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The new year comes with new and renewed goals, resolutions and dreams. It’s a great time to make a shift and inspire yourself to take the next step, try something new or challenge yourself.
However, your goal doesn’t always have to be based on a quantifiable achievement. When it comes to business, sometimes all you need is a shift in mindset. When you challenge yourself to think about something differently, in many cases, new and better results will follow naturally.
Here are a few thought exercises in reframing your outlook on business that I’ve found helpful in my real estate journey. When it comes to approaching your career confidently, half the battle is knowing who you are, representing your true self in a genuine way and bringing that energy to every aspect of your business—from your relationships to your calendar to your budget.
Think of every interaction as an opportunity to make a connection
If you’re operating in the world as your authentic self and with an open heart, you’re going to attract opportunities, conversations and new people into your life. Every time you go to a social event, the grocery store or the gym, you will interact with others and form potential fruitful business relationships.
In order to do this, you have to be secure and grounded in yourself. Know who you are and what you bring to the table and — here’s the secret — don’t be afraid to let it shine. Go forth with confidence, and clients will come your way.
Figure out what’s important to you in your relationships with family and friends and apply these values to your business relationships
How do you treat the people you love the most? Are you considerate, communicative, honest? And how do you want them to feel about you? Trusting, charmed, admiring? Write down a few words that answer each question and then consider how you interact with your clients.
If you’re known among friends for being funny, don’t hide that part of yourself with your clients. Rather, invite it in.
If you pride yourself in being responsive to your family members, make sure you’re giving the same treatment to your clients, as much as you can. Bring your whole self to your business life as you do in your personal life.
Be proud of what you do
People can read how you feel about what you do, so bring an energy of pride into conversations around your role as a real estate agent.
What do you have to be proud about? You help people live in the way they want to live. You help set them up for financial success and a lifestyle that suits their personality. It’s a huge role to take on and one that you should be very honored to hold. Find those insecurities and reframe them to bring fresh energy into 2023.
Let go of what you don’t enjoy doing and what you aren’t good at
Yes, it’s good to push yourself to expand your skills, but some things just aren’t worth it. For example, at The Agency, we don’t expect our agents to become marketing, social media, IT or tech experts. We have a whole group of in-house specialists to allow agents to do what they do best — serve and advise their clients.
You don’t have to be perfect at everything — in fact, you’ll be able to be your most efficient, focused self if you focus on your strengths and leave the rest to experts. Figure out what those pain points are and get them off your plate.
Your mind is powerful, and these approaches will help you maximize your mindset and take a leap into new next-level territory. Trust yourself, your strengths and your intuitions and you’ll have a year to be proud of.
Santiago Arana is the principal partner at The Agency in Los Angeles and Miami. Connect with him on Instagram.
