Category: Real Estate Sales

Actions are crucial, but the words we use to ourselves and others are the foundation. They are the unseen architects of our reality. They shape every thought, influence every emotion, and ultimately dictate the success (or failure) of every action we take. A small shift in language can mean the difference between a crippling setback and a powerful comeback.

The Lincoln Principle: Reframing Failure

Consider the relentless resilience of Abraham Lincoln. His life wasn’t a straight path to the presidency; it was a brutal series of defeats: business failures, electoral losses, and profound personal tragedies. He was defeated for the state legislature, failed in business, lost the nomination for Congress, and suffered a debilitating nervous breakdown. Yet, he persevered.

He didn’t succeed in spite of his setbacks; he succeeded because of what he learned from them.

We can capture his unbreakable mindset with a simple, powerful mantra for adversity:

“Because of this, something good will happen.”

This phrase doesn’t deny the pain of a loss or failure—it simply reframes it. It forces us to hunt for the learning, the new path, or the unexpected opportunity that only appears after a door slams shut. Every challenge, reframed this way, becomes a non-negotiable step toward growth.

The Six-Word Truth of High Achievement

We’ve been told we can achieve anything we set our minds to. While true, that mantra is often missing a vital caveat. The truth is, you rarely achieve great things alone.

This is the Six-Word Truth of High Achievement:

“You cannot change yourself by yourself.”

Mastery, business growth, overcoming a destructive habit—none of it happens in a vacuum. Discipline demands accountability. Seeking guidance is essential, whether that means hiring a coach, finding a mentor, or joining a committed support group. The discipline required to win is multiplied exponentially when someone is there to hold the line with you.

---

Conquering the Two Greatest Dream Killers

To sustain success, you must eliminate the two deadliest phrases from your mental vocabulary.

1. The “I Don’t Feel Like It” Trap

The single biggest killer of momentum is the emotion-driven thought: “I don’t feel like it.”

The critical realization is this: Feelings are not prerequisites for action. You don’t have to be motivated to start. You simply have to start.

Stop negotiating with your feelings. Instead of succumbing to the drag of reluctance, choose to act despite it.

Replace the Killer Phrase with a Power Phrase:

DREAM KILLER	POWER PHRASE
“I don’t feel like it.”	“I’ll do it anyway.”

2. The ANTeater Strategy (Automatic Negative Thought Eater)

The second killer is the Automatic Negative Thought (ANT) – the internal critic that whispers doubt, fear, and scarcity. To conquer these thoughts, you must become an ANTeater.

This isn’t about ignoring negativity; it’s about actively and aggressively challenging it. When you catch an ANT crawling through your mind, stop and ask yourself three questions:

1. Is this thought truly helpful for my current goal?
2. What is the action I can take right now, regardless of how I feel?
3. What is the opposite, most powerful way to reframe this situation?

By consistently challenging negative self-talk, choosing to act anyway, and leveraging the accountability of others, you seize total control of your mindset.

That is how we don’t just win the day—we architect a winning future.

“Your brain is for having ideas, not holding them.”

Peak performers #WSD – write stuff down:

 

• Tasks
• Goals
• Worries
• Feelings
• Thoughts
• Debriefing (make it better notes)

 

Debrief after every:

 

• Listing appointment 
• Buyer showing 
• Open House 
• Project completion 
• Your Day or Week 
• Read – Glad To Be Here 

 

 

Journaling is one of the fastest ways to dump stress and gain clarity. I use the high-performance planner by Brendon Burchard

www.highperformanceplanner.com

 

Today’s Recording – Click Here

 

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.

PS: Consider these two choices:

1. Do it NOW (take action)
2. Regret it later

 

 

Is The Sky Falling?

Adam Smith, some 233 years ago, nailed it with the concept of supply and demand. Unfortunately, he is not here now to experience “clickbait!” If you are reading a headline like “Home Prices Are Falling,” be skeptical.

Why? In general – in most markets – it’s just not the case.  Across the US, home prices are up 2.4% to a median of $425,000 compared to last year. Are there exceptions – yes, in a few segments in a few markets – reach out to me for details, or use my Altos link to look at your specific market.

Despite significant mortgage rate increases and affordability challenges, a resilient economy combined with demographic forces of demand, there simply are not enough homes for the number of qualified buyers.

Demand did drop in 2023, yet so did supply. And Adam Smith nailed it – supply and demand forces worked. To place this in perspective, at this time in 2019, there were 822,000 homes for sale nationally: today? 546,000.

Just like Wall Street, consumers love stability and predictability. As mortgage rates stabilize and normalize, we are seeing slightly more immediate sales vs. last year. This is a leading indicator that 2024 will be stronger than 2023 from a sales perspective.

Other leading indicators? For newly homes listed, Altos is reporting a few percentage points higher on the initial list price vs. the same time a year ago, and immediate sales of those homes are slightly ahead of last year.

Price cuts? Trended over time, we see about 33%; nationally, we are at 38%, so a few percentage points higher – more than normal. I suspect these relate more to affordability than other factors.

The team over at Altos reports and updates every Monday – it’s a leading indicator – much earlier than traditional channels. I’m a fan. Win The Day!