As the sun sets in one place, it rises in another. But for the defenders of the Alamo, the sun never rose again. They fought bravely against overwhelming odds, knowing they would not survive. They left behind a legacy of courage and honor that inspires us to this day.
On March 6th, 1836, the 13-day siege and battle of the Alamo came to an end. The Mexican army stormed the fort and killed almost all of the defenders. Among them were famous figures like David Crockett, James Bowie, and William B. Travis, who wrote these immortal words: “I shall never surrender or retreat.” But they were not alone. About 200 other men joined them in the fight, and only 15 lived to tell the tale.
Every year, at dawn on March 6th, a ceremony commemorates the fallen heroes of the Alamo. We remember their names, their faces, and their stories. We honor their sacrifice and their spirit. Remember the Alamo.
How do you handle defeat? My strategy? Accept. Reflect, then redirect!
Ten excuses the top 1% all made, yet figured out a way to bust through:
1. I don’t have time
2. I don’t have the money
3. I will try it next year
4. I don’t have enough data
5. I am too tired, skeptical, or biased
6. No one ever did it before
7. It’s too much work
8. I could fail
9. I will wait until _____
10. It’s too risky
Your actions matter the most, yet we all know your words and thoughts matter too. The power of our words and thoughts has been proven and felt over time. Although many people say that pictures are worth more, we shouldn’t forget that the words and thoughts that come into our minds or out of our mouths carry a lot of weight.
The smallest, most insignificant words and thoughts can cause great joy or pain.
Some of the most powerful – 7, 6, and 5-word sentences – of all time:
7 words:
“Because of this, something good will happen.”
Repeat those words after each of the facts below:
Over 44 years, this individual overcame adversity, pain, and loss.
His family was forced out of their home. He had to work to support them.
His mother died.
Failed in business.
Ran for state legislature – lost.
Lost his job – wanted to go to law school but couldn’t get in.
Borrowed some money from a friend to begin a business, and by the end of the year, he was bankrupt. He spent the next 17 years of his life paying off this debt.
Ran for state legislature again – won.
Was engaged to be married, his sweetheart died, and his heart was broken.
Had a total nervous breakdown and was in bed for six months.
Sought to become speaker of the state legislature – defeated.
Sought to become elector – defeated.
Ran for Congress – lost.
Ran for Congress again – this time, he won – went to Washington and did a good job.
Ran for re-election to Congress – lost.
Sought the job of land officer in his home state – rejected.
Ran for Senate of the United States – lost.
Sought the Vice-Presidential nomination – got less than 100 votes.
Ran for U.S. Senate again – again, he lost.
Elected President of the United States.
Abraham Lincoln didn’t quit.
6 Words That Can Change Your Business
“You cannot change yourself by yourself.”
Need to stop drinking? AA
Want to get fit? A NASM personal trainer
A big test you are struggling with? A tutor
Fear of _____? A counselor
Business Development? A productivity coach
Willpower is not as strong as discipline, and discipline requires accountability. Who’s helping you with the accountability of your ambition, dreams, goals, and desires?
5 Words That Kill More Dreams Than Any Other
I don’t feel like it!
How many times have you said,“I don’t feel like it?” How many times have you listened to that thought, allowing it to alter the course of your actions?
What if you could make a different choice?
“I don’t feel like it” can be turned into “I’ll do it anyway.”
Note to self: “Feeling like it is not a pre-requisite.”
I was just reading a research study indicating that 95% of workers want to or plan to seek a new job in 2024! For real estate brokers, this is a two-edged sword… in one way, it opens up opportunities for recruiting and talent attraction. In another way, it’s a watch out for our own staff and agents.
My good friend and colleague Steve Murray from REALTrends did a study in the last downturn – 2008 to 2012 – and found 15 companies that grew substantially during that downturn. He found ONE common trend. It was:
“They got closer to their people. No matter how close or connected they thought they were, they were intentional about getting even closer. More connected. More relevant.”
Retention: how can you get closer to your organization?
Talent Attraction: what events or activities can you do to get closer to your own organization and invite others to experience your culture?
Recruiting: who do you (or your team) need to get closer with to see what’s possible?
One way is our TCF+ methodology:
# of Weekly Intentional Touches:
# of Weekly Conversations:
# of Weekly F2F Appointments Scheduled:
# of Weekly Database Additions:
# of Weekly Referrals you earned from your Agents and Outside Influencers:
# of Weekly DRIS (Data, Recognition, Insight, and Stories) follow-ups you sent:
What is measured improves.
For those in the program, I’d love to hear your success stories and your numbers for the week.
For those not in the program, let’s chat about what’s possible.
For all of us, 2024 is the year to Build Back Stronger. January will not TEXT you back…
A trend we all need to pay attention to… have you adjusted your marketing?
A recent study from LendingTree shows that single women own 2.7 million more homes than their male counterparts, with roughly 13% of those women holding the titles to their homes, compared to 10% of men.
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Single women who live by themselves are more likely than single men who live by themselves to own a home in 47 of 50 states.
The ONE Thing is a great book by Gary Keller. It got me thinking: what is the one thing you can execute over the next 7, 14, or 28 days?
Have you heard the story of Olympic ice skaters? It goes something like this… skaters training for the Olympics were monitored during routine practice sessions. On the ice without “supervision” athletes performed about 80 routines in 1 hour. Then, the coach came on the ice with a whiteboard, asked the athletes to document their routines, and monitored the session… routines increased from 80 to 100 in the same amount of time.
I’m often asked why I prefer group fitness classes over working out on my own… well the answer is above. Who’s going to push you more, yourself or your trainer?
In business, do you resist tracking and measuring your numbers? When performance is tracked and measured, performance improves… when performance is tracked, measured, and reported to someone, it EXPONENTIALLY improves.
So what’s the ONE thing? Increase your level of accountability.
