Miley Cyrus
One of my big birthdays is coming up. I mean really BBBBIIIIIIGGGGG! I cannot be as old as the calendar says. I am too young to be THAT old. I find that I really age on my children’s birthdays or on the number of years I have been selling real estate. In fact that number is so large I only say 20+. That’s enough to connote experience so I really don’t have to keep track any more. In thinking of age I also wonder how do we stay fresh, excited, fire in the belly so that we can come to work with enthusiasm? Sometimes my fire has burned to a dying ember. It needs to be stoked and new wood placed on the hearth. That got me thinking about motivation. Yeah, yeah, yeah I’ve heard the “carrot and the stick”, “the pain or reward”, but what is it that REALLY gets my juices flowing?
I’ve finally decided, after much contemplation, that it’s not the pain or the reward. Rarely is it driven by fear of loss, although that can be a motivator, but usually a negative one. It’s not another contest. It is not recognition of a job well done, although that helps, BUT… it is the thrill of DISCOVERY. When I am like a child with eyes wider than the sea and all absorbing, I am excited, enthused and motivated. I want more. I get up earlier. I have things to do. I want to be great. This thrill is sometimes driven by others depending on me and my acts. Sometimes it is found in learning. Sometimes it is found in creating something pretty or memorable, but what can we do to be more like that wondrous child, where you haven’t heard, “I’ll think about it.” for the 10,000th time?
The first thing that came to mind was to clear off your desk. This is a symbol of starting fresh and recommitting to your work.
Second, remember who you are. You have made and will make an impact on other people’s lives. This is an important business. What we do does make a difference. Read some of your past testimonials from those who you have helped. You are good!
Third, tweak one of your systems. Just improve it by only 1%, and it will make a difference. Make it a little shinier, prettier, faster. Remember success begets success.
Fourth, learn a new skill – stronger writing, create a video, use different talking points, better closing skills. Learn a language, a new computer app., new method for photography. Make a theme song for your business. Take a course.
Fifth, think of yourself as fresh. Open those eyes and look as if you haven’t been in the business forever. Walk faster. Stand taller. Be alive and present. Learn, create and absorb. PRETEND to be new.
Lastly, do something that is daring or scary or really different from your normal course of activity. Put yourself in a situation where you have never been. Risk can be exhilarating.
So for all of you both young and ageless, Happy Birthday! Let this be not just another year, but a year of rebirth and discovery, a year where our internal fires burn newer, brighter and thus younger.