Working as a real estate agent can be a very rewarding, albeit demanding, career choice. You come to realize there are peaks as high as Mount Everest and valleys lower than the Marianas Trench. Agents are constantly on the go, rejection is constant, paychecks are unsteady, and the stress can be intense. Thus, the need to practise self-care is paramount. An agent who mitigates stress and ensures financial, emotional, and physical prosperity is positioned to have a long and fulfilling career in real estate.
Master your finances
Money management is a hurdle we all face, but it’s even more critical in real estate with the inconsistency of paychecks. Working out your budget and expenses, eliminating unnecessary costs, putting money aside for taxes, and saving as much as you possibly can month-to-month goes a long way towards reducing stress. Building a nest egg also helps alleviate the pressure that can accumulate during a slow period.
Take charge through goal-setting
When you’re your own boss, it’s easy to cut yourself slack at every opportunity. However, it’s important to understand the role and responsibilities of a boss. It’s up to you to set realistic goals and plan a timeline of when and how you will achieve those goals. Designate a block of time, as often as monthly, to reflect on the progress you’ve made, what you feel has and hasn’t been working, any challenges you’ve encountered, and use this information to devise an ongoing action plan. You can also take these lessons and apply them to your personal life, whether you want to learn a new skill, develop a hobby, build a better social network, or whatever will enrich your life. When you set goals, you create structure and accountability to execute your vision.
Correct your self-talk
Self-talk is the perpetual, internal monologue narrating your life. Working in a demanding, rejection-prone, service-oriented industry makes agents especially susceptible to patterns of overly critical, pessimistic self-talk. Negative self-talk can undermine your self-esteem and sap your motivation, which is why it’s important to correct it. First, recognize that rejection is a common trigger for negative self-talk. Understand that when somebody rejects your service, they are not rejecting you as an individual; they are simply saying that now is not the right time for them. Next, identify any of these common thoughts, which can lead to negative self-talk: all-or-nothing thinking, dwelling on the worst-case scenario, focusing on how things “should be” instead of how they are, and unfairly comparing yourself to others. Lastly, meditation can help quiet an overactive brain and create a better sense of mindfulness.
Choose the right fuel
The nature of the job keeps agents on the go. When hunger strikes, it can be tempting to devour whatever fast-food is available en route to your next appointment. While a burger with fries are fine in moderation, if you want to maintain high energy levels and clear focus, you need to eat clean. Get in the habit of preparing a homemade lunch each morning made up of lean protein, healthy fats, fruits, and vegetables to help keep you satiated throughout the day. Favor convenient snack foods on the go such as sliced vegetables with hummus, almonds, half an avocado, hard-boiled eggs, protein bars that are low in sugar, and jerky. Not only can this improve your nutrition, it can also save you money.
As self-starters, there’s a tendency to get lost in a “go-go-go” mentality. While that kind of drive is great for building and maintaining a successful business, it’s also imperative that you factor in time for yourself to encourage balance and keep your engine running at maximum efficiency. After all, you owe it to your business to grow alongside it.
