people I’m just bothering them
• I’m just not good enough
Now that we’ve identified the mistakes that people make to keep them from being at the top of their game, let’s talk about what you can do to be at the “top of your game.”
1. Own up to the fact that you are the deliberate creator of your life. Once you really know that, then you are empowering yourself to create the life of your dreams. Write down this empowered belief: ”I am the deliberate creator of my life”
2. People who are at the top of their game have learned how to give themselves positive self talk. If you start becoming aware of the way that you talk to yourself, then you’ll notice that most of the time you are beating up on yourself.
3. Be sure to visualize what you want. Go inside the picture and feel it. Watch it as if you’re watching a moving picture; watch your ideal day unfold, watch smiles on your clients faces as they just hear the good news that their home just sold. Connect with at heart level. Feel it in your heart and do it as a practice every day. As Dennis Whately said, ”if you can visualize it, then you can materialize it.”
4. Get rid of your anti-success mindset and replace it with a pro-success mindset. What is an anti-success mindset? It is a mindset that is full of fear, doubt, hesitation, and self-limiting beliefs. It’s Okay to get curious about these beliefs and why they are in your consciousness, and it’s okay to be a loving detective and try to figure out how to get rid of them but do it from an objective and neutral point of view without judging yourself.
5. Get outside support. If you’ve been trying to do this on your own without the help of a coach then you’re just spinning your own wheels. I have never met a successful real estate agent who at one time or another did not have a coach.
It’s important to note that there are two different kinds of coaches. There are accountability coaches and there are mindset coaches. The problem is not that you need to learn what to do; the problem is your mindset. More than 75% of you reading this right now would probably say, “I know what I should be doing; I’m just not doing it.” If you’re in that category then you should be looking for a mindset coach: To help you to identify your self-limiting beliefs, to release them, and to install empowered beliefs.
Why is this important? When your mind is filled with empowered beliefs, you are filled with confidence, your self-doubt is gone and you move forward easily in the direction of your goals.
Summary: to be at the top of your game, you need to:
1. Take total responsibility for your success. Start by owning the fact that you are the deliberate creator of your life.
2. Create positive self talk
3. Visualize and feel what you want
4. Get rid of your anti-success mindset and replace it with a success mindset
5. Get outside help and support
Dr. Maya Bailey, Multiple 6 Figure Income Business Coach for Real Estate Professionals, integrates her 20 years of experience as a psychologist with 15 years of expertise in marketing.
For more information, visit www.90daystomoreclients.com.
