Mentors Share Tips for Keeping Resolutions

A List of Effective Strategies for Implementing and Keeping New Year's Resolutions

Whether pushed aside because of work schedules, family life, or other priorities taking center stage, a failed resolution can cause feelings of inadequacy and failure, resulting in the common “Well, I’ll try again next year” mantra, only to repeat the same pattern in the coming year.

In an effort to support an individual’s desire to grow both professionally and personally in the coming year, iSucceed has scoured thousands of hours of conversations with its highly successful team of real estate Mentors, to come up with this list of effective strategies for implementing and actually keeping those lofty New Year’s Resolutions.

1. Keep it simple – the New Year is a time of reflection on what has passed, and of looking towards the future on what is to be achieved in the coming year. The desire for change and success can lead to an overenthusiastic planning session resulting in multiple goals, which may ultimately lead to frustration as they conflict with one another, or are simply unrealistic. Make a list of 10 goals, and then whittle it down to 1-5. You can always go back and revise the list at a later date as your goals are achieved.
2. Be realistic – if you’re a rookie wanting to jumpstart your career, a goal of $300,000 in income your first year may not be realistic in your market. Examine your motivation and establish a goal that is reachable. At the same time, don’t set your sights too low. Aim high enough to reach success, but not so high you’re discouraged before you even begin.
3. Be specific – a goal of “I want to make $20,000 dollars more this year” is too broad to seem achievable. Is that number net or gross? Break that number down into specifics: how many transactions does that number equate to? How many extra transactions a month, a week, does that entail? What steps do you need to take to reach the successful number of transactions that will equal your monetary goal?
4. Establish a game plan – suppose in your market $20,000 equals five extra transactions. How many more people do you need to reach with your marketing to ensure you have a big enough pool of prospects to choose from to successfully complete those transactions? How many open houses might you need to hold, how many phone calls, how many listing presentations or many face-to-face meetings will that require? Once you have the specific goal set, break it down into specific steps needed in order to achieve it.
5. State it in the positive – a statement like “This year I am going to relax more” induces stress subconsciously. Word your resolutions positively: “This year I am going to explore ways to relax more.”
6. Affirmations – the subconscious mind is a powerful motivator. Positive affirmations and stating things in the “now” can help change your mindset. Encourage yourself with statements such as “I speak easily and confidently in front of my customers,” or “I choose healthful and appropriate foods to nourish my body.”
7. Focus on behavioral change – instead of concentrating on the final outcome (“I will lose 2 lbs this week”), focus on the behavior to achieve that goal: “I will stick to my eating plan this week,” and “I will have a challenging, rewarding workout today.”
8. Forgive yourself if you falter – as the saying goes, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” Reaching your goals requires motivation and dedication, and it’s the nature of life that you’ll occasionally experience setbacks. Forgive yourself, look ahead and keep moving.
9. Review your goals regularly – establish a daily, weekly, or monthly time to sit down and review your progress. If a goal proves to be too difficult to achieve just now, congratulate yourself for having the insight to recognize that and readjust your goal. Being mindful of your progress will allow you to make minor adjustments here and there to keep yourself on track. Careful review also enables you to see what you have achieved and provides encouragement for you to continue on your path.
10. Don’t wait. Start today – it’s never too late to start. You still have plenty of time to reach your goals this year. Sit down, create a plan, and begin working through it. Success can be yours if you approach your goals in measurable steps.

These tips have been provided by a team of over 150 mentors from iSucceed, all highly successful real estate agents and brokers from all across North America. Long ago, these professionals resolved to succeed. Through a lifetime of diligent effort and unwavering focus, each of these iSucceed Mentors has achieved the pinnacle of success in the real estate brokerage industry. These same mentors are available online 24/7 at iSucceed.com, the industry’s premier online mentoring and real estate training company, now celebrating its 5th year anniversary.

Click here to visit iSucceed for more valuable tips from iSucceed Mentors: http://www.isucceed.com