In these times, double down — on your skills, on your knowledge, on you. Join us Aug. 8-10 at Inman Connect Las Vegas to lean into the shift and learn from the best. Get your ticket now for the best price.
How do you feel when you see a storm rolling in? Do you run around and check the windows or go out and sit on the deck, waiting for it to arrive? Do you love that ozone smell right before a storm begins or do you just worry about finding shelter and hunkering down?
Just like people, animals react to storms in different ways. When a storm is coming, cows run away from it, looking for shelter. Eventually, the cow that’s running from the storm becomes worn out, so when the storm eventually catches up they have very little energy left to withstand it.
A buffalo, on the other hand, runs towards the storm. It fights that quick battle and still has enough energy left to enjoy the fruits of the storm — fresh water, green grass and refreshed vegetation.
When tough times come, how do you respond?
Challenges will come in life and business, that’s for certain. As earnings have come in over the last couple of weeks, we’ve seen some storms already and some companies that are definitely facing challenges.
They come to everyone, in fact, yet not everyone ends up defeated by those challenges. The differentiator is the response you bring to the challenges when they come your way.
Recoil
Folks who recoil when confronted with discomfort may hide away or, like the cow, run away altogether. These are the agents you know who go radio silent when the deal starts to fall apart, or, even worse, those who may seek to numb themselves with alcohol when the struggle gets too real.
Reactive
Reactive people may lash out, look for someone to blame or just throw a fit when they’re faced with a challenge. They often are unable to control their emotional responses, causing them to look and act less-than-professional when the heat is on.
Resilient
Resilient people, like the buffalo, meet challenges head-on and, in fact, even welcome them because they know that the challenge will make them stronger and better.
In the current real estate market, the people who are resilient are those who doubled down on their marketing when the market first started shifting. They’re the ones who started reaching out to mentors and colleagues, laying the groundwork for new niches and going all-in on training and education.
How can you build resilience?
This is kind of a trick question because the way you build resilience is to — be resilient. That is, when you’re confronted with challenges, whether they’re big or small, you build resilience by facing into the storm and staying present.
You may need to work with someone else to help you withstand challenges without hiding or reacting in a negative way. But if you can stand up to the storm without running away, you’ll come out stronger and better on the other side.
You’ve got to face those battles, those challenges, because if you don’t, you’re always going to be stuck in your negativity and you — and everyone else — are going to be exhausted from it.
It’s mentally draining. It’s stressful always to be afraid of taking a step forward or taking on a challenge, but sometimes that short, hard battle is worth it. Build resilience now so that you can enjoy the fruits after our current industry storm.
