If you’ve been in this industry for more than a minute – whether you’re running the brokerage, recruiting the talent, or closing the loans – you know one thing is true: This business is a rollercoaster.
We often look at the top producers and wonder what their secret is. Is it a better CRM? A magic script? Better leads?
Usually, it’s none of those things. After years of watching people rise, fall, and rise again, I’ve realized that long-term success really comes down to how we answer three simple, human questions.
If you are feeling stuck, or if you are trying to guide a team member who is struggling to break through, let’s look at these three keys together.
1. Do You Start Quickly?
We all struggle with the desire to be perfect. We want the marketing flyer to look exactly right before we mail it. We want to know the exact answer to every underwriting scenario before we talk to the client.
But waiting for “perfect” is often just fear wearing a fancy suit.
Here is the encouragement you might need today: You don’t need to have it all figured out to take the first step.
- The Shift: Give yourself permission to be “in progress.”
- The Action: Make the call before you feel fully ready. Launch the program before the brochure is polished. The magic happens in the doing, not the planning. Momentum is a wonderful thing, but it can only happen if you push off the starting block.
2. Do You Learn From Your Mistakes Quickly?
This is the hardest one, isn’t it? When we lose a deal, miss a recruit, or fumble a presentation, it hurts. We are passionate people, and we take our work personally.
But the highest performers aren’t the ones who never mess up. They are simply the ones who shorten the time between the mistake and the lesson.
Instead of beating yourself up for three days (we’ve all been there), try to look at the stumble with curiosity instead of judgment.
- Ask yourself: “Okay, that didn’t go as planned. What is one small thing I can tweak for next time?”
- The Goal: Be kind to yourself. Treat the mistake as expensive tuition—you paid for the lesson, so make sure you cash in the knowledge and move forward lighter and smarter.
3. Do You Stay in the Game?
There are seasons in Real Estate and Mortgage when the wind is at our backs, and seasons where we are walking uphill in the snow.
The third key—and perhaps the most important—is simply refusing to go home.
It is easy to be great when the market is hot. But character and true wealth are built in the quiet times when you are doing the work and not seeing immediate results.
- The Truth: The compound effect is real. The relationships you nurture today, even when they don’t result in a paycheck this month, are the seeds for your harvest next year.
- Keep Going: If you are in a tough spot right now, remember that you are planting. Don’t dig up the seeds just to check if they are growing. Trust the process. Stay in the game.
A Note to You
Whether you are leading the C-Suite or originating your first loan, you are capable of incredible growth.
You don’t have to be perfect. You just have to start, be willing to learn when you stumble, and possess the courage to keep showing up.
We are all in this together.
Win the day!
